BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Bluewater C&C 33

In article .com,
wrote:

Six to eight foot waves are commonplace on the Atlantic, and are to be
expected any time the wind blows 15 kts or more for over a few hours
time. They are not gentle rollers either. The REALLY nasty stuff
(over 20 feet) happens with winds over 35 kts for a day or so.

rant

Why does it seem everyone is so obsessed with withstanding "perfect"
storms?

Sorry, but 15 knots in open ocean is pretty much perfect conditions. The
waves and swells are LONG.

In my home waters, 25-30 knots is a BAD time to be out and sometimes 15
can be nasty, but my admittedly limited experience in the Atlantic off
of the BVIs during the Christmas winds tells me that a properly reefed
boat isn't going to have any problems at all in those conditions. Hell,
Xan will gobble up those conditions for a light snack and ask for more.
Yeah, I'm going to stay out of the Gulf Stream during a northerly, but
that's a short part of the "pond' jump.

The numerous circumnavigation logs I've studied also tell me that they
most often want MORE sail due to light winds. A Chesapeake summer squall
is far worse than conservative cruisers ever see on the water.

/rant

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/