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Lake Michigan crossing 250 WK ? anyone?

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Salvation
1st Mate

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USA
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Response Posted - 01/15/2011 : 07:39:07

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Navy1
 Hi Chip & Lori, I have only been sailing 5 years and I am 73 years old, so not real nimble anymore. I have a 2004 C250WB and have gained a lot of confidence in her. Last two years I have sailed her on lake Superior in the Apostle Island area. This last summer I sailed her there in some pretty rough weather, and had her rails in the water more than once. It gave me a lot more confidence in the boat than I previously had. I might mention I had a new 150 genoa I was sailing her with. I wouldn't recommend that kind of sailing to a new sailor, but with my limited experience the boat removed my fear of overpowering. With a 20 - 25 mph wind I learned how to push her to the limit and still keep things well under control. I put in several days of heavy sailing, and I was tired, but the boat did great. I have learned one thing, my boat is meant for sailing and the small disadvantage of lower headroom is a secondary issue. Unless I was going to keep her in the same slip all the time, if I had to do it over again, I would still opt for the water ballast. It's a very good boat all the way around. I just hope I've got a few more years of sailing left in me. Cheers - Roger
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I'd like to chime in with Roger. I purchased my new 2010 250WB this past March and have been loving it ever since. I have had several centerboard and retractable keel boats prior to this but never a water ballast. Most of my sailing is single handed here on Galveston Bay and it is not uncommon for a squall to blow through unexpectly. Winds will go from 10 to 15 knots jumping to 20 to 25 with gusts to 35 very quickly. My first time caught out in these types of conditions I was very concerned based on my previous experience with centerboards but I must say the W/B has proved to be a very stable platform that is very forgiving. So far I have not sailed her in conditions above 35 knots (and I don't plan to) but based on what I have experienced so far I feel confident that she will continue to be controllable even in these very high winds. Of course one of the keys is to get the sails reefed in a timely manner.

BTW, I do not trailer my W/B but keep her in a sling lift in the boathouse in my backyard. My reason for purchasing the W/B was to take advantage of the shallow draft and that has been a tremendous advantage here in the shallow waters of the Texas coast.

Dave

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sailingroja
Deckhand

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USA
7 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2011 : 19:36:41

Sorry to make a late reply to this thread, but I have not been on the forum much over the winter. We have a 250 WK (#808) on Lake Carlyle, a 26000 acre lake about 1.5 hours south of Springfield, IL. In fact, there are at least three 250 WKs on the lake, with a few 250 WB, also.

I just put the boat in the water last year, but she has already been in some fairly heavy weather (25-30 mph). Once, we had the family out and sailing pretty much with the main only, and reefed. The other two times we were out with "fun races". In the races she behaved pretty well, almost sailing as well as my Dad's Beneteau 285, although his tall masted rig gets squirrelly in heavy weather, too.

Size certainly adds stability to a boat, but design is also very important. I don't think that I would pick a 250 for a Great Lakes crossing as the best choice, but as many have said, picking the right weather, etc. is important. The weather in the Midwest can be flightly and unpredictable, however.

Last year, I read "My Old Man and the Sea", which tells the true tale of a father and son duo rounding the Cape of Good Hope in their 25 foot sloop - with no engine. They sailed 17000 miles in total. Needless to say, their Sparrow was a full keel boat that they had built themselves to their own specifications. So, size isn't everything.

Edited by - sailingroja on 03/16/2011 03:13:25

jking
Navigator

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110 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2011 : 15:21:17

Chip and Lori:

All good info on the C250 here; this forum was a big reason that I ended up with a C250 water ballast about 6 years ago.

I live in the Nashville area, and have trailered to Destin Florida once, and to the Chesapeake Bay twice. The boat trailers well (I have a Toyota Sequoia and a 2/4 ton Suburban, which do the job a lot better than a standard SUV) and takes me about 2 hours to set up for launch, but I am slow and methodical. Destin was fun, but I am partial to the Chesapeake, and was treated very well by the folks at Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard in Eastport near Annapolis, and at Herrington Harbor North in Deale, MD.

Last September, we were sailing out of Herring Bay on the Chesapeake and encountered 25 kt winds out of the north, with 3 to 4 foot seas, upwind for 3 hours or so, and downwind for about the same length of time--unpleasant, tru, but the boat did better than the captain and crew--very little in the way of spray in the cockpit, and was well balanced under double reefed main and a tiny handkerchief of a roller furled jib.

Spending the night would be like camping in a small pop up, but I like hotel life, so we usually just daysail.

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jking
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110 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2011 : 15:22:37

Sorry, that's a 3/4 ton Suburban.

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.