How Many Guests?

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

As we start gaining confidence with our Telstar we are getting ready to have friends a board for sailing. What are some of your experiences with a comfortable number of guests on board? How many is too many? Thanks!

[escape]

Hi,

Since this boat doesn’t heel much, peoples can stay in their seating place while maneuvering or they can go on the amas, so in calm weather I would not go to much more than 6 peoples. We once where 4 adults an 2 children’s and I found it very crowded. But finally the imprtant factor might be more the weight than the quantity…

[Ron]

My main concern is that too many people in the cockpit tend to get in the way, especially if they just sit there and don't help out. What's too many? Since I do most of it myself, I'm comfortable with maybe 1 other person. I'd stick a 3rd person in the starboard catbird seat. The port one isn't really usable when sailing. And the ama seats don't work that well when you've got to do a lot of tacking.

By switching to a shorter tiller, it's improved the cockpit arrangement somewhat. I hit their knees less often know. You do not need a nearly 4 foot long tiller on a multihull which has almost no weather helm. New one (it's about 9 years old now!) is less than 3 feet. We made a bunch of them back then. All gone now, and the manufacturer is gone as well.

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

No kidding on the tiller...it dominates the cockpit. How do people on the amas impact tacking and is it considerable?

[Ron]

Depends on the wind strength and angle. Close hauled into 15+ knots could get somewhat dicy up there when the sail rips across the bow. Better make sure they're inboard of the sheet, and leaning back when it comes across. 5 knots in a reach and a very slow tack would not be a problem.

[Tri’d n Sail’d]

Thanks for the feedback Ron and Michel. Good stuff.