My longest passage was from Gaspe, PQ to Summerside, PEI last summer. Thirty-six hours, most of it pretty open water. Also sailing under a nasty wind advisory from Environment Canada, that was issued once Makina was out in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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Most of my sailing was up to gale force, but the Vega that I had for around a decade could easily handle anything.
I once experienced what could not have been less than a storm, as there were rolling, detached edges on the waves. This was in the middle of a fiord where this never really happens, it was as if something up there just opened up, dumping enormous masses of air downwards, then across it.
It was the only time I actually had to focus a bit turning it around, this was on motor only. The guys I shared the Vega with had done what I told them to never do, take the storm jib out........
So that was my only chance to actually use it, that would have been such a great experience haha!
Most of the time I had that wind maybe 70 degrees in from starboard, even with no sails the tilt was approaching 40 degrees, with this deep, loud howl from the mast...
Nah, I'll keep to coastal sailing I think! 😁
That sounds scary.
Having that faith in ones vessel, like you and your Vega, can make all the difference. My experience in the Gulf gave me that practical faith in Makina to be able to take me anywhere.
Oh it was just fun! I knew that boat very well, even if the engine would have quit I would have been able to get ashore somewhere sailing it on the mast only, with THAT wind hehehe...
A couple of times I tested it with full sails at maybe 10 m/s wind, it kept broaching constantly, but was still controllable.
Also it was built to automatically going into the windto heave to, when letting the tiller go, in a very reliable way.
Great boats!
Makina has a bit of a weather helm as well. The auto-pilot saves a lot of fighting. :)
Hehe yeah... When I did that short open sea crossing I counted myself very lucky NOT getting hooked on that experience, that would have led to a LOT of fighting haha!
But that is solo of course, with a good crew and larger boat I'd probably be OK