She moves pretty good in light winds. I’ve got the
standard set of sails. Sounds like you are on the
Bay right now, so you probably know it can get kinda
windless sometimes. I’ve thought about a genoa, but
it seems that on the Bay there is either good wind or
no wind at all, so I’m not sure a genoa would be of
much use to me. Oh yes, if you decide to get a BCC,
I’d recommend getting a downwind pole. I’m pretty
sure its an option, not standard equipment. The jib
can snag on the staysail stay if its flapping, so
the pole keeps the sail extended. The stay can be
removed while underway, but I don’t like doing this.
Nope, that wasn’t me in Annapolis. Godspeed is in
Houston right now, but we are heading your way just
after Christmas. We’ll be up in Baltimore probably
early next year (as soon as I figure out how to
install this Force 10 heater). Some winter
sailing should be very exciting I think, at least
there won’t be any hurricanes like our last trip.
If you and your family would like to take a look at
Godspeed, send me some email in early January and
I should know a time and date for our arrival. I’m
at MRGEARHA@yahoo.com
Mark Gearhart
www.mgearhart.com/bcc
Going downwind,
— Steve Pilgrim <s.pilgrim@worldnet.att.net > wrote:
Thanks for the feedback. Any problems getting her
to move in the light
summer winds? By the way, was that your BCC I saw
on the hard in Annapolis
several weeks ago?Regards,
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: mark gearhart [mailto:mrgearha@yahoo.com ]
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 8:30 AM
To: bcc@egroups.com
Subject: [bcc] Re: BCC Suitability for Chesapeake
Family CruiserYou mention winds and water depth specifically, so
as you may know,
the Chesapeake Bay is mostly a mud bottom and fairly
shallow along
the shoreline. I’ve sailed here off and on since
1996 aboard
Godspeed, my BCC. Going aground is a faily common
occurance for me,
since I enjoy exploring all the rivers and coves.
When I go aground,
it is usually very gradually since the Bay doesn’t
really have steep
drop-offs. The crew (or me) runs forward onto the
bowsprit in order
to raise the stern off the mud, and I start the
engine and put her
into reverse. Even at 8 tons, I can rock the boat
side-to-side if I
need some extra momentum to break free. There is a
2-3 foot tide on
the Bay with fairly slow current. This has also
helped on several
occasions. I think I’ve run aground maybe 6 times,
and maybe the
longest I’ve stuck was 6 hours till high tide. So
for me at least,
having a 5 foot draft is not really a problem on the
Bay.Winds are great in the spring and fall, but the Bay
can be very hot
and quiet in the middle of summer. I keep bug spray
aboard because
when the wind dies and its 100 degrees, the flys
seem to come out of
nowhere. Odd, there are are lots of flys way out in
the middle of the
bay, but when I’m ashore its all clear…Hope this helps,
Mark Gearhart
www.mgearhart.com/bcc— In bcc@egroups.com , s.pilgrim@w… wrote:
I love the design of the BCC and am considering
purchase, with
plans
to use as a weekend and vacation cruiser on the
Chesapeake. Given
the winds and water depths, I am wondering if this
would be a good
choice for a safe, comfortable cruiser. My wife
and I have three
small children.I would appreciate comments from current owners.
Many Thanks!
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