I have absolutely no complaints on the subject of the B29’s abilities. She will pinch amazingly high, even with poorly fitting sails and she loves to go to weather. I typically will see 6.25 to 6.5 knots beating hard on the wind.  Obviously with her long overhangs she will sail faster as she heals over but she will steady up at about 20 degrees and go like a scalded cat. Her favorite point of sail is a beam reach when you can ease the sheets and she will just fly. I can often see 7.5 or 8 knots in 20 knots of wind, sometimes higher than 8 at which point her stern quarter wave will be huge (a good sign). Her least favorite point of sail as it the case with most boats with keel-hung rudders is downwind in a quartering sea. She will tend to slew around like a pig and you’re better off sailing a farther distance and bearing up a little. She has great manners under sail or power, steers almost as well as a fin keel boat, but backing will be a challenge. When you do it enough you will figure it out—prop walk has a strong effect with her so as you back, just slip her out of reverse and steer.

 

My only complaint with the boat is also common of CCA rated boats with low aspect masts and long booms: they tend to have a lot of weather helm. If Halsey had lengthened the keel a bit it would have helped. If Bristol had used external ballast instead of internal ballast it would have helped. But they didn’t and the result is a boat with a lot of weather helm. Now to the B29’s credit, she has such a powerful and perfectly designed rudder, that she will never get out of control and round up into the wind despite your counter-steering the way some boats, namely Catalina 30’s will do. The B29 will NEVER stall her rudder that way, but she does have some weather helm. Therefore I moved the rig forward to reduce the WH and thus built the bowsprit.