In article ,
Brian Whatcott wrote:

Thanks for the opportunity to compare notes - it's true we had the jib
bungeed in a pile in the pulpit. That would not have helped in the
fresh breeze - perhaps 20 kt.

That's probably your second mistake.

The one I think was first was trying to motor directly into the wind and
waves. Even with our 20 hp inboard (which can take us past hull speed in
flat water), if we power directly into that sort of slop, we *might* get
3-4 knots under near-max power. If I "tack" off a bit, we come up to our
5-6 knot cruise at lower revs.

We had a Chrysler 4 on a Macgregor 21. Found out (once) that it was fine
in storm/squall conditions, much less a mere 20 knots. BUT it was a bear
to keep that engine running.

If yours is working fine for your purposes otherwise, I'd keep it to
keep the weight down, but we switched ours out after it let us down at
some very strange times for no discernible reason. Luckily, it never
died when we could have been in trouble, but I never could trust it
completely.

--
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/