I recently did a race in a Sunfish Down the CT River that was 12 miles. We started in almost no wind, so little we all held on the the start boat and when they said "GO!" we let go. The wind built to just under 20 by the finish. It was all up wind, down current. The CT River is very narrow in spots. I finished in about 3 1/2 hours. There were two Hobies in the race, a 14 with a jib, and a 17 with 2 guys on it and racks. The 17 finished about 45 minutes to an hour ahead of me, the 14 finished about 15 minutes ahead. I was ahead of them for much of the race because when it was really light the Sunfish was more reactive and I'd say I was a mile ahead when the wind built. Plus there was a bridge they had to wait to open for a few minutes. If we had had wind all the way they would have been so far ahead I would never have seen them after the first bend in the river. But 50 miles is tough to judge. With the right wind it will go fairly quick, one day. But if it gets light or is all upwind you might need to plan on an overnight stop somewhere. I have been thinking of sailing my Wave in the Everglades Challenge, 300 miles over 8 days. My goal for day 1 would be 68 miles, the distance to check point 1. This summer I am going to a test run on Lake Champlain and try for 30 miles.
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