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Seems to me it's all of the things you mention. What I like about my Cal is
that it stays on track easily because the rudder is so big. This makes it easier to handle with the relatively big winds on the bay. It's no wonder that after 40 years, it's still a popular boat here. -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com "DSK" wrote in message .. . Time for a sailing thread. Where's Bart when you need him? One of the essential characteristics of a cruising boat is that she be "easy to handle." Obviously this means different things to different people. What makes a boat "easy to handle"? Size? A powerful windlass & roller furling? Self-tailing winches? Halyards led aft? I have a number of things rooted in the basic design of a boat, and which cannot be added on. In the quote below, they refer to size & turning ability, but not basic configuration or deck layout. IMHO these things should all be a part of the choice of boat, and cannot be upgraded later. Small jibs, possibly fitted with self-tacking gear, is a big improvement over a huge genoa... unless the boat will not sail properly because it's underpowered. Basic design. Etc etc. I'm interested in what others have to say on the subject. Fresh Breezes- Doug King ** ** begin quote from "The Stone Horse" booklet, Edey & Duff, 1968** ** Cruising sailboats are almost invariably short-handed. The watch on deck is frequently only one person. So the sails and rig should be within the strength capability of this abbreviated crew. The smallest, weakest member of the crew, working alone, should be able to perform aby evolution required to rescue another crewmember who's been silly enough to fall overboard, in any weather likely to be encountered. In case of medical emergency, he or she should also be able to detach the vessel from the bottom (as such things usually wait until you're tucked away in some remote anchorage) , get underway, sail to where help can be found, and terminate the emergency run without terminating either the patient or the boat. And of course it's times like these that the engine and radio choose to pack it in (Murphy has provided a natural law to cover these situations). Up to a point, mechanical aids such as winches and windlasses, and to a greater extent, the the knowledge and experience of each crew member, will permit larger, heavier, more cumbersome boats and gear. But ultimately, a flogging headsail that must be muzzled and changed, a spinnaker doused, or an anchor heaved on board or buoyed and slipped, become the limiting factors. She should be directionally stable, yet have authoritative rudder control and a small turning circle. When the helmsman looks up from the chart, she should not have wandered wildly off course. In fact it is especially important that a cruising boat can be made to steer herself for long periods. You should be able to leave the helm untended to trim, set or shorten sail, make a sndwich, answer nature's call, study a chart, or for any number of reasons without having to awaken a snoozing spouse or trust a lubberly passenger. On the other hand, to be able to negotiate a narrow harbor entrancem twitch reliably and safely through an anchored fleet, and come to anchor, wholly under sail, with a minimum of fuss, is a joy and a satisfaction. |
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