Opinions? What is the maximum wind speed you would go out in? This would be in protected waters (low/mild chop) and just for fun (and say you haven't sailed in the last 2 months).

I think there a number of other factors that I would consider:

Crew Ability
Temperature (Air and Water)
Equipment (Dry suit vs. Wet Suit, etc.)
Available Help

I think the most important thing to consider is available help. I feel a lot more comfortable when a few catamarans are together and are accountable for each other.

That being said, the maximum I would consider in ideal conditions would be about 25 mph. On a cooler day with my young daughter on board and little help available, I might not go out in 12 mph.

-Tim

Think you left out an important fact.
Ability of the sailor(s) to self right the boat.
I personally stop at about 15 solo on the Tiger or the I-20.
20 was great on the Hobie 17.
I've been out in 35-40 on the H-16 back when I was an idiot my first winter on a catamaran, I flew both hulls at the same time that day, was pretty scary.
I bought a wetsuit then a drysuit shortly after so I can sail year round.
Think I'd stop at 20-25 solo on the H-16 now.
It gets past the point of fun when you're thinking about how badly the sails take wear, how bad the boat could be damaged, and my all time favorite, Don't sail too far from shore in case you have to have to abandon the boat and swim for shore while your cat is blowing away.

I'm with Zuhl... 15 is my limit solo on the 5.2 . I've been out in 25 with a competent crew. It was like survival conditions for me so we called it a day after fifteen minutes.

-Rob V.

Failed to mention one thing, I generally don't fly the kite if it's getting much past 12, That one sort of depends on the water temperature.
One of the reasons I want to move to a F-16 Cat, able to take higher winds without having to back off from the righting dilemma.

Ideal is 12 to 15. It's still "pleasureable" for me up to about 18 knots but beyond that I'm starting to worry about sail wear and equipment survival. When it's getting really gusty (22+) and capsizing starts to become less optional, I'm not enjoying racing anymore...but then again, we have a pretty good track record staying upright in the crazy stuff and I'm not often sailing in those conditions so they're pretty foreign to me. Perhaps some more time on the water in the heavy stuff and I'll gain more confidence in the equipment and perhaps rich enough to not worry about the sails!

Even sailing in 18-20 I think the kite helps to settle the boat down and gets you moving faster relative to the oncoming gusts (so they hit you a little softer)...of course, it does mean that you're going that much faster if you crash and burn.

Completely depends on who I'm with. I found myself on an F18 in 35 (clocked across the deck) last year in the cold, cold Pacific without a care in the world - 'course it wasn't my boat.

Alone on the 4.3, I've been in 15-18 ('chute up) but my strength was sapped after only a couple of races - that's when I see potential for problems developing. Fatigue'll get you hurt.

My fave on any boat is 8-11, but I get psyched for 4, too.

I think you should go out if the wind is blowing. Especially if you haven't been out in 2 months! Its all about the adventure. Plus your crew is probably fantastic.

as a kid I sailing in gusts of 80 knots under those conditions.. Unless the wind was blowing at a constant 35kt the race was started.. Not true today... Once a year a storm would come thru and peak gusts were up to 100 kts while we were on the water.. How do I know that these and greater gusts were recorded? My father was on the rescue committee directing the rescue boats and they recorded the winds on every day.. Then I was sailing an Aussie VJ with a good crew... (11.5 foot flat sharpie hull, two on trap/plank and total weight was 90 lb).. On a two sail shy my fleet (that was still upright) went past the rescue boat doing 25 knots as if it was still... Now how many kids ith red blood would answer to a race cancelled call even if the rescue boat could have told us..
As a kid I could right the VJ solo.. And sail it solo up till 15 knots...

However as Im old and slow... 35 knots would be my limit these days... Unless Im on a F16 comng back from Rotto and Phill is on the boat.. Then its Freo or bust...

22 knots
(with or without crew)

Single handed on the 17 I'd say things start getting silly at around 30-35 kts - Kite goes up, but I don't gybe as there is usually too much happening!

2 up I've been out in about 40 kts in the Hurricane 59 but we were both VERY experienced.

Both on an inland lake approx 3 miles by 1 1/2 with excellent (and I mean probably the best in the UK) saftey cover.

Was 30+ with the kite up fun - well some of the time I suppose.

80 knots = 41.1 m/s (148 km/u) = is windforce 14, hurricane = Peterson scale :air fully filled with white foam, watersurface completely white, no vision. Meteological describtion : serious destruction to property; Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale calls this category 1 hurricane.

100 knots = 51.4 m/s (185 km/u) = is past windforce 17, hurricane = Peterson scale : same as above but worse, Meteological describtion : total destruction. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale calls this category 3 hurricane.

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 was a category 3 hurricane upon landfall and I think so too Katherina in 2005

The windforce is 16 times (80 knot) or 25 times (100 knots) stronger than when sailing at 20 knots wind. Even with only a mast (no sails) a crew (say 80 kg per person) would not be able to prevent a capsize even when fully trapezing/hiking on a H16 or laser 1, no matter what course except maybe directly into the wind

50 knots is right on the threshold of being able to lift a man of the ground and transport him quite some distance through the air. It is about the wind speed they use to simulate skydiving in one of those propeller towers.

And here we have two youths sailing happily along at 25 knots like on a summers day; all the while the RC in the rescue boat can't even erect themselfs for risk being sucked out of the boat. Mind you 100 knots of wind will put a sucking force of 60 kg (150 lbs) on your upperbody alone.

If anybody want to know how 100 knots of wind feels like then ask a friend with a flat back truck or large pick-up truck to do 115 miles/hours and then try standing up. The car must have some large engine to even get up to this speed.

The claims don't get alot more extravagant then this. Anybody bit 150 knots ?!

I say your windindicator was probably broken or the speed was measured in some ventury situation like on the outside of a building with the wind being forced to speed up to pass the building.

There is no way that I believe anybody sailed a dinghy in these winds and stayed upright. Sorry mate.

Wouter

Post deleted by phill

My personal experience when sailing of the beach (or very big lake with the other side far far away) is that seastate is your first concern. Wind direction comes second and windforce is a close third.

You can handle (=survive) windforce 6 to 7 (about 33 knots) on relative flat seas, but not more then a force 5 (20 knots and over) on confused seas. Note that survive is the key word here. These conditions are not much fun at all, you are truly surviving. First priority is keeping it all in one piece and make it home. Any small breakage will make serious bodily harm or death a serious possibility if there isn't a serious outside rescue structure in place.

When rusty, as in several months of no sailing, only kamikazies, glory boys and [email]f@cked[/email] up nitwits would try to go out in these conditions. At least that is the score where I'm sailing and yes we have lost men overhere who thought they could handle it, as in we pulled some bodies from the water while some others were never found.

So when rusty, but skilled otherwise I wouldn't go past force 4 or 15 knots. With flat enough seastate and a favourable direction of the wind or dependable nearby help who is keeping an eye on you.

Wouter

A lot of variables. For fun I`ll go out in up to 20knots but if gusts are over 22 I`ll think twice. Racing is much the same, but will stay out up to 25-28knots, or until I have capsized myself into a really bad placing or am overfatigued from righting the boat,typically after 4 times it gets tiring. Take 5knots off all the above for singlehanding. If I think the boat is working too hard, chop state etc, I will call it off. I will also try and finish any race I have started, recently was one of 3 finishers in a 15 boat race, but I felt in control or would have called it off.
Sailed Cape Point Challenge in 25knots gusting 30 at the startline, some events are worth pushing a little past the safety margins for .
BUT :
I sail a boat with what most consider too little sail area for it`s size, a short mast (7,3m as opposed to the 8,5m F16 mastlength maximum),and I can right it solo in all conditions, only fear is separation from the boat. (have capsized 4 times in one race, and twice in one leg on w/l courses.) If you are confident about righting your boat easily, you will extend the limits at which you sail quite a lot - If I capsize under spinnaker, I`ll right the boat and hoist again without concern for another capsize. Only downside is the bruises after a good day, still have mine from New year`s day sail and day after(15-20knots). Mast fell down on 1 January (a tradition for me,twice in 3 years so far), and went pitchpoling on 2nd.
Air temp was 38-40deg C, no real need for a wetsuit !
My greatest fear is sailing in less than 4knots, and even worse, racing. I believe catamarans are essentially monohulls, if it has one hull in the water it`s all good. Other one needs to be kept dry !!

I'd say my crew is marginally above average

I think it becomes a different game if it isn't your boat. I'd have an almost completely different attitude if it weren't my boat. Sails/masts/rigging (hell, everything) ain't cheap.

BTW- Wouter, I agree (who wouldn't?) that 80-100k gust is not sailable - there has to be a "unit" issue there somehow.

All relative to what you're used to sailing in and your crews experience. Having not been out in two months we know you'll be on your toes as opposed to the midseason case of the careless or shall we say **** capsize.

I know when you haven't been out in a while, it seems or looks windier while on the beach setting up than it actually is when you get out there and the juice is flowing.

Around here if the grass in front yard is moving we start thinking about going to the lake. What's too windy? You're the best judge of that.

{RANT}
30 knots is insane around here. I think the issue with the "we sailed in 100 knots" is probably that they were sailing in around 30-35 knots... 10 miles down the beach where the eye wall is coming across someone recorded a gust of 100 knots. All of a sudden everyone thinks it is blowing 100 knots everywhere. I saw that here the past few years with all the hurricanes. 10 miles makes a huge difference in wind speed. I'm not usually one to raise the BS flag, but I find it extremely difficult to believe that anyone was able to survive standing on the beach in 100 knots, much less sail in it. It's rediculously exagerated stories like that that get people killed when they try to do half as much, such as:
"Well Whats-his-face went sailing with no problem in 100 knots, we should be fine going out in 60 knots."
Most people on this list are experienced enough to know their limits, but you never know when a Sven-type newbie is going to come on and reads that... stuff.
{/RANT}

I hope you all had great sails over the new years. My boat should be in one piece this afternoon.

-Rob V.
Panama City
Nacra 5.2

I have seen Tornados right themselves.. *shrugs*.. kittys fully airborne...

Yes in general there is a lot of property damage when those storm fronts come through.. Lost roofs.. demolished houses.. Flattened fences and trees...
On a river there is no swell just chop.. Foam capped chop with froth on the lee beaches..

Remember these are peak gusts... Not continuous as in a cyclone... But the damage can be considerable neverless..

As for the boat.. do your research on VJs.. *s*...

No way. Total BS.