
Another Flying Fish cover, to follow on my last post.
I love this one; it’s probably one of my favorites. I love the speed that’s so evident in the boiling white water along the leeward rail, the driving power of the wind in the bellying headsails, and the promise of many more miles to go towards the horizon, empty of anything but the whitecapped seas.
Every boat is different, but Celeste does best in a stiff quartering tailwind. She beats to windward well, thanks to her narrow beam, fin keel, and large sail area for her displacement, but she thrives on a broad reach. In 20 knots and above, you can really feel the power of her driving forward through the water. And you can feel her stabilizing under you – her motion flattens out under the power of the wind and her speed through the water. With new standing rigging and strong sails – so that the strain on the boat is less worrying – I could be content to drive along like this for a month or more. Unfortunately this spectacular passage lasted only about a week, but it was a great week. And yes, she had new standing rigging at the time!
(This passage was Cape Flattery, WA to San Francisco, CA, October 2017.)