First of all I would like to thank Eric for sending me a link to this page. For some odd reason my computer only allows me access to the homepage and nothing else so I was not able to post. I was even wondering if the forum had been shut down as I'd been able to post on other sites but not here. I found that to be most discouraging because I really wanted to know how you folks were doing.
Tonight I've been reading some of the more recent post tonight while I watch game seven of the Yankkees/Red Sox, and am glad to see that everyone is doing well and some new boats have been added to our growing fleet.
"Celtic Kiss" and I spent a lot of time together. My trip to St. Pierre/Miquelon and the SE coast of Newfoundland interrupted my plans to cicumnavigate Isle Madame but with all the day trips I recorded 255 nautical miles in my log. ( Altogether I have had 1000 sailing miles)

I really put Kiss through her paces this year in the high wind, capsize drills, a SOLO spinnaker sailing. With my combination of jib furling and jiffy reefing system I was able to sail just a few hours before Hurricane Juan hit. My GPS recorded speed of 8.7 knots while surfing. I was also able to do the solo spinnaker routine pretty well in 12-15 knots. For now I have adopted a "whitecap rule" When I see whitecaps, the spinnaker stays in the bag. These have given me some exhilerating rides to say the least. Chaos still ensues sometimes but at least it's a bit more controlled now. But before I got too carried away with heavy air saiing and my sudden need for speed, I opted to do some controlled capsize drills. The thing that struck me the most about these drills was how difficult it was to get the boat to capsize in the first place. I anchored in shallow water near the shore for this exercise. At first I jumped in the water and dangled from the boom and my 200 pounds couldn't get Kiss to tip. I eventually had to take the main halyard and walk ashore to get her over. The boat floats really well in the water and the water went no higher than the side seats. The open hatches were free and clear of the water at all times. Hence I have given up on the hatchboards because I really don't need them.
Hurricane Juan spared me of any damage and I felt myself lucky when I saw the pictures of Halifax Harbour. Earlier today I hauled "Kiss out of the water and am already getting her cleaned up for next season. So far I have been washing all the running rigging in soapy water, rinsed off the sails, took out my anchorand 200 feet of line, and oiled the wood work. Tomorrow I hope to polish the hull and fix the waterline. When I have a bit more time I will post some of my log entries.

Robert
Celtic Kiss #2120

"THANK GOD I"M A SAILOR"

With regard to my capsize drill, I approached this quite methodically. I performed 2 drills both with an empty forepeak and stern lazarette. In the first test I simply "struggled" to get the boat to float on its side and stayed in the capsize position for approximately 5-10 minutes. In all honesty it was much more difficult to capsize the boat rather than get it upright. My mast has built in floatation at the top which I think is a standard feature in later model boats. (MY hull was constructed in 1985) The boat rested on her side quite nicely and the centreboard stayed in it's downward position at all times. For the second test I was wondering about the length of time that the boat would rest nicely on its side before going towards a turtling position. For this test I capsized the boat (walking on the shore with the main halyard) and left 'Kiss in that position for 30 (thirty minutes). At approximately the 15 minute mark I noticed that the mast head moved a bit past horizontal and the low forepeak did begin to take on some water. I purposely allowed the forepeak to flood so that the water level was equal throughout the boat. I should point out that earlier in the year I had drilled 2 3/16" drainholes in the forepeak so that all water drains into the cockpit. This is especially handy when it rains as rainwater often drips down the mast to form a puddle.
After 30 minutes I was able to right the boat without over-exerting myself. I was trying to study the effect of positive floatation in the boat and that is why I wanted the cockpit to be flooded. I wa mostly interested with the water level at the centreboard trunk. Theory says that if that opening gets below the water surface bailout is pretty much impossible. I am happy to report that this vital opening was above the water level even after I added my 200 pounds to the boat. On seeing these results I was extremely happy with the CL 16's buoyancy. When I started bailing I started with a five gallon bucket but found this to be tiring so I resorted to my regular bailer. Granted it did take longer to get all the water but I was not fatigued.

To answer elmet3's questions. "NO" I have never been knocked down and considering the high winds that I have sailed in ( 30+ knots) I honestly can't see how I could capsize the boat. After doing my capsize drills I have even more faith in the stability of the CL 16. (This is mostly attributed to the double-chine construction meaning that the wetted surface of the hull is on a flat rather than a rounded surface. With this in mind if I need something on the low side I have no hestitation of getting it when I'm heeled over. 2) I do not use either an outboard motor or batteries and I doubt if this added weight would affect the stabilty much. 3) I wanted the hull shape to mimic sailing conditions therefore I left the board down. I do notice that even when I am screaming downwind the centreboard always falls downward a bit. Actually yesterday I was on a fast broad reach and reached a hull speed of 8.7 knots. Even at this speed the centreboard was falling down and I kept my foot on the handle of the centreboard to reduce drag. There is the option of pinning the board to an upright position. I only do this in a light air spinnaker run and I would never hoist the chute in high wind.

Robert