Maximum wind to take out a Sunfish for average Sunfish sailor? "safely on ocean"

K

Ken1851

New Member
I sail in oahu Hawaii with standard sunfish set-up. Kona wind days 4-8 mph with gust 12-15 : this is great! On trade wind days 15-25 with gust of 30- 35 mph : I swim a lot. For an average sunfish sailor, what is consider reasonable ? we sometimes have trade winds 20-25 mph with gust of 40-45mph,I do not go out.
should I reef by putting in a 65 sq. ft. minifish sail ?
options?
Ken
 
When I coached High School sailing, the general rule was if it blew above 20mph they wouldnt go out. You might want to use that as a reference.
 
You need to have a safety backup.
Are there others out there who could help you in case of equipment breakdown, or are you all by yourself?
And what about a 'personal' breakdown, like getting hurt?
If I were out there by myself I would consider wearing one of those (GPS based) devices that can warn a responsible party that I am in trouble.
 
Ken1851 said:
For an average sunfish sailor, what is consider reasonable ?
Ken
Click to expand...

I took my sunfish out on Pensacola Beach a few days ago and the wind was light and the waves were small. Even in these conditions the launch is no cakewalk. The key is to keep the boat pointed into the waves and get the centerboard down as soon as possible. Thanks to Signal Charlie for the little green bucket I used to bail out my boat. Notice how much water gets into the foot well even in light surf. The best part is surfing back in after a long day sailing.
 
Ken- I was in your area about a month ago and I loved it, even though I didn't get to do any sailing. Can't wait to go back. Anyway....

I took my 77 fish out a couple weeks ago in what I would consider a little too much, gusting in the 25-30 range. It was fun but I got beat up. Next time I went out I noticed a very slight bend in my upper spar. To quote the great poet Homer Simpson, "Doh!" It's not that bad, I'll get around to unbending it soon. I like the battle damaged look for now. Everyone at the ramp knows i've seen some s#%t, haha.
 
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