Sailing Vessel Still Time: CS34 Rochester to Sodus Bay

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

CS34 Rochester to Sodus Bay

After a shower, we got off the dock a little after 9am.

Winds were 20 knots from south, so a beam reach all the way to Sodus Bay.

We decided to stay close to shore, put a reef in the main, and let out some of the jib.

Thanks for the photo Nancy!

Smoking along between 6 and 7 knots the entire time with not much heel.

Passing First Draft (Paul and Nancy) from WYC

As we got closer to Sodus Bay, the winds were building to 25 knots with gusts in the 30s. Too much heel, so I put in a second reef, and furled in the headsail. Much better. Still a little overwealmed in the puffs, but the boat performed well. The boat would comfortably round up, and I would steer her back. This was the first time I have ever had the boat in that much wind. NO PROBLEM.

Coming towards the channel, winds were building higher; I recorded 42 knots on the nose. We had the sails down by this point. With the motor at 3,000 RPM, I could only do 2 knots into the wind up the channel.

While sailing from Rochester we saw offshore an older wooden sloop that looked like an 8 Meter class. Though the binoculars, I could see that it was an R class sloop (similar). They beat us to the channel. They took their sails down and tried to motor up into the wind with their 5hp outboard. They turned around and hoisted their jib in front of us and proceed to tack up the channel.

Sodus Bay Yacht Club is a couple of miles in a protected bay.

We got assigned a slip right on the front wall of the Yacht Club. It was blowing 25+ knots as I docked the boat downwind into the wall. I controlled the boat well, and we had LOTS of people to catch us. Put all four fenders on the wall, along with some extra spring lines.