My Current Storm Strategy

"Climbing (sailing) is like fun, only different."
     Tom Pattey, Scottish ice climber

When I first started sailing, I had a storm strategy. That’s good; everyone who sails should have a storm strategy.

My first plan (just avoid storms) was completely unrealistic (in two ways). That’s bad. See my three-part entry, “Out of the Bathtub!” That wasn’t even a storm – just more wind and waves than typical. We were in 5’ waves, and I was completely unprepared. I noticed on the news tonight that 8’ waves are predicted on the Gulf tonight. There’s nothing in the visible observation of local weather to suggest this. Locally, it’s cloudy with occasional light drizzle. However, to the north of us a cold front is moving south. I’m guessing now, but wondering if maybe north of here, weather is just pushing waves southward. The weather report didn’t give wave direction, and I haven’t checked yet.

It doesn’t really matter, because both weather and weather-related events, such as waves, can’t always be predicted (see my entry “Storm!”, where a significant storm seemingly came out of nowhere.)

In my first wind-and-wave event, I was woefully unprepared, particularly because of my reefing system that was so inadequate and dangerous that it couldn’t be safely used. That led to a cascade of ever-worsening events.

My second storm strategy was “just drop all the sails and motor.” That is also a significantly flawed strategy in my opinion.

First, my first sailboat had an outboard engine. In the waves we had it would have been impossible to run the engine because the engine would have kept coming out of the water, denying it cooling. On my next boat, the engine proved to be completely undependable. Now, with a dependable engine, I need to protect it. I don’t want to operate it if the boat heels more than 10º, because after 10º the oil pump cannot adequately pump oil through the engine.

The reality is that a sail plan in a really significant storm can’t and won’t be that simple, and it partly depends on your individual boat as well as your experience, and your experience with that boat.

For instance, my boat is particularly sensitive to being in balance -- that is, having the size of the headsail and the size of the mainsail matched so they work well together without allowing the boat to become overpowered (too much sail up for the conditions). I discussed this today with someone who has the same boat I do but vastly more experience, and he agrees.

For my boat, the hull shape is important. Its fat stern tapering to skinny bow makes the boat “bow tender.” In other words, the bow is particularly sensitive to wind and waves compared to some other boats.

Now, my friend already knows what I’m going to mention next. I’m still sorting it out because I haven’t been in a storm in this boat in some time and have learned a lot about how she handles since then. The first step for me would be to see where the coast is. If it’s close (I’m largely a coastal cruiser), getting away from or staying away from the coast has to be a top priority. You have to look at the chart closely and account for all possible obstacles, not just the shore itself.

The next concern will be how the hull goes through the biggest and most common waves. Unfortunately, waves don’t march like well-disciplined little sailors. While most may come from one direction, there will be contrary ones, and size will also vary. They are the concern of the helmsman. Right now, the current trend should be studied. In shallower water, the waves will be more confused and harder or impossible to predict. But you’re going to get out of shallow water as fast as you can.  :)

Once a tentative point of sail has been chosen (based on conditions, not destination – destination sailing is over for now) – it’s time to set the sails to help the boat through those waves as smoothly as possible. Wind direction has to be considered. You should have a good idea of where to put your sails, but try tweaking them for best result. “Harden them up” – that is, do things to take as much belly out as possible, such as tightening your outhaul (pulls the sail back toward the end of the boom) and the leech line (tightens the leech of the sail and helps take curve out of it). Why do that? Because a curved sail catches more wind than a flat one.

If you have a traveler, check its position. You probably won’t want to be on a close reach (often called “beating” with good reason), but you probably don’t want to be broadside to the winds either. Someplace in between will probably be best for the winds, but it may have to be a compromise between the wind and the hull, as the waves may not be from the same direction as the wind. You may want your traveler halfway between center and the end of the lee side. That gives you the option of using the traveler to quickly spill wind out of the mainsail in a gust. Simply release the upwind traveler line and let the traveler move all the way to the end. The sail will instantly become less efficient, and that’s exactly what you want.

Tweak your headsail as well. If this sail has height to it (my ATN Gale Sail is fairly short), you might want to use the position of the sheet leads to “twist” the top of the headsail. While sometimes undesirable, it is one strategy for depowering the headsail, because wind will spill ineffectively out of that twisted top.

The headsail can also be hardened up, by pulling the working sheet as tightly as possible. Many headsails have leech lines. Try to get forward to tighten that before any significant wind hits your boat.

All of this is a matter of judgment and balance. You will have your hardest time with it in your first storm, because you will have to test everything as you go, and make a number of adjustments. In subsequent storms you’ll know much more about what works on your boat. 

Is this my final storm strategy? Of course not.

Should you copy it? Don't be silly -- I haven't tried it yet. I'm absolutely certain it won't all work equally well. I have done all these things, but not all at the same time in a storm.

I'll post when I've done that. It's Florida. Inevitably, it will be tested. 

Go to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boldlygosailing?skip_nax_wizard=true 

Courses at the Coast Guard Auxiliary

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May 8, 2013

     There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats.”

Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows)

I started sailing by taking the Basic Sailing course at Boca Ciega Yacht Club (BCYC). There are other schools in the area, including University of South Florida and Eckerd College, that can get you out on the water in a small boat, really controlling the boat you’re on, but BCYC is the one I’m familiar with.

And it’s a lot of fun. You learn the points of sail, or the position of the sails in relation to the wind; how to tack (turn the bow through the wind to sail in a different direction); jybe (turn the stern through the wind to sail in a different direction); backwind the headsail, which makes tacking easier in light wind; heave to, or set the boat at a slow and controlled drift so you can do things like eat lunch; dock; and rescue a person who has somehow managed to fall off your little boat in spite of your expert sailing skills. Hey, anything can happen!

Learn those things at BCYC and you get the treasured little card that says you are qualified to take out their 16.5’ Catalinas on your own (with a sailing partner – they’re designed to be sailed by two people). I’m sure all the small boat sailing classes in the area are very good, but of course I have a bias for my club.

However, there’s still a lot more to learn about sailing. You’ll find, when you sail on a bigger boat, that although the principles of things like tacking and jybing are the same, the execution will be somewhat different. In addition, a number of extra pieces of equipment will be on those boats that you haven’t yet learned how to use, such as reefing systems. To sail safely on bigger boats, it’s crucial to know how to use that additional equipment.

There’s also a whole world of rules and regulations that don’t apply to small boats sailing in very restricted areas during daylight. So how do you learn those next steps? BCYC has only the 16.5’s for instruction. You can go sailing with others on their boats, but that instruction will be hit-or-miss, and if you study more systematically, you’re unlikely to miss the important things.

Coast Guard Auxiliary to the rescue! The CGA in St. Petersburg offers a year-long cycle of supplemental classes for both power boaters and sailors. In addition to a basic boating safety class which lasts six weeks, they have a more in-depth one that lasts 13 weeks and a wide range of supplemental classes including coastal navigation; how to use your chart plotter; reading charts; anchoring safely; and hurricane preparedness. I have taken a number of them. They were all well organized, well taught and extremely useful on a day-to-day basis.

In addition, if you take the six week class and pass the test, you are then eligible to join the Coast Guard Auxiliary yourself, which is likely to get you a discount on your boat insurance.

If you live in the United States and have access to sailing, there may well be a Coast Guard Auxiliary near you. Check it out and see what they might have to offer you.

However, don’t completely ignore the value of reading. I don’t believe anyone can really learn to sail from a book; but once you get the basics down, books can tell you about finer points. I have said before that Sailing for Dummies was tremendously helpful to me once when I got caught in a bad situation, and that’s the truth. But try other books as well. If they don’t make sense, set them aside for now, but come back to them later. Find supportive sailors around you and ask questions about what you read, and sail on other people’s boats every chance you get.

Once you’ve started sailing, don’t ever stop learning about it, and don’t ever be satisfied with your level of skills. There will always be more you can learn. Those things may make you and your boat more safe, or it may just make sailing more fun, but either way it’s a win.