Here’s a little story for all of you who have wondered about Hunter’s seaworthiness.... Brought my (2001) H-420 back from Key West to Norfolk last week. Did a 36 hr off-shore run (motored into headwinds the entire way) from Key Largo to Ponce Inlet (just south of Dayton Beach) on the 21st -22d, without incident.... except for being intercepted by the Coast Guard (about 15 miles off Palm Beach) on Mon. night about 9pm... after checking us out (as we continued to motor) they let us proceed. From Ponce we motored up the ICW to Jax. on Wed because of strong NE winds offshore. On Thurs morning we (a crew of 2) left Mayport (Jacksonville), intending a 48 hr. run to Morehead City, NC. I knew that a strong weather system (then in the Midwest) was forecast to proceed east and produce strong winds offshore on Thurs and Fri.... clocking from SE to S to SW and forecast to be as high as 30kts. A little strong, but just the wind for a NE run to Morehead City. Thurs morning the winds at Mayport were E, 15-20kts. We left the inlet at 08:00 and motor-sailed N on a beat, just the jib out. By Thurs evening ( about 20 miles off Charleston) the winds had clocked to the SE. I shut off the engine, put out a reefed main and headed on a course of 056M for a waypoint 5 miles west of Frying Pan Shoals (off Cape FEAR, NC). Charleston TV weather (which we watched on the boat) was ominous... strong warm front heading NE, in front of a strong cold front heading East was producing a line of strong thunderstorms heading East..... NOAA weather was forecasting 30-35 kt winds, heavy seas, and thunderstorms offshore. By dawn Fri (we had taken in the main, and were now jib sailing), the winds had picked up to a steady 30kts, the seas were building. Relative winds were at 90-100 degrees, steady 30kts, gusting higher. GPS boat speed 7.5-8. By afternoon, things had really gotten interesting..... RELATIVE winds (now 100-130 degrees off the starboard quarter) were SE-S between 35-40kts, gusting to as high as 47 kts in thunderstorms (meaning True winds were in excess of 50kts). I'm not sure how high the seas became... I would estimate well in excess of 15 feet.. and chaotic. On at least 6 occasions we took breaking seas over the starboard quarter. Had it not been for the full enclosure (which stood up well), the cockpit would have been filled with water. Thunderstorms and lightening were so intense that I am amazed that we were not hit by lightening. Charlie (my crew) commented that it looked like someone was spraying a firehose across the foredeck. The extreme conditions gradually abated to just 30kt winds by about 10PM. About midnight, we rounded Frying Pan Shoals, and motorsailed the remaining 82 miles to Morehead City in diminishing winds, but still heavy seas; coming into the inlet at about 11:30 Sat morning. Throughout the entire trip (and especially during the heavy weather) the boat’s Autohelm ST-7000 autopilot steered the boat flawlessly.... THANK GOD.... Had it not been for the autopilot, the enclosure, the strong construction, etc., which all were put to the extreme test, things would have been much worse. Amazingly, no equipment failed during the storm. I did not observe any creaking or moaning of the boat or hull, nor did I see any flexing of interior bulkheads or cabinetry... The boat can take it..... Even the dingy with its 15hp OB remained securely attached to its Ocean Marine Davits, despite the pounding we took.. So, did I unnecessarily endanger crew and boat by going offshore knowing that bad weather was imminent... absolutely ! Were we fortunate the conditions did not worsen even more or that the autopilot, etc. did not fail.... absolutely.... But, do I now have much greater confidence that (at least) larger, late model Hunters are, in fact, probably as seaworthy as virtually any other production sailboat.... ABSOLUTELY.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
A
Andrew Brayshaw
Hunters offshore
Hi Buck Sounds like you had a fun trip.Well done! I would have to agree that Hunters are capable of alot more than some people think. You probably caught my post last year when I sailed my Hunter 34 across the Atlantic and into the Med. I think with the right equipment and good seamanship you can take them just about anywhere. Ive owned my 34 for just over a year now and though I modified the boat for long passages I have covered over 6500. In 4 weeks I set sail again for the Greek islands via Corsica and Italy (I am currently in FRance) which will add another 2000 miles to the tally. Happy sailing Andrew
Hi Buck Sounds like you had a fun trip.Well done! I would have to agree that Hunters are capable of alot more than some people think. You probably caught my post last year when I sailed my Hunter 34 across the Atlantic and into the Med. I think with the right equipment and good seamanship you can take them just about anywhere. Ive owned my 34 for just over a year now and though I modified the boat for long passages I have covered over 6500. In 4 weeks I set sail again for the Greek islands via Corsica and Italy (I am currently in FRance) which will add another 2000 miles to the tally. Happy sailing Andrew
G
Greg
sail choice
Buck I also have a 420 and have a few sail management questions. Do you have full batten main or roller furl and why did you choose to sail jib only? How did it work for you that way? How much jib did you have rolled out when the winds were >30 kts? Did you wish for a storm try on a separate track for better balance? The admiral very rarely lets me out in such conditions so I have to learn vicariously through folks like yourself. I call this boring but she calls it judgment. I have had two offshore passages >500 miles in my 420 without a problem but no conditions like you describe. Thanks Greg Beckner S/V Champagne Girl
Buck I also have a 420 and have a few sail management questions. Do you have full batten main or roller furl and why did you choose to sail jib only? How did it work for you that way? How much jib did you have rolled out when the winds were >30 kts? Did you wish for a storm try on a separate track for better balance? The admiral very rarely lets me out in such conditions so I have to learn vicariously through folks like yourself. I call this boring but she calls it judgment. I have had two offshore passages >500 miles in my 420 without a problem but no conditions like you describe. Thanks Greg Beckner S/V Champagne Girl
D
Deac Manross
RE: Hunters Offshore and sail choice
ANdrew, What mods did you do to your 34 to make her more ocean-worthy? I also wondered why the author chose 'jib only' for the worst of the storm. Did you have that much weather helm that that was necessary? I can't imagine that. Plus, I've heard that on the B&R rigs that flying jib only in high winds is a tad dicey without the balance of SOME mainsail. I'm new at this too, so I really appreciate when someone takes the time to describe a challenging sail in detail. Thanks alot
ANdrew, What mods did you do to your 34 to make her more ocean-worthy? I also wondered why the author chose 'jib only' for the worst of the storm. Did you have that much weather helm that that was necessary? I can't imagine that. Plus, I've heard that on the B&R rigs that flying jib only in high winds is a tad dicey without the balance of SOME mainsail. I'm new at this too, so I really appreciate when someone takes the time to describe a challenging sail in detail. Thanks alot
B
Buck Harrison
Greg,
The admiral is very intelligent.... continue to listen to the admiral's advice; life may not be as exciting, but you'll still have one (and a boat). Being divorced, I get into lots more trouble than I should. RE... the sails... I have a roller furling main (no battens)...I don't think a storm try-sail would have helped, nor would I consider the trouble and expense of installing one, since I don't intend on crossing oceans with this boat. I have been considering buying a storm jib, the type that can be "tacked" on over the furled regular jib. Problem is, we weren’t expecting the winds to build over 30-35kts. Up to that point, I don't feel that the boat needs a storm jib; the existing 110 can handle those conditions. Beyond that point, when a storm jib would have been appropriate, conditions were so bad that leaving the cockpit, even with harness, etc., to "hank on" the storm jib, would have been so dangerous as to be life threatening and extremely foolish. As the wind built over 30kts, I considered reefing the jib, but the strain on the furling line was so great that I decided not to risk breaking it and causing even more problems. Running before the wind on a broad reach at about 130-140 degrees, I found that, as the boat would "round-up" from wind or seas, the jib would effectively bring the bow back on course, and as the bow would blow off to 150-160, the autopilot could effectively bring it back "up". We were definitely over powered... often seeing 10-11 kts of boat speed; but the sail, rig, and boat seemed to handle the situation ok; at least for the 8 hrs or so that the storm was at its most intense. Had it continued, at some point, I'm sure that the strain would have caused either autopilot or sail failure... In the future, I will have a storm jib, and have it "hanked on" well before the expected arrival of the worse conditions. (Or better, be prudent enough not to find myself in such conditions.... hummm... did my inner admiral say that). Anyway, it's nice to know that our Hunters are quite seaworthy; much more so than the "ney-sayers" would have one believe. I was not "knocked down", or ever felt that I came close to being "knocked down". I was never concerned about the integrity of the boat itself, or the rig, . And being inside a full enclosure, out of the elements (we had no need for foul weather gear), we remained dry and "somewhat" less fatigued that we would have been otherwise. A Hunter can, indeed, take it.... within reason....We have to be smart enough not to make them have to ............
The admiral is very intelligent.... continue to listen to the admiral's advice; life may not be as exciting, but you'll still have one (and a boat). Being divorced, I get into lots more trouble than I should. RE... the sails... I have a roller furling main (no battens)...I don't think a storm try-sail would have helped, nor would I consider the trouble and expense of installing one, since I don't intend on crossing oceans with this boat. I have been considering buying a storm jib, the type that can be "tacked" on over the furled regular jib. Problem is, we weren’t expecting the winds to build over 30-35kts. Up to that point, I don't feel that the boat needs a storm jib; the existing 110 can handle those conditions. Beyond that point, when a storm jib would have been appropriate, conditions were so bad that leaving the cockpit, even with harness, etc., to "hank on" the storm jib, would have been so dangerous as to be life threatening and extremely foolish. As the wind built over 30kts, I considered reefing the jib, but the strain on the furling line was so great that I decided not to risk breaking it and causing even more problems. Running before the wind on a broad reach at about 130-140 degrees, I found that, as the boat would "round-up" from wind or seas, the jib would effectively bring the bow back on course, and as the bow would blow off to 150-160, the autopilot could effectively bring it back "up". We were definitely over powered... often seeing 10-11 kts of boat speed; but the sail, rig, and boat seemed to handle the situation ok; at least for the 8 hrs or so that the storm was at its most intense. Had it continued, at some point, I'm sure that the strain would have caused either autopilot or sail failure... In the future, I will have a storm jib, and have it "hanked on" well before the expected arrival of the worse conditions. (Or better, be prudent enough not to find myself in such conditions.... hummm... did my inner admiral say that). Anyway, it's nice to know that our Hunters are quite seaworthy; much more so than the "ney-sayers" would have one believe. I was not "knocked down", or ever felt that I came close to being "knocked down". I was never concerned about the integrity of the boat itself, or the rig, . And being inside a full enclosure, out of the elements (we had no need for foul weather gear), we remained dry and "somewhat" less fatigued that we would have been otherwise. A Hunter can, indeed, take it.... within reason....We have to be smart enough not to make them have to ............
D
Deac Manross
Full enclosure during your 'blow'
Given the volume of water you say you took onboard on occasion, how did your enclosure EVER hold up so well? Did you ever worry that IT might collapse and go? If you had to do it over again (outside of the comfort factor of being protected) would you go into those kind of conditions with the full enclosure again? Or did it inhibit emergency movement around the whole boat if something dire would have happened? Thanks.
Given the volume of water you say you took onboard on occasion, how did your enclosure EVER hold up so well? Did you ever worry that IT might collapse and go? If you had to do it over again (outside of the comfort factor of being protected) would you go into those kind of conditions with the full enclosure again? Or did it inhibit emergency movement around the whole boat if something dire would have happened? Thanks.
B
Buck Harrison
Deac,
The breaking seas that came aboard came from the starboard quarter. I believe that the enclosure held up as well as it did for 2 reasons: the boat's stainless steel arch gave strong support to the primary area where the seas came aboard (the enclosure is outside of the arch), and 2... the enclosure is constructed of "stamoid" (a vinyl coated fabric), which is stronger and more durable than "sunbrella". I also had the top shop use "common sense fasteners" (instead of "lift-a-dots", or "button snaps") which will not come loose. In any case, even during the worst of the storm, the enclosure never flapped, vibrated or otherwise gave any indication that it was in trouble. I believe that if conditions got sever enough (ie. a hurricane) the entire thing would go all at once... but I don't ever intend to find out. Would I go offshore with it again... absolutely.
The breaking seas that came aboard came from the starboard quarter. I believe that the enclosure held up as well as it did for 2 reasons: the boat's stainless steel arch gave strong support to the primary area where the seas came aboard (the enclosure is outside of the arch), and 2... the enclosure is constructed of "stamoid" (a vinyl coated fabric), which is stronger and more durable than "sunbrella". I also had the top shop use "common sense fasteners" (instead of "lift-a-dots", or "button snaps") which will not come loose. In any case, even during the worst of the storm, the enclosure never flapped, vibrated or otherwise gave any indication that it was in trouble. I believe that if conditions got sever enough (ie. a hurricane) the entire thing would go all at once... but I don't ever intend to find out. Would I go offshore with it again... absolutely.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.