How fast has your Vega gone?

Dec 15, 2006
139
Hey group,

How fast have you gone in your Vega? Last summer was my first time in
our Vega and we measured 7.2 knots across the bottom, but with current
helping. However, today at slack tide with no current, with a full
setting of sails, with Genoa, we measured 7.9 knots surfing down the
front of 4 foot swells. What a ride! Later.

Larry
"Kemanalea"
Hull 1493
SF Bay Area
 
Sep 13, 2002
203
13 kts, broad reach in a F5 approaching Dorus Mor. We were surfing to 7 kts
through the water with the tide adding the rest. That was fun, but the best
part was the ferry glide when turned 90 degree left to take us through the
gap - going sideways at 7 kts with the bow pointing at the rocks 20 metres
away!

Alisdair
 
Oct 31, 2019
562
Hi.:
The fastest I ever sailed was about 7.5 mph (about 6.5 knots) with spinnaker and main. I'll never forget the time. the waves were about 8 feet and I had to jibe- and broached the boat.
Wilhelm, V-257

Larry Bissell albinvega1493@... wrote: Hey group,

How fast have you gone in your Vega? Last summer was my first time in
our Vega and we measured 7.2 knots across the bottom, but with current
helping. However, today at slack tide with no current, with a full
setting of sails, with Genoa, we measured 7.9 knots surfing down the
front of 4 foot swells. What a ride! Later.

Larry
"Kemanalea"
Hull 1493
SF Bay Area
 
Oct 31, 2019
4
I followed my Vega, Billy Ruff'n down the M27 to Portsmouth about 6 years ago. Conditions were light and variable, traffic average, and I'm sure it hit 55mph at times.

Alisdair Gurney yahoo@... wrote: 13 kts, broad reach in a F5 approaching Dorus Mor. We were surfing to 7 kts
through the water with the tide adding the rest. That was fun, but the best
part was the ferry glide when turned 90 degree left to take us through the
gap - going sideways at 7 kts with the bow pointing at the rocks 20 metres
away!

Alisdair
 
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
Hi Larry - I keep her on a lake so no tide.

To windward the fastest I've gone is 6.8 knots in a F5, two reefs in main
and full headsail - steering a little heavy but very well behaved.

Off the wind about 7.5 knots surfing on same sail plan.

I sail singlehanded so don't use spinnaker unless I have visitors.

John

V 1447 Breakaway

John A. Kinsella Ph: +353-61-202148 (Direct)
+353-61-333644 x 2148 (Switch)
Mathematics Dept. e-mail: John.Kinsella@...
University of Limerick FAX: +353-61-334927
IRELAND Web: John Kinsella's Website
 
Jan 12, 2003
8
We were winging it, just in from the Golden Gate and pegged our meter at 18 kts for several minutes..
 
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
Winging it == goosewinging==before the wind with main to one side &
headsail to other?

18 knots is pretty remarkable. Must have been exciting.

How much sail did you have up?

John

V1447 Breakawy

John A. Kinsella Ph: +353-61-202148 (Direct)
+353-61-333644 x 2148 (Switch)
Mathematics Dept. e-mail: John.Kinsella@...
University of Limerick FAX: +353-61-334927
IRELAND Web: John Kinsella's Website
 
Oct 31, 2019
163
14.8 Knots, heading south through the Kyle Rhea channel on the inside of the Isle of Skye.

Wind F1/2, with 12+ knots of tide under us - great fun until the visibility dropped from 1M to 100 yards in about 5 seconds, wherafter it was terrifying. Whilst the channel's straight, clear and deep (once you glimpsed the land you steered away from it), the scarey bit was being able to hear, but not see the chain ferry crossing back and forth ahaead of us.

Bob
__________________________________________________________
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Oct 31, 2019
163
More useful than our ten minutes of terror in Kyle Rhea was a passage from the Spanish enclave of Cueta on the N African coast, to Cabo de Gata at the eastern end of the Costa del Sol over the 11th & 12th April 2005; we carried the Gibralter Straits tide and then the Atlantic inflow ccurrent into the Mediterranean and made good 165 miles in twenty eight hours, the engine was off before we left Cueta's outer harbour and only re-started to back-in the anchor at Gabo de G. We were accompanied by dolphins for perhaps 18 of the 26 hours and other thn the early hours of the morning, it was shorts and t-shirts the whole way; I said at the time and still believe - I should've given up sailing right then and there, it will never get better than that. __________________________________________________________
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Oct 31, 2019
562
I never went that fast. I used to have that German speedometer, forgot its name, but the cable broke every 2 to 3 thousand miles (before 5 to 6000), so I took it out. Though I liked it since it was quite accurate and gave me the correct speed through the water and by camparing to the speed over land I used to know the drift. Here in the Florida straights it's useful to know the tides and currents. There are strong currents with eddy currents between the Golf Stream and land. On the average I'm satisfied when I'm sailing about 6 mph on a beet and 6.5 mph on a reach. Once the speed drops below 2.5 mph I start the engine (when I'm cruising). Under engine power alone (1GM Yanmar ) I'm making 6.5 mph, calm sea.
Wilhelm, V-257

Bob Carlisle bobnlesafloat@... wrote:
14.8 Knots, heading south through the Kyle Rhea channel on the inside of the Isle of Skye.

Wind F1/2, with 12+ knots of tide under us - great fun until the visibility dropped from 1M to 100 yards in about 5 seconds, wherafter it was terrifying. Whilst the channel's straight, clear and deep (once you glimpsed the land you steered away from it), the scarey bit was being able to hear, but not see the chain ferry crossing back and forth ahaead of us.

Bob

__________________________________________________________
 
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
Hi Wilhelm
I notice that you use miles per hour rather than knots or kph.

Is there any reason for this?

Just curious.

John
V1447 Breakaway

John A. Kinsella Ph: +353-61-202148 (Direct)
+353-61-333644 x 2148 (Switch)
Mathematics Dept. e-mail: John.Kinsella@...
University of Limerick FAX: +353-61-334927
IRELAND Web: John Kinsella's Website
 
Oct 31, 2019
562
Hi John

I really have no reason as to why I use mph instead of knots (I do know the difference, I also know about kph). That speedometer I used to have was calibrated to mph, and my GPS also uses mph. I know I could change that.

By the way, I asked quite a few people about the difference of mph and knots - they didn't know!

Wilhelm, V-257

"John A. Kinsella" John.Kinsella@... wrote: Hi Wilhelm
I notice that you use miles per hour rather than knots or kph.

Is there any reason for this?

Just curious.

John
V1447 Breakaway

John A. Kinsella Ph: +353-61-202148 (Direct)
+353-61-333644 x 2148 (Switch)
Mathematics Dept. e-mail: John.Kinsella@...
University of Limerick FAX: +353-61-334927
IRELAND Web: John Kinsella's Website
 
Oct 31, 2019
562
Hi Steve;
I never thought you wouldn't know the difference between mph, kph, and knots. But you would be surprised to find out how few do know the difference. And that's not only to speed. The other day I went to the Post Office and was told I owed them 0.42 cents. (the postage for a first class letter is 42 cents) . When I told the clerk I didn't habe 0.42 cents because nobody would have that, he became angry. I was wondering why....

Happy sailing, with knots, mph, or kph, as long I'm out there...
Wilhelm, V-257
Steve Birch steve@... wrote: I know!!!
 
Sep 13, 2002
203
It's time to heat humble pie :(

Last week I did the same trip ... and got it horribly wrong.
As before: Southbound towards Dorus Mor; 7 kts tide; middle of springs ..
but this time there was a force 4-6 on the nose :(
When I turned left nothing happened and I ended up hitting the tidal race,
including a five foot vertical wall of water. We were fully loaded for a
summer cruise, and with a lot of weed on the hull the old Yanmar could only
give us a top speed of 4.5 kts, so no hope of avoiding it.
Fortunately there was no damage, but we had a hell of a fright and were
pitched and rolled at least 45 degrees every which way for five very long
minutes.Alisdair (who learned a few new expletives from his youngest son in the
process)
 
Oct 31, 2019
562
Hi:
looks like you had quite a sail! But I always trust the Vega, I went through quite some bad weather with her.
Just a short not on getting the Vega on a plane. That would be difficult, because the Vega is a displacement boat. When a boat planes, the bow lifts, but if the bow goes down, the boat surfs, like when on the downside of a big swell. Then the speed can go up, just like on a surfboard.
Wilhelm, V-257
 
May 30, 2006
1,075
Is it possible to have removable battens?
I mean sucessfully. I've seen them on some small boats, but they seem to fall out sometimes.

My sail is standard with like 3-4 battens up the leach.
rb