Thanks guys, you are confirming my thoughts exactly. I'll ease into the big winds and let my experience build. Then in the summer, there will be no wind, so I'll be safe. LOL Jazz On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 9:53 AM, <swwheatley@comcast.net> wrote:
As the others have said indirectly, comfort is not so much a function of wind speed in isolation as it is a function of the seas that the wind whips up. Wave height and steepness, in turn, are not just a function of wind speed, but also depend on fetch, water depth and whether the wind is blowing with or against a tide or current. Within the limits of the boat's equipment, you can always deal with more wind by reducing sail, flattening sail and dumping the traveler. But an M17 relentlessly slamming itself down into the troughs between steep oncoming seas gets pretty old pretty fast. Surfing those same waves is exciting but demands total concentration, which can be fatiguing in its own way. Of course, you can take those waves on the beam, but then you are just going back and forth like John Kerry on his kite-board.
As I recall, your M17 has a roller furling genoa, only one reef in the main, and no traveler which taken together will limit your ability to compensate for high winds even if the seas remain fairly settled. You'll have to experiment for yourself, but 20 kts probably is a good benchmark.
Another thing that bears remembering in this context is that wind force increases exponentially with wind speed. There is a significant difference between an increase from 10 to 15 kts and an increase from 15 to 20 kts, and the curve only gets steeper after that.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jazzy" <jazzydaze@gmail.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2016 8:34:29 PM Subject: M_Boats: Wind comfort
Hi all, I know this has mostly to do with experience and such, but what kind of wind are you all comfortable in with your Monty. Had a nice day today but was blowing 20+ and I wasn't sure. So better on the driveway wishing I was sailing than vice versa!
Beer