Catalina 22 heeling

[Peter]

Hi My wife and I are new to sailing. We took some lessons and passed are Basic keel boat test.  Today was our 6th time out in are catalina 22 we went to Waldo Lake. man is the water Blue.  Today was also the day we learned the meaning of wind! It was very windy Im going to estimate it at gusts to 20 to 25knts. We sailed down wind with the main only for a long way then we got are nerve up put up the 100 genoa we wanted to go to this little cove so we headed up into a close hauled tack the wind blew the jib sheet out of the clam shell cleat and was luffing wildley and when I went to secure it the mainsail came lose and we lost the line through the block on the main sheet so we were out there wrestling stuff for awhile first thing we did was start the kicker. then we cleated of the boom droped the jib and the main and headed for the cove to regroup lick are wounds alittle so to speak and have lunch. We lost one of the bullets on the main over board so i got out a spare and Zipp tied it on. I had taken most everything else out of the Boat spare parts Tools. Which was really dumb I learned that today.  We were wondering if a Catalina 22 will get knocked down and capsize or round up when we were beating are way back we hit those gusts and the boat would heel I was spilling wind out of the main to keep us from excesive heeling. After a while tough we got used to it and it was really fun so how far can we heel are 22? we had the leward deck about 2 inchs from being under water at times. My wife Susan said Quote "I think as long as we dont see fish through the windows were okay" We were wishing we new more about what the Boat will take.Then it wouldnt seem so scarey. Another thing when we got back are shrouds were quite lose I think it was from being streched they were tight when we left. The photo is on the wqy out this morning at Waldo lake Oregon

 

[Big Joe]

Heeling

Yo Peter! When I started sailing it was a long time before I saw and honest 20 mph of wind. I wouldn't go out in that much wind when I was starting out. Let me just say that 20 to 25 Knts is a lot of wind for a newbie. Most coastal sailing is done at much lower windspeeds.My boat is bigger and heavier than yours and by the time I see say, 25 knts, I am double reefed on my mainsail and a heavily reefed headsail or I don't fly a headsail at all. I don't want to sail around on my ear. Some of the Catalina 22 guys will be able to let you know the windspeeds they reef at. Reefing is your friend. You will still go fast but much more comfortably.Regards, Big Joe.

 

[Peter]

Really!maybe I better get a wind gage. I fish alot out in the Ocean in my 2301 Striper Im pretty sure my wind estimating is within a couple knts 20+ is Small craft advisory. I was on a lake so that took away alot of Brains!  Are main has no reef points. Now that I think about when we got to the cove there were boats on the beach and nobody was going out. Which i thought was rather wierd then we left and looked back and they all started to come out but stayed close to the lee out of the big wind.  If you dont have anything to do someday type my name in on google............. peter gierga..... And ready my dory story. Thanks for the reference point.

 

[Michael]

reef and storm sail are your friends

My advice after having my 22 for about 20 years now is to go slowly and let the learning curve build for you. Hopefully you can find someone near you who has the same or similar model boat to help you learn to tune the rigging properly. Loose rigging in high, especially gusty, winds can destroy your mast. There are tricks to learn regarding mast bend and so on that need experience or a good book. I would then strongly advise you to have your sail modified to provide one and preferably two reefs. Along with that I would advise getting a good storm headsail. Then experiment using various combinations starting above 15 to 18 mph or so. Out here where winds are pretty gusty I tend to go right to a single reef and a storm at about 15 mph if I am just cruising. I went out a couple of weeks ago and used the double reef and a storm comfortably in 25 mph. You will find that the boat doesn't go any faster at high heel rates--actually slower. Also, if you use too much sail for the wind you just stretch the sails out sooner, endanger the rigging, and have to work too hard. Fair sailingMichael

 

[tropical itch23824]

Heeling Over

Twice in my earlier years I challenged a small craft lake warning and attempted to harness a 20 knot wind with my C-22. Both times I had my starboard gunnel under water and both times I slapped the water surface with my mast. Each time the boat quickly righted. Now, 20 years later, I am a strong believer in reefing and realize that to experience big time heeling you need to be in a catamaran. I support the other comments that new sailors need to gain experience in 10 - 15 knot winds and leave the real blustery days for a while down the road.