My Oday 28 is on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It is a fickle lake with heavy salt water that some years floods the shores, and years later reaches a historical low. This year we have been able to sail without a problem, until last week. Over the last few years my sailing season has been cut short in the fall as the lake reaches its low for the year. Problem is the mouth of the marina. It's the shallow point of the lake, sounding at 3 feet last week. We took the dinner boat out and anchored it in the middle of the channel and gave it hell, and blew out as much of the bottom as would move. That made a nice 6ft deep channel, but when you pop over the edge of the channel it has built up a ridge and I ground hard. So I am trapped in the marina.
Some of the old salts at the marina have talked about low water years, and how they would "heel" the boat over to buy some space to slip out of the marina. When I asked how this was accomplished, they would tell me of putting 3 crew members on the boom, swinging it out to heel the boat and slip through. On the face of it I believe the story, but some stories are embellished just a little bit.
So my question is:
Can you heel a boat over far enough with the boom and crew/waterbag/weights to buy a foot of draft?
How much weight do you think a boom can handle before it causes damage?
My Oday 28 drafts 4' 3" and is a fixed keel.
If this could work I may be able to extend my sailing season a couple of months. If not I may have to buy a laser or a catamaran as a second boat to feed my sailing addiction.
I would appreciate any of your thoughts or input BEFORE I go on this grand experiment.
Some of the old salts at the marina have talked about low water years, and how they would "heel" the boat over to buy some space to slip out of the marina. When I asked how this was accomplished, they would tell me of putting 3 crew members on the boom, swinging it out to heel the boat and slip through. On the face of it I believe the story, but some stories are embellished just a little bit.
So my question is:
Can you heel a boat over far enough with the boom and crew/waterbag/weights to buy a foot of draft?
How much weight do you think a boom can handle before it causes damage?
My Oday 28 drafts 4' 3" and is a fixed keel.
If this could work I may be able to extend my sailing season a couple of months. If not I may have to buy a laser or a catamaran as a second boat to feed my sailing addiction.
I would appreciate any of your thoughts or input BEFORE I go on this grand experiment.
