[MHml] Cheekee Monkee

[Bill Gibbs]

Jam,
We do about 70% of true wind speed to weather, tacking thru 90 degrees.  About 135% of TWS beam reaching.  Maybe 80% of wind speed
downwind depending on wind strength, gybing thru 90 degrees, less angle as the wind pipes up.  We switched to a maxi-reacher for mid
wind conditions and are now sailing a bit hotter and faster downwind.  We don't sail to our rating in under 10 knots of wind, and we
sail above our rating in 14-20 TWS.  Under 5 TWS and there are several monos that can beat us, especially upwind.  Over 20 we start
to be depower and sail under our rating again.  We are not great at sailing into big seas.

Our daggerboards add lee helm to the helm balance equation, and our rudders are only mildly balanced providing healthy but
manageable helm feel.  As we fall off close hauled and as we switch to larger headsails, the boards come up to reduce lee helm.  All
the way down they leave us with mild weather helm going to weather with full main and big jib.  Downwind under spinnaker they are
mostly up.  Our range is 8' below hull, to flush.  We adjust for helm balance.

With our forebeam on the bow tips, we can stuff the prod and the beam going to weather in big seas, which is not good.  Kills speed.
Downwind we can clip wave tops with only minor slowing.  Once, in 35+ TWS, double reefed main and small jib we were surfing down 15'
steep waves at about 18 knots boat speed when we did a major stuff into the back of the wave in front.  Got the rudders out of the
water a few feet for a few seconds, though it seemed like an eternity.  The crew looked back at me and all I could do was shrug,
smile, and wiggle the tiller.  One newbie crew was fresh from mono sailing.  Now we can look back and laugh at the look of terror on
his face.  I've never had the crew respond faster when I called for the next reef.  In hindsight we were only 10% of the way to a
pitch pole, a warning.  We've never done a true handstand like Playstation.  In the above race only 3 boats finished, 2 mono's and
us.  One, a Santa Cruz 50, had the most enjoyable of rides, just plowing along slowly.  The other, a Schock 40, had deep water over
the bow along with multiple knock downs and broaches.  Several crew said "never again".

Come to SoCal and we'll get you a ride.

Bill
Afterburner



-----Original Message-----
From: multihulls-bounces at steamradio.com [mailto:multihulls-bounces at steamradio.com] On Behalf Of John Andrew Metza
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 10:01 AM
To: Informed discussion of multihull issues
Subject: Re: [MHml] Cheekee Monkee

Hey Bill,
Can you tell us how fast your boat will go on various points and what are 
the limiting factors of each.  Do you retract your daggers slightly at high 
speed?  Have you ever punched it in and stalled.  If so, what happens to a 
boat that size.  I know Playstation punched in and recovered just fine 
(although it led to hull extensions being added).  Since many of us beach 
cat sailors will never get a chance so sail a cat like yours, we have to 
live vicariously through you!

Thanks,
jam

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