It might be possible, but you'd have to really try
Michael, Unless you find yourself in a hurricane, you should be ok. Hurricanes tend to attract some attention, so I find it easy to not go sailing when one is about. A good clue is: if all the boats where you normally sail are on the beach, and its not winter, maybe you should go to a museum. The Mariner CB is not a true keel boat, but is ballasted heavily enough to give her keel like stability. You would have to get punched by a _very_ large gust to knock her down from wind alone. Wave action could do it, but you'd be talking about big, big waves of the type associated with a major storm (see above to recognize major storms). The real issue you might be faced with is bailing your cockpit. If the boat gets knocked over, it should right itself with ballast. You would then have a lot of water inside. The action of sloshing water is called free surface effect and tends to cause a boat full of water to tip over easily again. So, you need to get the water out in a hurry. A bailer in the bottom or transom could do it for you. I would call Stuart Marine in Rockport. They still make Mariners, though with a lot of modifications. They may have some ideas for you. As far as your wife goes: Make sure she understands the physics involved with sailing. She doesn't have to know that she understands physics, but if you show her that there is ballast, and that it wants to be pointed down, she will understand that the boat wants to be right side up. If you show her that as the boat heels, it presents less sail area to the wind, she'll understand that the further the boat heels, the more effect the ballast is going to have. I would also teach her to sail so that she comes to trust the boat. Give her the sheet and let her control the angle of the heel. I think she'll quickly learn to love it. Good luck, and let me know if you're going to be down in Portland. We could grab some coffee and talk boats, or I'd take you out on the bay. Justin - O'day Owner's Web (with formerly timid girlfriend sailor, but now with sailing freak girlfriend)
