I have posted a couple of past items about the Newport to Ensenada race I will be participating in next month. It is an overnight 125nm event that will (hopefully) enjoy winds abaft the beam. It travels close to and through major shipping lanes. Because of this, I have removed all canvas including my dodger. My reasoning was to improve visibility, lessen windage, and improve sail handling. Also, the Hunter 410 looks really cool without it. It will present a nice image for when the helicopter does a fly over to take pictures. However, the coolness factor has left some of my crew a little concerned about the coolness of the temperature. Realizing that I am in this race to do as well as possible and balancing this with the age-old axium that a happy crew makes for a happy boat, should I leave it off or put it back on? Your comments are always appreciated, John Richard s/v Jack's Place
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Give them their private "dodger"
You should be able to find a good deal on a handful of nice yellow or red Columbia "offshore" jackets at TG Max or a similar discount place. Now you can (a) print your ship's name on the back; (b) boost crew morale; and (c) look even sharper from the air. And all that for only a small fraction of 1 "boat dollar" ;D It is only one night and they should be able to survive, expecially if they feel taken care off...... Success with the race! Flying Dutchman
You should be able to find a good deal on a handful of nice yellow or red Columbia "offshore" jackets at TG Max or a similar discount place. Now you can (a) print your ship's name on the back; (b) boost crew morale; and (c) look even sharper from the air. And all that for only a small fraction of 1 "boat dollar" ;D It is only one night and they should be able to survive, expecially if they feel taken care off...... Success with the race! Flying Dutchman
My Thought
I leave the dodger up, but roll up the middle and remove the sides for windage. But, I get the credit for the dodger being up in the rating. After you swing to downwind, it doesn't make a difference anyway. However, it still gets really cold and the dodger provides little protection from wind aft, so bundling up is a good idea. You are so right in that the boat looks way cool with the canvas off, so keep it off and tell them to enjoy thew view. Rick D.
I leave the dodger up, but roll up the middle and remove the sides for windage. But, I get the credit for the dodger being up in the rating. After you swing to downwind, it doesn't make a difference anyway. However, it still gets really cold and the dodger provides little protection from wind aft, so bundling up is a good idea. You are so right in that the boat looks way cool with the canvas off, so keep it off and tell them to enjoy thew view. Rick D.
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