Weekend sail to Boothbay Harbor on my Pearson 26

[captn_rob]

So got back last night from a two day cruise to Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Left from the New Meadows river near Cundy’s Harbor Saturday morning in very light winds. My nephew was along as well in his Canadian Sailcraft 22’. One thing we noticed right off the bat is that my Pearson 26 performs beautifully in light air. I was literally sailing circles around him. It was even more apparent on day 2. We left our anchorage near Boothbay at about 9:30 AM with 5 knot winds from the south. I was making 3 – 4 knots of speed – could have done better but I purposely had the sails set trying to go slower so as not to get too far ahead. My nephew’s CS 22 was barely doing 2.5 kts. I have to admit, I was not happy to have to hold back but we were sailing together (it WAS kind of satisfying to be out performing my sailing teacher, LOL). Later in the day the wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots from SSW (we were trying to head SW!) and the seas built to 4 – 6 ft. I put a reef in and furled my genoa back. The CS22 really shined in the heavy weather and quickly outpaced me. I probably could have done better but since this was my first time sailing in those conditions I was being very conservative. Once we turned toward the NW on a broad reach with following seas my P26 was barely controllable. She kept trying to turn to windward with every sea that hit us and once almost broached! I had to keep 2 hands on the tiller just to keep control and try to anticipate our movements so I could apply rudder ahead. My experience with commercial fishing definitely helped here! There is a little play in the rudder so I think that contributed to the steering issues (Is there anything I can do about that short of replacing the rudder?).

Here is a video I made of the weekend:

Thanks!

Rob Bibber
Phippsburg, Maine
1980 Pearson 26 hull number 1646
Check out my other sailing videos:
Sailing - YouTube

 

[Ghost Rider]

Finally got a chance to view this video, looks like y'all had a good time, especially once the breeze picked up... and the salty dog is cool, friends of mine never went sailing without their dog, had the PFD for him too. Great moon shots while lying at anchor, very serene and tranquil. As for light airs, well, all ya can say is they beat hurricane-force winds, LOL. Thanks for sharing the video, always liked the coast of Maine in summer, though trucking is difficult up there with all the restrictions and lack of big rig parking.

Edit: Maybe that should be CFD for Canine Flotation Device, LOL.

 

[captn_rob]

Finally got a chance to view this video, looks like y'all had a good time, especially once the breeze picked up... and the salty dog is cool, friends of mine never went sailing without their dog, had the PFD for him too. Great moon shots while lying at anchor, very serene and tranquil. As for light airs, well, all ya can say is they beat hurricane-force winds, LOL. Thanks for sharing the video, always liked the coast of Maine in summer, though trucking is difficult up there with all the restrictions and lack of big rig parking.

Edit: Maybe that should be CFD for Canine Flotation Device, LOL.

Thanks!
CFD -Love it!

 

[norcalsail]

Thanks for the video-really cool to see the bigger boats sailing. Agree with Ghost about that moon shot...