Fun ride

[Sailkb]

I'm in my 3rd sailing season so feel confident in the sunfish. But I had an experience yesterday that showed me another level of sailing. Went to a small lake nearby and had forgotten how busy it would be with the holiday weekend. If I were to count I bet 40-50 boats and jet skis in the water. Plug in 18-20 mph wind and I was in for a ride. Not so much the wind but add the constant 2-3 foot waves from all the water craft and I was in for my biggest sailing challenge yet. I never was in trouble, never even a near capsize. But I felt as if I was just being swallowed up by water at times. In fact, I began to wonder if I was taking on water cause I felt like I was riding so low in the water. But it was just the waves on all sides of my boat. Going downwind was particularly perilous. With the 20 mph wind I was out running the waves with the bow of the boat cutting under the wave many times. I sat as far to the back of the boat as I could and finally decided I better do some reaching to get back home. Once on shore, after about an hour, I was tired but too much adrenal to be exhausted. (Today I'm exhausted

I'm writing not just to blog my experience but am curious what others think. Is this the ultimate sunfish sailing? In Kansas we have the wind but not the waves. Dancing through and around 2-3 foot swells is a way of life on the ocean and huge lakes? I have a great time sailing Kansas lakes but wonder if there's a whole new experience out there.

 

[tag]

Sounds fun to me! I sailed earlier this summer on Lake Erie with similar conditions - except no boats on the water except me. Wind in the high teens, with decent waves swelling to the north. I basically just sailed a reach up and down the coast the whole time - bouncing up and over the waves going south, and then almost surfing the waves when I turned around to go north. The boat jumped up onto a plane, and would "surf" atop a wave for a while. Very much fun.