Acquired a 216 late last fall so didn’t get much of a chance to sail it before winter set in here in the GWN. I’ve also been somewhat occupied with the record setting high water here on Lake Ontario which is partly caused by a lot of unsettled rainy weather so have just recently managed to get some solid sailing time in.
The summer thermals have not started so many of my outings have been in conditions where I wouldn’t have been bothered to sail our previous full keeled boat as it would have been more like “controlled drifting” than sailing.
However the 216 just takes off in very light breezes so it’s been fun cruising by much larger boats. I’m sure the complete opposite will occur in any significant air at least upwind however it’s fun to see my “competitors” looking at their sail trim trying to figure out why it’s happening!
Although it’s over 21 feet long it tacks really quickly (think laser) so taking advantage of any wind shifts is very productive in getting me upwind faster and any little puff adds a burst of speed.
The summer thermals have not started so many of my outings have been in conditions where I wouldn’t have been bothered to sail our previous full keeled boat as it would have been more like “controlled drifting” than sailing.
However the 216 just takes off in very light breezes so it’s been fun cruising by much larger boats. I’m sure the complete opposite will occur in any significant air at least upwind however it’s fun to see my “competitors” looking at their sail trim trying to figure out why it’s happening!
Although it’s over 21 feet long it tacks really quickly (think laser) so taking advantage of any wind shifts is very productive in getting me upwind faster and any little puff adds a burst of speed.