Hunter 27 (05) is good in big water

[Doghouse]

I will start out by saying the weatherman lied!I knew we would be cutting it tight with the storm front moving into our area. We decided that we would go out with the club and risk the storm. The forcast was that it would not arrive until noon or later on sunday. So I figured we would have plenty of time to make a 3 hour sail in the morning. Well that morning it had already arrived, with all its fury. So instead of waiting for it to get worse, we donned our foulies and life jackets, battened down the hatches and took off. The winds were 15-30 and 3-6' seas. If any of you know the area, you know that an inbound wind vs an outbound tide at the mouth of the James River is rough on a good day. Well they were running 4-6' and from every direction. The wife hunkered down and I stayed at the helm. (Boy do I wish I had a dodger now!) She took the waves easily, only once did we stuff the bow and have water come over the coach roof. She held the waves well, tracked fantasticly, and was very easy to control. After we turned out into the bay, were they were only 3-4', we started joking and having fun as it did not even feel like we had any danger at all. Only bad things were the door under the galley sink popped open and the dog got sick.The funny part was that bigger boats turned back. What did I learn?1. Don't trust the weatherman!2. Dodgers keep you from getting gallons of salt water thrown in your face.3. The new Hunter 27 is one Heck of a boat!4. Dogs get Sea Sick! (boy do I feel sorry for her)

 

[Paul Akers]

I Love Your Lessons Learned.

First, #1 is right on, when boating.#2 When anybody ask if as dodger is worth it, now you know how to answer the question.#3 Isn't it great to know what your boat can take?#4 Dogs can be just like people - poor thing!