San Diego Day Sail on a Hunter 44

[ericread]

A group of us from a sailing club in San Diego had a day-sail on Sunday, August 22, 2010. Leaving Harbor Island at about 9:00 am, we set sail for Isle Los Coronados, in Northern Mexico. Our plan was to circle the island and return to Harbor Island (about 43 Nautical miles round trip) for about an 8 hour sail.

The weather cooperated nicely, with 6 to 15 Kt winds and a very steady sea. We chartered a Hunter 44 for the excursion. Although I had never sailed a Hunter before, I certainly have heard a lot about the Hunters on this forum. The Hunter is a beautiful boat, but I found the helm a bit twitchy. A few inches of the turn of the wheel caused the Hunter to oversteer, and it took me a while to get the feel for her. I did get her up to 6.5 Kts for a short time, then the wind eased and we settled into a 4 to 5 Kt sail.

Has anyone else noticed the steering issue with the Hunter 44, or was this just a case of me oversteering the boat?

Eric Read