Wind

[Mark Williamson]

We just did our first few days of sailing for the season.  It was fairly windy and few other sailboats were out on the bay.  Here are a few numbers (the best I can recall):

10 mph - our Kelt 7.60 sailed fine
15 mph - ideal for sailing
17 mph - windy enough for us
20 mph - time to reef the main and roll in some of the jib - exciting
20 to 24 mph - we sailed for a bit with full main and a hint of jib (close hauled only).  very exciting.

We didn't have a chance to do a lot of experimenting.  The first day we had the main reefed and discovered that it wasn't necessary in winds up to 18 mph.  Second day we didn't have it reefed then got into winds that peaked around 24 mph.  

We're somewhat novice sailors only having half a season under our belts, so we're fairly conservative and our observations mirror that.  Wind speed was measured on a handheld "La Cross" wind speed meter - bought cheap on ebay and very handy.

Next time I'll write down wind and boat speeds.

[Ben Hagar- s/v Cadeau]

Sounds like fun!  Cadeau is in the water, with a few more bits to take care of before heading out to sail.

We just installed new TackTick wireless speed/depth and wind transducer, so will have the ability to see windspeed continuously while sailing (and direction, without craning my neck to look up at the windex)

Have replaced the OEM (StreamStay) furler with a CDI Flexible Furler; hopefully no more snags of the spinnaker halyard this year.

We also just removed and rebedded the cockpit windows, which were leaking.

Minor problem to resolve on the outboard, and we should be ready to hit the Bay.

Looking forward to linking up with a few of the local Kelts.

Ben

[Nacho Lozano]

Hello mark and Ben,

(sorry for my english, i'm french and spanish speaker)
I'm Nacho, i live in Spain, in Sitges, 35 km south of Barcelona. I bought my 760 in 1998, in Saint Cyprien, France and sailed her to Sitges.
I use to sail alone, so, I have introduce many modifications (reefs to the cockpit, 4 reefs in the mainsail, etc) I would like to share my experiences with you.

Photos will be more clear than my english, so, if you want i can send you some.

Nacho

[Mark Williamson]

Hello Nacho,

Good to hear from you.  The Mediterranean must be a beautiful place for sailing.  I'd love to see photos of your boat and reefing system.  Feel free to post on this forum or send them to me.  I may enlarge the photos section and post more photos there.

Regards,
Mark