Well yeah - that's what 99 and 44/100ths of us do. But I like to learn and share information about the interaction of wind on sails and water on hulls. Those things interest me. And, I think this forum and thread attract others with similar interests. That's what I like about it. Otherwise I would be annoying my wife with keel hydrodynamics instead of you.
Unless you have side-scan or fwd-looking sonar, you could easily strike a hard bottom b/f you can respond to a shallow-depth alarm. I take it you don't get out much. A friend of mine in FL once told me [as he was dragging me off of a sand bar]: "If you don't run aground at least once a year, you're not sailing enough!
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The Chesy is tricky.... that and the Pamlico/Albemarle... which is why I'm now a swing keel sailor...
Well the thread is already off course so ... There are a couple of rocks around here that everyone knows about. They are marked on every chart you can find. And yet, I can name at least five, maybe more, sailors who have hit those rocks. I've witnessed at least three - waving my arms and screaming to no avail. I was telling a friend about a rock, "Waterskiiers Rock" that is in a part of our favorite anchorage where sailboats do not tread. Except for my Tarten 33 friend who had to go there to check it out. He hit it. Bent his rudder post and had to call for a tow in. While he was waiting a local and well known power boat came in to investigate and hit it too. She bend her drive shaft. I cannot help but think of the rock spirit smiling about a productive day.
LOL!
I agree. I specifically looked for a bulb keel because of the depth problems at our lake. A fin means having to haul out earlier in order to be able to get to the crane before it's too shallow. A shoal keel doesn't turn as well. A retractable keel is just one more maintenance issue IMHO.
