I have considerable experience of putting my vega aground, sometimes by design others by accident.
I sail mostly on the East Coast of England but also have considerable experience of the Channel coast and have made several trips to the Dutch and German Friesian Islands.
I can assure you that the Vega lays on her side on hard sand with her gunwale well clear of the incoming tide, and the hull is very strong. The groundings to worry about are if there are rocks or other hard objects such as mooring gear under the boat.
My own vega lives happily on a mud berth, that is a berth in soft mud and she is only afloat for about 12 hours a day. She sits upright in the mud and apart from putting a strain on the rudder as she settles it doesn't cause any problems.
When going aground against a wall or jetty she will lie quite happily against a fender board and doesn't tip forward like some boats. As the tide drops I sometimes induce heel against the wall by running a line from the masthead to a point ashore but don't forget to remove it as the tide comes in. Alternately a water container or similar weight on the side deck will induce enough heel to ensure she doesn't fall outwards.
The boat will cope with the grounding more happily than the crew.
Mike
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From: elias_tamas elias_tamas@...
To:
AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 18 February, 2010 18:01:44
Subject: [AlbinVega] drying out
We are going to sail the Waddensee and the English channel this summer. There are some tidal anchorages and harbours. Does anyone has some experince in drying out with a Vega? Does the side of the hull stands the pressure?
Thanks: Tamas (V3353)
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