waveheight

[DJ Answine]

My C22 sailing experience has been limited to small inland lake sailing where the highest winds might reach 15 to 25 MPH(not often).I dont have major problems handling the 22 in these kinds of wind since waves seldom reach 1 to 1.5 ft.I wish to try the Chesapeake Bay soon.I know it gets pretty rough out there with waves getting much larger than on my home waters.Do any of you experienced sailors have a rule of thumb as to when the waves may be too much for the 22? Thanks DJ

 

[James S.]

DJ,Having just purchased a C22 I have no practical experience with waves and this particular boat. However, if you look further down in this forum, you will see a posting by Bob Lufkin where he speaks of sailing his in 3 to 4 foot waves. I suppose you could always email him for more info.James

 

[John Visser]

Rule of thumb on wave height

Take a look at Adlard Cole's "Heavy Weather Sailing". Generally, it is breaking waves that will roll a boat. The danger height is a breaking wave that is one third your waterline length. If the waves are not breaking, it may be a rough ride, but you are not likely to roll over.jv

 

[tomD]

seaworthiness

The Catalina 22 makes some interesting sea passages every year on both sides of this continent: broaching wave height is only one consideration if you're stuck out in the chuck.The ballast ratio is under 20% of the mass, which makes it tender (40% is very seaworthy). With a D/L of about 141.5, it has a corky action in a seaway (275 is bluewater)which is concerning but doesn't mean it's going to broach. It is oversailed by a factor of two for its LWL in 20 knot (trade) winds, which means you should have the ability to reduce to about 100 ft2 to take pressure off rigging in 20 knot winds. The SA/D of 19 coupled with the D/L of under 150 suggests the boat is designed to move well in lesser airs of 10-12 knots, and it does.As far as wave height, if the seas are steady (not confused by wind one way/tides opposite) and you are on an even bottom so you don't get oversteepened waves over shoals, and if you are away from major freshwater river mouths that reduce your buoyancy 10% just when you need it, the boat can handle green water over the bow, but if you are in all of the above, wave height can be considerably less than the 40% of LWL, or about 8 feet, and get you into deep doodoo.Your attack on the waves is also important, a broad reach allws more control than beating into them, esp. with reduced sailplans. I suggest you test it out with the hatchway closed and a lifeline on, the little boat will likely surprise you.

 

[Aldo]

Just take it to the Bay

DJ: Just take your boat to the Chesapeake. I've only been in 4 foot waves twice in 22 years of sailing on the Chesapeake. We sail near Middle River. It's more likely that you won't have enough wind, than you will have waves that are too high. From my experience, the boat can take more than I want to take. We have a swing keel, which works out great on the bay and surrounding creeks and rivers. If you want, I will give you the name and phone number of a marina with a good ramp for putting your C-22 into the water. I can also tell you a few places to sail to. Contact me at aadjcamacci@panetwork.com. The link below shows some photos from a cruise that we took with the C-22 club from Annapolis, about a month ago. If you look around my son's website, you will also see the photos that he took last summer when we sailed to the Patuxent River. http://rocketdanny.tripod.com/cruise%202002 . You will be fine in the northern bay above the bay bridge, which crosses over near Annapolis. Aldo

 

[Rick Amon]

Lake Michegan Wave Action

I sail off Holland MI quite a bit. When the wind picks up off the North West, we get 6 to 8 foot waves. The boat handles the action quite nicely, however the occupents are another story. When the waves get over 8 feet, you need to make sure your crib boards are in. It is a lot a fun, however you need to pick your spots when coming about.