WINDWARD PERFORMANCE

Production boats try to copy racing boats windward performance. Racing boats are optimized for going to windward. Cruising boats sail passages downwind. A boat optimized for windward performance is not at its best downwind. For example deep ballast keels and weather helm is not a good thing downwind.

Exlex is optimized for downwind sailing. She has lee helm with her daggerboard up no ballast keel and balanced lug sails. I am often asked if she can go to windward. She do so very well although she will not win any races but she I hope does better than a production boat downwind with her lenght/displacement ratio of 150 and small wetted surface and square sails that outperform triangular Bermudan downwind.

Below is her track of todays sailing outside Hunnebostrand. It is 50 degrees between them and if my calculations are OK she sailed 65° close to the wind.

Regards Yrvind