Note from a new ower

This weekend I got my first real sailing in on my "new" 424 (which, being #1, is arguably older than any other).

You already know these things, but I thought it might be interesting for other owners to hear the perspective of a new owner. If anyone knows prospective buyers who want to be bored with lots of detail, send tem to me.

I had really feared that this boat would sail like a brick. I did not find that to be the case. I got to sail and motor in all kinds of conditions, mostly to weather. I found that the boat sailed fine to weather in anything over ~8 kts, and I was OK going downwind (without any downwind sail) in anything over 10-12. We ran some tests, and I could tack through ~110 degrees in 8-10 kt winds on flat seas (measured by the compass, I had no measure of relative wind direction), and it really didn't matter whether I had up the jib and jigger, all three, or just jib and main. That surprised me. I thought jib and jigger would not do as well as jib and main. The choice of sail combination did not make much difference to speed when close hauled, either.

As the wind freshened, we ran the tests again, and found that the tacking angle dropped as low as 98 in ~15 knots. Just over 100 was more typical.

We sailed from Boston to Provincetown on Saturday, and motored and sailed to New Bedford on Sunday. On Sat in the middle of Cape Cod Bay the wind was nearly on our nose and picked up to ~18 kts. That was when I came to appreciate the ketch. Since there was a nasty chop, and now one wanted a swim, we lowered the main by 1) rolling in the jib, 2) leaving the helm unattended (no autopilot) and going forward together to flake the main, and 3) unfurling the jib. The boat took care of herself when we were forward, adopting a comfortable attitude to the sea, much like heaving to! I think I might be able to single hand this boat without an autopilot. (don't worry, I won't try it without having competent help onboard observing)

The best part came next. The boat seemed point just as high, and sailed just as fast as with all three (we were apparently over-canvassed). She got back on her feet, was more comfortable and balanced (compared to Jib,Main,Mizzen; not Jib,Main. With Jib,Main she balances fine). We logged speeds consistently over 7 kts, with a peak of 7.9. Whenever there was a short lull in the waves, it would climb up near 8. It wasn't comfortable, but it was a lot better than I was used to. For the most part, we were sitting and steering with one hand. No white knuckles.

I need to reduce the amount of chain I carry, or move it further back. It may have been my imagination, but the bow felt heavy. We put the bow just under the surface at one point. I didn't think that was right in 3-4 foot seas (looked like 5-6) , even if they were only 3-4 seconds apart and steep.

Here is an interesting observation: I went below when we were driving fairly hard, and I was struck by the absence of creaking and groaning. In anything half that bad, my P30 would make a chorus of complaints below. I meant to go forward to see if the sides of the bow were deflecting, but I forgot.

Another observation: The cockpit was a pleasure underway, not just at anchor. I thought it might be too big, and be dangerous, or that the mizzen mast or boom might be a nuisance. I had the mizzen sail shortened about 7" so that I could raise the gooseneck and avoid being hit in the head. I did not need to shorten it quite that much. The cockpit was very comfortable, and the mizzen and pedestal worked together to give enough handholds to brace yourself, but didn't get in the way. The steering was light and precise; even in the heavy stuff, once we balanced the boat, it only took 5-10 deg turns of the wheel to keep her steady on. Both of us were used to smaller tiller boats, so it took us hours to learn not to overcorrect.

Well, you probably haven't read this far unless you were bored, so I better end this note. I like the boat. I still fear its complexity and size, but it was fun to sail.

 

(note from Walter Piescik, May 2002)