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I'm here to tell you that at 5 knots with all the powerboats in the world making wakes, the max speed of an X is less than one (1) knot.

Be Free wrote:Fifteen knots with full main and 100% jib is fun and fast. By the time it hits 20 I'm ready to put a reef in the main. It's a lot less stress on me and the boat and I actually go faster. I also found out that somewhere north of thirty knots a person in the rear berth can stand up on the leeward side of the boat and the nylon straps on the clew of my jib will break.

dlandersson wrote:I'm here to tell you that at 5 knots with all the powerboats in the world making wakes, the max speed of an X is less than one (1) knot.

Be Free wrote:Fifteen knots with full main and 100% jib is fun and fast. By the time it hits 20 I'm ready to put a reef in the main. It's a lot less stress on me and the boat and I actually go faster. I also found out that somewhere north of thirty knots a person in the rear berth can stand up on the leeward side of the boat and the nylon straps on the clew of my jib will break.

True. An X needs 7-8 knots of wind to start moving.

Floridacracker wrote:I like to sail in 10-15 mph. For me it doesn't feel like I'm sailing until I'm at 4 knots,but I like 5 knots and that's what I aim for. Several times I achieved 6 knots comfortably. I hit 7 knots and thought imminent death was soon to follow. So I shy away from that if at all possible.

Yeah, I thought it was only me who thought heading up into 7 knots was actually a bit scary. Of course, I'm in a Mac 25 rather than in a 26, so it's different.

Also, I guess I'm a wuss, but I tend to be reefed a lot earlier than 20 knots of wind (I'm not even out in 20 knots of wind). In fact, I usually head out with a reefed main and shake it out rather than assume I'm going to stay at full sail. Even so, I'm able to hit 5+ knots pretty consistently, and that's usually in less than 15 knots of wind -- more like 10-12.

Even wusses can get to sail at a nice clip, you know....

One big part of the equation on all posts is missing. Sailing direction! 15kts of wind full main and jenny is great at 130 deg plus. But beating into the wind it is slow. One thing you have to remember when sailing, Flat Is Fast! I will do better racing once the wind gets above 10 to put the jib on and slow down a little but I am pointing higher so I have a shorter course.

We have heavy boats compared to other trailer sailors around the same size, we need wind to power them up, many of the light weight boats might as well pack up and go home when it gets above 15knts, well wither that or move the advertising to the bottom of the boat as you see much more of it than you do the sides

I'm not sure I understand this. I find that my best point of sail tends to be 50-60 degrees.

grady wrote:One big part of the equation on all posts is missing. Sailing direction! 15kts of wind full main and jenny is great at 130 deg plus. But beating into the wind it is slow. One thing you have to remember when sailing, Flat Is Fast! I will do better racing once the wind gets above 10 to put the jib on and slow down a little but I am pointing higher so I have a shorter course.

dlandersson wrote:I'm not sure I understand this. I find that my best point of sail tends to be 50-60 degrees.

grady wrote:One big part of the equation on all posts is missing. Sailing direction! 15kts of wind full main and jenny is great at 130 deg plus. But beating into the wind it is slow. One thing you have to remember when sailing, Flat Is Fast! I will do better racing once the wind gets above 10 to put the jib on and slow down a little but I am pointing higher so I have a shorter course.

What sails and what wind speed works for you may not work for someone else because of how or where they sail. Where you go out and sail you may be at 50-60 degrees AWA that would give you a tru wind angle of 70-maybe 90 true. Someone else where they go out and sail may need to go directly into the wind. Their AWA needs to be 30 or so. In higher winds the sail choice is completely different because they are going for a higher point of sail not speed.

I know my boat is not an X but this is just an example of speed vs distance at higher points of sail. We had our wedeneday night race last night. Wind was light around 6 to 7 kts true. Boat was light only 1 crew and me. first leg was about 20 deg of directly into the wind. Sails were 150 jeny and standard main. Had a good start at the pin but had a J22 just get in front. I sailed around 25 to 30 deg AWA with a GPS speed of 4.5kts. Other boats in the fleet were a D model. A cat 30, Olson 30, San Juan 30. An a couple of other 30+ big pigs. The other D model points as high as I do and we stay close going up wind. The other big boats are at least 1 kt faster however the pointing 5 to 10 deg lower. First mark is 1 mile away, at that mark I am first the D is on my stern. The other boats are a couple minutes behind +. The next leg is around 100 to 110 AWA speed. Boat speed is around 5 or so. At that point of sail me and the D stayed side by side within 2 boat lengths. I was above. The big boats had had speed and closed most of the gap in that 3/4 mile leg but I still rounded in 1st with the D once again on my stern. The next leg was 170 or so AWA. Boat speed was back down. The D and the Olson 30 had more crew and flew spinnakers. With the next mark being about 50 yds from the shore and having only 1 crew member I did not fly spin. . The D and the Olson left me on that mile leg. The Cat 30 caught me and I was just behind on the next rounding. The last leg was about 40 deg AWA. Wind picked up to 9 or so. Boat speed was 5.5kts. The D crossed 2+ min ahead, The Olson 30 about 1 min, I stayed on the Cat 30 stern for most the leg crossed behind him 10 sec or so. With corrected time may be 2nd overall. Sorry about the long post for just the first leg. Just did not want to end the story in the middle.

Nice work without a spinnaker, you would of had them if you would of flown the assy, I was just reading spinnaker test for down wind sailing and unless the pin is dead down wind the assy is by far the fastest sail, even dead down wind the assy is only marginally behind and that just because the assy has to cover greater ground over water due to sailing the angles rather than a dead run, the assy was by far the fastest in boat speed

sailboatmike wrote:Nice work without a spinnaker, you would of had them if you would of flown the assy, I was just reading spinnaker test for down wind sailing and unless the pin is dead down wind the assy is by far the fastest sail, even dead down wind the assy is only marginally behind and that just because the assy has to cover greater ground over water due to sailing the angles rather than a dead run, the assy was by far the fastest in boat speed

The D model is a new one this year, Crazy Horse. It has been redone and rigged like the famous "Wings". The owner of Wings is sailing on it also. If the course is 170 AWA+ I can stay close but he always pulls ahead. The more the AWA get lower than 170 is when I start to get some advantage. Saying that even with the advantage some times the skipper of Wings seems to almost always out sail me. But I do keep getting better.

And I did correct over int 2nd. I missed one to many races and it kicked me out of the top. We do have 4 more races so I may be able to climb up the standings some more.

http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/128 ... om+results

Very good and practical post... One point may be I am missing... When you all refer to wind speed of 15 knots ( or whatever ) how are you measuring that? In my view ,the instrument inboard is going to give you apparent wind speed and if you are at about 5 knots in a close hauled or close reach course this will mean actual wind speed of some 11 knts... Unless you are doing the measurement at no speed prior , and in that case the instrument will show 18-19 knt when you are in that above course..

bonati wrote:Very good and practical post... One point may be I am missing... When you all refer to wind speed of 15 knots ( or whatever ) how are you measuring that? In my view ,the instrument inboard is going to give you apparent wind speed and if you are at about 5 knots in a close hauled or close reach course this will mean actual wind speed of some 11 knts... Unless you are doing the measurement at no speed prior , and in that case the instrument will show 18-19 knt when you are in that above course..

Most know by forecast or checking prior to going out. If you have a wind indicator and a GPS that talk to each other then it will calculate true wind speed and direction. By calculating using the apparent wind speed and direction the wind indicator is giving and the direction and speed of your vessel.