Normal cruising speed for different E boats

[e38 owner]

e38

I believe my instruments were calibrated at the time. We had the original instruments on the boat. It was in the early 80's we had loran but no GPS
Max was 14.1 down a wave in 30-35 knots of wind on the great salt lake. Had a full main and a 105 The GSL is only 30 feet deep and the waves run for about 20 miles. Very short and steep. Hobie Alter was in the race in Hull 1 of the Hobie 33. Had sustained speeds in excess of our 14.1

A year later we were racing the Newport Ensenada Race and were steady over 10 with a rides in the 12 range. I don't know how we did it. We were coming into the finish at night with chute up. Did a dip pole jibe sailing in the 10 knot range and lived to tell tail. This was also before GPS. I still race to Ensenada and with GPS, AIS etc etc that place is still a hand full at night.

 

[alcodiesel]

I averaged 34.9 kts on a day sail last week. I suspect the averaging component of the app. I used was in error, though.
Otherwise she sails about the same as the other 27s- 5, 6, 7 kts most of the time. There is so much current where I sail it's hard to tell. 8 with the current in a decent wind.

 

[Christian Williams]

I notice all the boats of all sizes are in the 6-9 knots range. Hmmm.

The only thing I notice about the 38, speed wise, is that the engine will drive it at 7 knots if you can stand the noise.

 

[fool]

I notice all the boats of all sizes are in the 6-9 knots range. Hmmm.

The only thing I notice about the 38, speed wise, is that the engine will drive it at 7 knots if you can stand the noise.

Do tell the difference between the rolly 32 and performance (if you judge it so) of the 38 on similar voyages. Your time away and returns are an indicator of some change in travel time and conditions. Is it hull speed? The missing pin on the vane? or the vessel? or the experience of the skipper? Can we separate some if not all?

"One ship sails East, the other West by the same winds that blow..."

Is it the set of the sails and absence of gales to tell which way to go? Or the multitude of other variances and variables that factor into performance when crossing the big swim and back.

Will there be a follow up franchise edition? "Sailing Alone part deux: With or Without You?"

Will Robert play you in the movie?

So many questions, so much ocean, such shifting winds wind, so little time....

Inquiring minds will want to know...

 

[Christian Williams]

It's a good question, and I have only an impression. It is that transit time depends on will and weather, and things average out.

The singlehanded transpac guys get SF-Kauai in 13-15 days on boats under 30 feet. They work hard and suffer.

I know of a 40-foot cruising boat that took 34 days to go LA -Honolulu. The skipper didn't want to use the engine. A friend sailed with Walter Cronkite in his WEstsail 42 in a Bermuda race, and it took 10 days to go 700 miles. There was no wind and Walter declined to retire because he was "racing." My friend, a pro, 'bout killed himself. Apparently Cronkite could be a bore.

The 32-III got there in 20 days, wouldve been 19 if not for becalmed in sight. The 38 was 18 days. We had too many 120-mile days because the wind died off at night or calms killed the trades. The return was 22 days mostly because the weather pattern allowed a turn at 34n, a straight shot to LA. But that also meant weeks of light air. The 32-III had to go to 41n, hundreds of miles north of SF, and covered the additional hundreds of miles in 28 days. Winds were much stronger that year.

Solo, I am disinclined to drive the 38 to gear-busting levels of ambition. With a crew and a spinnaker, we might have cut off a day or two (not coming home). Or if I motored faster than 5 knots. The boat will go 7, it's just too bleedin' loud below, whereas at 1700 rpms quite pleasant. Motoring for 24 hours makes such compromises quite welcome.

In the end, a "good passage" for cruisers means people enjoyed it and you got there, and the time is not so important. I think I drove the 32-III harder, and this time asked myself "why?". Reduce sail, quit obsessing, enjoy the ride.

The 38 is more stable than the 32-III, and a knot faster by waterline. I can get to Catalina in 5 hours instead of 6. That matters when the fleet is returning home, motoring in the morning, and the 40-footers draw ahead and the 30-footers feel the abject humiliation of being small insignificant insects in the flypaper of Breton Red society, which Bruce has recently defined as a bunch of club-tie popinjay dingaling tax lawyers in Chlorox bottles helmed by autopilots.

Red pants or Red Bull? It all depends how you aim the GoPro. Emotionally, I find both boats the same. And I think if you drag a 3-blade propeller, speed is just not something you concern yourself about.

 

[billie williams]

For example, on our E30+, with mainsail and a 125% furling headsail, 15 knot wind, waves no larger than one foot, and clean hull with a folding propeller and no dinghy in tow, I can fairly easily reach 6.8 knots and if I have everything tweaked just right, 7.8 knots. On most days under these conditions, that is achievable, but I can't reach 8.0 knots without a bit of help from a following wave, etc.
Frank

On our E30+, with a (new) 130 furling headsail, 15 knot wind, flat seas, clean hull, folded maxprop, and careful trim, we have seen 7.4 knots. We hardly ever have flat seas outside of Ventura Harbor, however....and many days we have to sail with a reefed main due to the wind conditions.

In any case, she's a grand, fast, responsive boat. Can't say enough good about her.

 

[supersailor]

The picture says it all about the E-34

 

[Loren Beach]

The picture says it all about the E-34

View attachment 22723View attachment 22724

Ahoy Bob,
Is that a partial view of a raised seat for someone sitting on the bridge deck? I seem to recall that you talked about making one for the off-watch person to perch on.
Of course I sometimes recall things that never happened, either!

 

[supersailor]

WOW, Loren,

I'm impressed. Everyone is supposed to be awed at the performance of the E-34 hard on the wind (7.4kn at this moment) and you notice half of an unconventional seat in the companion way. I bet one in ten thousand might have noticed that. Yes, that is it and it is exceptionally comfortable under the dodger. The concave shape allows comfort at various heel angles. The Autohelm is now located there so I can steer in comfort under the dodger when it is raining (It does rain in the North West?). Also, a engine coolant heater is now installed that warms the area under the dodger when the engine is being run (wuss?). We did have a little incident with it that led to my being able to claim that I have the fastest yacht in the Ericson fleet. I have an installed and used a seat belt. I bet no one else has the need to have a seat belt!

All that is another story that is not appropriate for this thread. If anyone is interested in this little addition, I will start another thread with the details and what led up to the seat belt.

 

[bgary]

...of Breton Red society, which Bruce has recently defined as a bunch of club-tie popinjay dingaling tax lawyers in Chlorox bottles helmed by autopilots.

For the record, I have nothing against tax lawyers. I'm sure some of them are very nice people...

(laughing)

 

[Christian Williams]

unconventional seat in the companion way.

Bob, we definitely need to see pictures of this creation.

And Bruce, I spelled Clorox wrong. When maligning whole classes of people, boats and professions one must get these things right.

 

[bgary]

...maligning whole classes of people, boats and professions one must get these things right.

I'm feeling triggered. Time to go sailing (my "safe space")

:nerd:

 

[toddster]

I think the fastest my E29 has ever gone was about 8 knots, by the log, screaming downwind on the Columbia in 30-35 and surfing the rollers. This summer, I can't seem to get more than about 4 knots in 12-15. But the bottom is sorta rough right now. The log definitely reads at least a knot lower on starboard tack, when everything else seems equal. In big air, it doesn't take a lot of sail to get to hull speed - 6+.

Went out last night - motoring up-river in search of wind, in thick smoke from forest fires 20 miles away. Blackened and green fir needles and ash raining out of the sky. Nav lights on. Found 8-12 knots of breeze for an hour or so and the smoke lifted a bit.

I discovered the companionway seat last Thanksgiving, motoring home in freezing weather. Sitting on the second board seems to be that sweet spot of receiving heat from the cabin, shelter from the wind, peering over the cabin top, and still being able to reach the tiller. I imagine it might be quite the sweet spot, once the dodger is finished. Especially if a curtain can be dropped from the back of the dodger.

 

[wurzner]

Here is a video that I took to send to a crew member who was dying of cancer circa 2007. He was a great racer and a great friend...and he loved great sailing. In the video, we are bouncing between 9.5 and 12.5 knots gps with a cross current. It is pretty spectacular...but the steering window of wiping out was EXTREMELY narrow. I think it is viewable to the public.

Shaun

https://www.facebook.com/shaun.wurz...374669863/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

 

[wurzner]

I uploaded it to youtube. You can see the GPS speed at one point high 8's and at that point, you can see we are goin significantly slower than the first part of the vide0? We saw upwards of 12 I think, but I didn't spend too much time looking at the GPS at that point as I was working the foredeck getting the kite set up and then trimming. Later on when I took the wheel; things had settled down a fair amount.

https://youtu.be/LEF_GndyWd8

 

[Christian Williams]

the prop spinning underneath her

We mustn't let the prop spin while sailing, bad for the transmission. Put shift in reverse.

 

[kiwisailor]

the prop spinning underneath her

We mustn't let the prop spin while sailing, bad for the transmission. Put shift in reverse.

You sure?

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...-prop-or-lock-it&p=62727&viewfull=1#post62727

 

[Loren Beach]

You sure?

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...-prop-or-lock-it&p=62727&viewfull=1#post62727

While our Universal manual does allow for leaving our model 50 in neutral, the noise is irritating. So I put it into reverse when under sail.

Anything is preferable to the duty of a friend of mine that used to dive under a big race boat before and after a race... to put on and later take off... the rubber band that held closed the folding prop blades.
Serious pursuit of nano knots!

 

[Christian Williams]

I'm not absolutely sure of anything, and everything is up for analysis.

As for neutral, which Iv'e seen recommended, the sound of a spinning 3-blade prop day and night would drive me nuts, even if it were better or faster.

Placing the shifter in reverse avoids the known issues (until somebody disproves them) with stopping the prop using forward gear.

There are shaft locks, but I don't know anybody who bothers with that.

 

[Mark F]

Well, one of us uses a shaft brake ;-). The reason I use one is that the electric motor controller I have needs to see that the shaft has stopped before it will shift from forward to reverse. I also use it to stop the prop from turning and producing too much electricity.

https://youtu.be/TV5Xy1DDnLI