Sean and I had the opportunity to try out a new
Harbor 20 sailboat Friday in Annapolis. The Harbor 20 is a small racing class (20 feet long - hence the name) boat that designed to be very easy to sail single handed or with a crew of 2. The day was perfect for testing a boat as we had strong winds (a steady15-20 knots) and light chop.
The chop meant that I got pretty wet (ok, soaked) but since it was a hot day on the water that wasn't all that troublesome. The boat was very easy to drive. It doesn't point as well as a J-boat but it's a real pleasure to sail. The lines are superbly organized and very easy to understand. It's just a really well designed boat.
The design of the hull is a standard keel structure and theres a tiny cabin for storage. There are currently 16 harbor's 20 in the Annapolis racing fleet and the group has some very "genteel" racing rules - no hiking out and all seat cushions must be installed to race.
I like this boat a lot more than a J-70 or Comet-class. It's a great boat to race or just putter around in.
Fantastic looking sailboat, I learnt to sail in a Lazer and the family owned a Topper. There is nothing better than a lazy afternoon under sail.
ReplyDeletePeace James
My son's a certified sailing instructor and his summer job is a Laser coach at a Sailing camp. Lasers are a lot of fun sail and it's a tight race between gaming and sailing which activity is the funnest for me (hint it's seasonal). Cold weather sailing isn't as fun as one might think!
ReplyDeleteNice looking boat, similar lines to Hawk 20 except fixed keel... so are you tempted?? :o)
ReplyDeleteWell I'm a bit tempted - it's a really nice boat but a bit small for cruising. Then again, it was a blast to take out.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see what happens when the Sailboat shows comes around net October...
Man, I miss sailing. Someday.
ReplyDelete