Peter,
There are good reviews on this boat. Also lots of pictures on the website
that I think are better than study plans. If you have built stripped things
this is no different just a bit wider. There will be a learning curve for
sailing, but sailing is like riding a bike, just softer if you fall. Getting
to Olympic level though, would take a lot of dedication and training .
Concerning obstructions, I sail my 49er in NYC harbor and Sandy Hook bay NJ
where there are underwater obstructions and we have touched plenty of times,
some of them at around 15-20kt. The root trailing edge, and the tip of the
blade gets damaged but not the boat. You may get thrown off, thats no big
deal. Paradoxically its easier if you are going fast and on the wire. There
are less things to hit. Many times we have touched through not wanting to
stop amazingly fast downwind rides, Our fault, we know where it is shallow!
We just cant help ourselves. Georgian bay is big I dont think you will run
out of water quickly like at the gorge. Here our bay bottoms are hard
mud/silt, your milage might vary with rock. One of my buddies narrowly
missed a TV. (here you can sail and watch TV!) The Swift draft is relatively
shallow, less than the 49er but you simply wont be able to sail where the
seaguls are standing.
When coming to shore you ease up the blade. I know that the vast majority of
our groundings are coming in to shore being too carelessly. I usually glide
in to about 3ft depth just before the rudder would ground so that I don't
get all that wet. In the pristine waters of NJ, if its really blowing, I get
my crew to bail first it's the best way to judge the depth. If he
dissapears, its way too deep for me to jump out :-)
As for water deep enough to sail in, its simple tell your crew "just don't
capsize".
You will have real problems only where you can turtle but still easily touch
the bottom. That is, a narrow depth range from 3 ~6ft shorter than the
inverted mast. (unfortunately for the 49er almost all of Sandy Hook bay at
low tide.). If there is much tide flow and you jam the mast in the bottom we
have found it's better to stand on the bow (straighten the mast, move the
CoE forward) and let the boat pivot before attempting to right it against
the tide. I have never broken a 49er Rev9 mast tip this way. But, I got
fragments of the softer Rev 3 and 5 mast tips before we learned to get up on
the blade fast after a spill.
Bottom line, if its deeper than your waist you can sail it. Don't not take
risks just because it is a beautifull boat. Blades are easily replaced. Do
take care coming in and be conservative in shallow water. Keep your blade up
1 foot till you reach your training area. Keep a competition blade and a
training blade. Get a chart of your training area and memorize it.
Above all dont stand on the centerline while sailing in shallow water unless
you want an impression of your shrouds on your face.
Greg
Swift Solo USA009 - Rose
49er USA023 - Whatever
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