"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:05:39 -0700, Mark Borgerson
wrote:

Until you get into the classes like the America's Cup yachts, with
their tilting keels, doesn't a fixed keel improve windward
performance?

The problem arises when you sail in an area with a lot of shallow
water. The swing keel is a compromise but it will give you better
performance than a shallow fixed keel.

Agreed. Shallow water is the reason for my preference of a swing keel. I'm
just off the Indian River Lagoon, where (as I'm sure you know), except for a
few spots in our area, sailing is pretty much restricted to the ICW channel
for boats with more than 4' draft. These open areas are mostly deep enough
but I've done my share of sandbar hopping on a friends 27 Hunter with 4'2"
draft. There's the ocean too, but we're about 5 boat hours from the inlet
which doesn't allow for "just hop on the boat" outings.