30+ Knots of wind in a Family Cruising Dinghy! Capel Sound Invitational 2025 | EP15

#sailing #adventure #badidea 30+ knots forecast, a downwind drag race, and a “safe” family dinghy. Seemed like an interesting day to go sailing. In this episode we head to the 2025 Capel Sound Invitational, a reaching drag race across Capel Sound at the southern end of Port Phillip Bay. With a sketchy forecast, great white sharks reported down the beach, and the Moth Nationals only four days away, I made what felt like the sensible call: take my super heavy-duty, rugged 14-foot Roamer dinghy instead of my Mach 2 Moth that I definitely can’t afford to break. That decision was tested immediately. As soon as we launched we were hit with 30+ knots of south-westerly, but we committed anyway — full mainsail and an asymmetric spinnaker — and got absolutely launched down the bay, the small flat rudder struggling to keep the boat under control, and a few moments where we very clearly pushed things too far. The upside? In just six terrifying minutes we learned more about this boat than we ever could in six months of normal sailing, walking away with a long list of changes and optimisations before attempting bigger, more serious adventures. This is small-boat sailing at the limit — equal parts speed, learning, and quietly asking: “Was this a bad idea, and what should I have done differently? Thanks to our Supporters: • Ronstan Sailing https://www.ronstan.com/au • Damic Design – Deck Grip https://www.damicdesign.com/deckgrip • Norfyx Technology – Halyard Reels https://norfyxtechnology.com/ 🙏 Support the channel A huge thank you to everyone on Patreon who helps keep these dinghy adventures alive and independent:   / tomstuchberysailing   #dinghycruising #smallboats #dinghysailing #roughweather #stormconditions #realsailing #ocean #capelsound #portphillipbay