The wind was blowing 18 to 25 knots from the South. This is a windy day with a little bit of chop to produce spray enough to occasionally douse the guests forward. With the sun and warm temperatures, the spray is refreshing. We are flying through the water and at one point hit 11 plus knots! Folks, that is FAST by any standards!
Woodwind II is our twin sister. The photo is a mirror image of what we look like. We are sailing almost side by side. This is a great photo of what is meant by hull speed plus. Woodwind II is almost leaping out of the wave she is bounded by. See the trough of the wave in the middle. Our speed, at this point, is 10 knots. The wave is preventing us from sailing faster except in short bursts, hence the occasional 11 knots. For those of you who enjoy working with numbers, hull speed is the square root of the waterline times 1.3. Our 51 foot water line equates to a hull speed of 9.2.
Kristen, her first time at the helm, is not thinking of hull speed. She is concentrating on the horizon to try and keep Woodwind on course. The grin will tell you that this is exciting and fun. Our crew member, Andy, is also all smiles as we leave a path of light foam.
