Racing a 240

[Ron Baer]

I have started trying my hand at racing with my 240. It seems to do best in about 8-12 knots of wind.Light winds and it's like sailing a battleship, and usually finish last.In heavier winds, the boat gets overpowered quickly, but I have never had a chance to race in these conditions.With a displacement/lenth of 149, and sail area/displacement of 16, this boat is definately a cruiser class. Most boat that I sail with have a SA/D of 17~21.I know I need to improve my skills, but still , I think the 240 is a slooooow boat for racing. Any comments or ideas ?

 

[Sean Coerse]

Racing

We race in a PHRF fleet on Wednesday nights out of Little Creek on the Chesapeake Bay. I'm not sure what type of boats you are racing against. We do real well in light are 3-8 knots. Ok in medium air 8-15 knots, and strugle in a blow 15+. We race Catalina's, Odays, Hunters ect most in the 27-35 ft range. We are usually the smallest boat on the line. Our club sails 3 race series a year. Last year are best series finish was second. In light to medium air we usually end up front to mid point of fleet. Heavier air mid on back depending if we have enough crew for the rail.

 

[Frank Ladd]

I agree with Sean

I think the 23.5 and 240 are fast boats in light winds. As the wind picks up you lose your advantage over other boats. By 12 knots you don't have any advantage at all. The nice thing about racing a cruiser in PHRF is that you can leave all the extra gear at the dock and have a pretty sporty boat.