Cutter verses Sloop Rig

[TJim]

Having had this experience a couple of times on the afore mentioned lake and being aware of the 214
knot episode and seeing the results in the marina first hand I can tell you there ain't nuthin you can do about 214 knots of wind but pray. This storm lifted boats bigger than mine out of the water and deposited
them in the parking lot which is about 15 ft higher than the water surface.  It picked a big Tri up and sat
it back down up-side-down on it's mast.  A drogue won't slow you down  enough to keep you from going ashore.  Our lake right now isn't much more than 20' deep anyplace.  My recomendation comes after dragging a 16# bruce in a muddy bottom in excess of 3 miles in a 45/50 knot experience is to carry 2 anchors on your bow with 50' of chain, one of them an overweight plow and the other one an overweight
fortress or similar.  Get all your sails belowdeck and stand by to get the poop beat out of you from a short 6 to 8 ft chop.  Again, from experience, this is the only thing I know of that works,  I carry a 21# fortress knockoff and a 29# cqr knockoff, the cqr with 50' of 3/8 and the fortress with 25# of 3/8.  When I get more money, I'll get more chain.  A last word, I spent many years cruising on USN ships and the only
place I've even come close to 200 knots of wind is on the GSL..... TJ

[newt]

I was thinking a drogue TJ because if a anchor set it that type of wind won't it just snap the rode? I do have two good anchors on the CP. I guess I will set them both, tie them off to the front and then to the winches or the mast....
Something to think about.

[TJim]

Well so far so good. With the two 1/2" lines I can hold 15,000 lbs before I hit breaking strength and a lot of stretch in nylon.  The drogue, depending on size and design, "might" hold you down to a couple of knots of drift, but then again with the big winds we get on the GSL I wouldn't count on it holding you
below 4 knots.  Just being out there in 60 knots of wind with darn little water to play with is spooky enough for me.  If I get big wind I want a lot of water.  The very most you can get on the lake is about 22 long and about 20 wide, but mostly a lot less.  Get your sails down, two good anchors out, point into the wind, take your seasick pills, tie yourself down, CLOSE EVERYTHING UP, you'll be taking water over the bow and into the cockpit, infact burying the bow past the mast, and wait it out.  Shouldn't be more than
4 or 5 hours at the most.  One other thing watch for the dark skys coming out of Tooele valley and and listen to the weather channel anytime you get a dark sky either SE or SW. The further north you are the less chance of getting the really bad ones coming out and around the corner from Tooele. TJ

[newt]

Your scaring me TJ! At least with the Antelope Island marina I have a chance to see it coming and react to it.  We are also sheltered if I can make it back to the marina. Your advice is golden, and I will watch the skull valley carefully.  (and warn other GSL mariners)

[TJim]

Well, I don't know if you know this or not but we loose about a sailor a year on the Lake and we have almost 400 boats on the lake.  Most of those guys are new sailors trying to impress a little sweetie! TJ