An 11-day cruise on our Corsair 760 in the San Juans.
By Jim Hutchison
Despite that fact that it rained most days, we were very comfortable. We’ve learned a lot of tricks that make the boat seem bigger than it is. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it worked well for us well beyond an extended weekend. Happy to share what we’ve learned. Here are eleven key lessons to enjoying the 760:
1. The most valuable player in torrential downpours is the boom tent. The only time we spend in the cabin was while sleeping.
2. Being outside, nicely protected from the weather, means you also see more wildlife (two pods of Orcas, seals, otters and lots of birds) than if you were spending time in the boat.
3. We spent half of the nights tied to a mooring ball. We’ve figured out a good bridle system so that the boat doesn’t sail back and forth in the wind, but also prevents the mooring ball from hitting the hull when there isn’t any wind or the current pushes the boat toward the ball.
4. We made our own dehydrated meals and prepared these in the cockpit with a small one-burner stove. No dishes to do and super fast. It meant more time for sailing, exploring and hiking.
5. The SailPro 6 HP has been good except that the friction band that keeps the engine from freely rotating broke…I fixed in the field…and might be underpowered for folks who deal with a lot of currents. 3-4 knot currents are common here. Even with good route planning, you sometimes wish for more power.
6. Packrafts (Kokopelli) make outstanding tenders. We have two. They weigh about 15# each, the two easily fit into one of the amas, and each can be inflated in five minutes or less. Great for getting to shore, but also exploring the shoreline and communing with nature.
7. The screecher has been awesome. The wind in the San Juan Islands can be very light. We were able to sail at 5 knots in nearly no wind when everyone else was motoring.
8. We definitely need to invest in a downwind sail.
Anyway, still lots to learn, but we’ve been out between 20-30 days this year and have been having a blast!
