how far can you go ?

[Kurt Myers]

I am new to the sport , alot of crew time and plenty of sunfish/lazor summers. This is my "first" boat. With that said, my son and I were out for a late day sail , conditions were great when we headed out , a steady 10 to 12. We were on a great tack about 12 to 15 degrees off the wind and heeled over really nice when the wind picked up to about 16. We were sailing! I started to play with the heading , the more we headed up , the slower we got , the more off the wind the faster but at the same time more heeled over.Fast was fun but at what point is too much for a 22 foot swing keel. The boat does have an 800 pound/ 18 inch stubby keel and 4 feet of swing keel.

 

[Roger1250]

15 degrees

Common knowledge seems to say that you start to lose your efficiency after about 15 degrees of heel. All boats sail best upright with most of the sail exposed to the wind.After 15 degrees, your wife will leave you, (or at least refuse to sail with you), your daughters will find excuses not to go with you, your sons will start thinking that homework may not be so bad afterall, and your dog will puke in your lap!

 

[lazeyjack]

angle of heel

not at all the famous yacht that won the second Whitbread , first Flyer S AND S 68, sailed BEST RIGHT UP TO 25 ANGLE OF HEEL, Each and every hull is different

 

[ed]

if you put in the kind of boat your sailing

You could get alot more specific guidance as to how to sail it best.

 

[Bob]

More than you can stand

The boat, provided it was designed by a competent naval architect, will take more than you can stand. Certainly in a steady 10 to 12 there is no way you can heel it enough to cause any non-human problems. The only real difficulties will be that it will slow down when heeled past a certain point, and the helm will get very heavy. But if your boat will sail 12 to 15 degrees off the wind, there are a lot of designers who will stand in line to see it and take notes! Most cruisers won't sail much closer than 40 to 45 degrees of the true wind.