Can someone explain to me how the heck this happens, before I scratch my head bald? We're talking about a masthead sloop here. I had read some time ago that this could happen, but I didn't really believe it.
Then recently, on a friend's Cal 33, we were sailing under just a 150, with the main down and bagged. And I'll be darned if she didn't pull pretty hard to windward in the puffs. This made no sense to me. There should have been lee helm if anything, darn it.
I have one theory: most of the hull (this boat has a lot of freeboard), most of doghouse, the Bimini, the boom, all the people in the cockpit, etc ... are all aft of the CLR. That's a lot of windage, maybe this was enough to push her bow up? Also the jib winch is obviously way aft of the CLR, and I assume there would be at least some force to leeward exerted on the winch, via the sheet?
Or, am I not even close.
Then recently, on a friend's Cal 33, we were sailing under just a 150, with the main down and bagged. And I'll be darned if she didn't pull pretty hard to windward in the puffs. This made no sense to me. There should have been lee helm if anything, darn it.
I have one theory: most of the hull (this boat has a lot of freeboard), most of doghouse, the Bimini, the boom, all the people in the cockpit, etc ... are all aft of the CLR. That's a lot of windage, maybe this was enough to push her bow up? Also the jib winch is obviously way aft of the CLR, and I assume there would be at least some force to leeward exerted on the winch, via the sheet?
Or, am I not even close.
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