Hull Speed

Quite suddenly, the weather here in DC has become ridiculously gorgeous. Perfect for picnics, bike rides, and other wholesome frolicking in the out-of-doors. On Saturday, I thought I might go for a nice long bike ride. Then I noticed that the wind was 15-20 knots.

The sailing was outstanding. I took Betty, it was a wild ride. Even as a trimaran, I though I might capsize her in some of the gusts. Also, while she is a fine little sailer, she does not really plane when she picks up speed. She kind of smashes through heavy chop when under sail. So heading upwind she moves quick, but you ship a lot of water over the bow. No harm done, just have a towel waiting back on shore.

I have never been good at estimating boat speed, so I hesitate to guess just how fast she was moving. Her hull speed would be about 5.3 knots, but the formulas for hull speed are not well suited for multihulls or long, thin vessels like kayaks. And Betty is both, so it's hard to guess what her top speed might be. But her mast had significant bend in it (as designed), the amas submerged from time to time, and we made it great time all over the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.