Sailing in Gusty Winds -- a great link!

People who have sailed for many years mostly know this information, but this blog is for people with less experience, and one of the more challenging situations for newer sailors is when the weather turns gusty. You could be unexpectedly caught in gusty weather for a number of reasons. You might have expected to get back in long before the bad weather hit, but something goes wrong and you don't make it.

You need to know how to handle gusty weather. Not only will you and your companions be uncomfortable otherwise -- someone could be hurt. They could be moving toward the head when a gust hits and fall in the cabin (fall in the cabin and you're very likely to have a bad fall), or sprain something when thrown off balance, or be hurt while moving forward to deal with something.

The webpage listed below covers what to do extremely well. I'll just make a few comments in case the information doesn't quite make sense. Here's the website:

http://learntosail.hubpages.com/hub/Three-Sailing-Tips-for-Less-Heel-in-Gusty-Breezes

And here's the core, with my comments in blue:

"1. Luff up on a Gust
Watch the water to windward. Look for dark, ruffled spots that signal the arrival of a gust. Point up toward the wind just before the gust arrives. This will luff the forward part of your sails and depower them--but keep the boat driving and on her feet!"

 Start learning to read the surface of the water now. The surface does change as the wind changes. On a light wind day, you can see puffs of stronger wind coming to take advantage of them. On rough days, you can see them coming and strategize.

So what does "luff up" mean? It means to make the sales "luff," or shake. It typically (but not always) starts at the luff, or leading edge, of the sail. You make the sail luff by steering more directly into the wind. A sailboat pointing into the wind can't sail because it can't catch any wind, and it can't use the sails as an air foil. The boat is depowered, which is what you need in too much wind. You need to depower the sails. This is one way to do it, and if the gusts are significant, you need to be in position before the gust hits.

You can also steer into the wind as you feel the wind rising. Gusts often occur on a curve -- the first increase will not be the peak, and you still have time to ease its impact on your boat, but also learn to read the waves.

What does "still driving the boat" mean? The writer is suggesting that you don't point the boat completely into the wind -- just enough to weaken the effects of wind on your sail. You're still moving, and the boat is "on her feet" -- not heeling excessively.

So what this is really about is steering. Now, steering is easier when the boat is in balance, which is covered a little further below.

"2. Ease your Sheets / Back your Blocks
Move the mainsheet car down the traveler track to leeward. Ease the mainsheet a few inches. Then, set your headsail sheet blocks back a few holes along the Genoa tracks. These actions cause the top of your sail to open--or twist--to spill high octane wind up high. This keeps heel down for a more balanced boat."

What's the "mainsheet car?" I could show you a picture of mine, but yours might look different. The "traveler track" moves across the beam of the boat. Sometimes it's across the cabin top, as mine is. Sometimes it's in the floor of the cockpit, right in front of the companionway. Sometimes it's at the back of the boat. Some smaller boats don't have travelers -- my little 25' Irwin didn't have one.

If you have a traveler, you release both traveler lines, and then pull on the leeward line. If the wind is coming over your port side, you pull on the starboard traveler line, and move the sail controls to starboard. This causes "twist" at the top of the sail. You can spot this because the curve of the leech -- the back edge of the sail -- will now have a more exaggerated curve in it, especially toward the top. This makes the sail more inefficient. It's an easy and quick way to depower your mainsail. If the gust was significant enough to make your boat heel too much, she should immediately settle down and heel less, what the author means by "keeping heel down."

But what does a "more balanced boat" mean? Without getting technical, the more balanced the boat is, the less physical exertion it takes to steer the boat. But it *also* means that the boat is more in control. Using the traveler to move the sail to leeward is a quick and effective method to "spill the mainsail" so it can't hold as much wind. You have effectively, temporarily turned your mainsail into a smaller sail.

OK, so what does "back your blocks" mean? The sheets for your headsail come back to the cockpit after being led through a moveable block that sits on a long track. The position of that block can dramatically affect the shape of your headsail. When the winds pick up, adjusting your mainsail as described above may not be enough to get your boat back in balance and sailing easily (which you judge easily by the amount of effort needed to steer her). If you move those blocks back toward the stern, you ... twist the headsail as well, causing wind to spill out of the top, and in effect, making your headsail smaller. 

Now, this isn't as easily (or as safely) done as adjusting the traveler. To move the blocks you have to first notice where the load is. Which is the working sheet? Well, in the scenario above, the wind was coming across the port side of the boat (a "port tack"). This makes the STARBOARD sheet carry the load. The port sheet is slack. So that's the one to adjust first, even though it won't change the sail. Slide it back as much as you think you need. Now, if you've gone out and practiced, you'll be able to make an educated guess. If you haven't practiced that yet, then your rule of thumb might be -- the stronger the gusts are, the more you should move it back.

Now you have to move the loaded block, and that can be more dangerous. You have two choices.

First choice is to switch to a starboard tack. The problem with that choice is that tacking isn't a lot of fun in rough water and winds that are overpowering your boat. It's not impossible, but make sure there's no one in the cabin and that everyone is secure (they do have PFD's on, right?) After the tack, your starboard sheet will be the "lazy" sheet and you can move the block toward the stern easily.

If tacking seems like a bad idea (whoever works the sheet is going to have to pull hard and fast on the new working line, and the helmsman should watch his or her progress, and not complete the turn until the new working sheet is under control and tight enough), here is how to move the block while the sheet is under load:

Always remember: ONE HAND FOR YOU AND ONE FOR THE BOAT. Don't use both hands doing this in rough water. 

Step firmly on the working jib sheet FORWARD of the block. Keep the tension on that sheet with your foot, hold on to something firm (not just a life line, but a stanchion or cabintop handhold, or bimini frame if it's very secure), and slide the block back. If you have to do this more than once to make sure you are holding on to the boat, so be it. You can do this twice. 

If you have two people on the boat, that second person should be on the helm. You'll be standing on the high side of the boat, and that will make it easier for you to do this.
 
"3. Reef your Sails
Combine the first two actions with sail reefing. One of the great misconceptions in sailing is that reefing is a heavy weather tactic. Nope--it's a balancing tactic. Reef earlier than you think necessary. Reduce or change out the headsail. Tuck a reef or two in to the mainsail. Reefing keeps the boat on her feet and the helm light as a feather."

 If you're going to change your headsail, please be aware of the weather before you are in it, and change the sail before it's actually needed. Changing a headsail can be extremely dangerous in high winds and/or rough water. When a boat is out of balance, the bow bounces around and moves unpredictably. If you slip up and the sail goes into the water, do you know what you have to do? You have to whip out your knife, cut the sail free and let it go, because a sail in the water at the bow can sink a boat. 

So do it while the winds are low.

Another option is to partially furl your roller furler, but understand that if you do that more than a couple of times it will permanently deform your headsail. This is not something covered by insurance, even though it's weather related. The result is that your headsail will always perform more inefficiently, and your boat will slow down some. Well, that's life -- safety first, but if you pay attention to the weather, you may avoid having to use your headsail in this way.

There's a hidden, important message in all of this: how the helm feels may be your best sign of whether it's time to twist the sails, and if that doesn't do the job, to start reefing.

What this all means is that you mustn't be shy about taking your boat out, little by little, in stronger winds than you're used to. If you're used to 10 mph winds, take her out in 15. Sail her on all points of sail. Make judgments about whether your boat needs to be reefed at this point. Some smaller boats probably should be reefed at 15 mph. 

Then take her out at 18 mph, and then 20, etc. Most people are not this methodical (and it's not typical for me, but I realized that sailing was a little more risky for me than some other people, and I just made myself do it. I am now convinced it's a good idea for all newer sailors.)

Three simple tips in that article -- simple for experienced sailors, that is. As you take your boat out for recreational cruises, pick one new skill to practice each time. Then when the ship hits the fan, you'll already know how to execute the excellent tips in that article. 



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How to Single-Hand Your Boat in a Pinch

     Or, "Do you really think it's sprained? You can't help me tack this thing???"

One person, two sails – how do you do that, exactly? Remember, this blog isn’t for highly seasoned sailors who are looking for tricks to get every last tenth of a knot out of their boat in a race. This is just basic sailing tips for newer sailors.

It may be that you intend to never sail your boat by yourself. I have heard many newer sailors say that – that they aren’t confident enough to sail by themselves. They “never” single-hand.

At least, that’s their plan, but reality sometimes has a way of messing up our plans. Suppose your sailing companion sprains his ankle? What if he sprains his ankle, you’re five hours from port and you’re low on fuel?

You really should know how to manage the boat by yourself, which really means how one person can control two sails.

Here’s the big tip: the headsail does most of the work when you tack. This means that you can leave the mainsail to its own devices while you handle the headsail. However, you don’t want the boom swinging over whenever physics decides it’s time. So, here’s what to do.

First of all, build up some speed, sailing close to your no-go zone. If you can see the shore, spot something that is at the starting edge of the no-go zone and something that is where you expect the end of the no-go zone to be. In the graphic below, the fat black arrow represents the wind direction, and the pink area is the “no go” zone, where the boat is too close to the direction of the wind to sail. If you stay in that area, the boat will slow dramatically, and eventually, fall off back into the wind, or if it continues toward the direction of the wind, stop.

Bring the mainsail in nearly to center and lock it off. Have your winch handle out and near what will be the new working jib winch.

Have both port and starboard sheets ready, one ready to be loosened and the other ready to be tightened.

Turn the boat through the no-go zone. Watch two things in particular: where the clew of the headsail is, and where your estimated end of the no-go-zone is. Loosen the previously working sheet completely, and be ready to pull the new working sheet in.

As the clew swings across the front of the boat and the sail begins to fill on the new tack, pull in the new working sheet as efficiently as possible so you’re not pulling in a heavily-loaded sheet. 

Don't forget to end your turn! That's why you spotted the other side of the "no-go" zone. Lots of people have ended up going in a circle when trying this for the first time. No matter -- just do it again, and tell the guy with the sprained ankle to stop being a back-seat driver already!

When you have the headsail over on the new tack and not luffing, lock it off. Now release the mainsheet and let it move over.

You will probably have to tweak both sails, but by controlling them one at a time, tacking (or jybing) can be managed by one person. If you’re gybing instead of tacking, the steps are the same except that you can move through a jybe more slowly, because there is no “no-go” zone in a gybe.

If for some reason you can’t manage the tack, just do a gybe for 270º. You'll come out in the right direction. It isn’t hard. You can do this.

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Source for graphic: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Points_of_sail.svg/300px-Points_of_sail.svg.png&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Points_of_sail&h=300&w=300&sz=29&tbnid=HRpPHA2QBKhaPM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=91&zoom=1&usg=__0C0bFzDNXCYiMo60T843yNcte04=&docid=B_dastTk9kJ-4M&sa=X&ei=NbeaUZK0NIjo8gT8mYHgCQ&ved=0CEAQ9QEwAg&dur=9913

Courses at the Coast Guard Auxiliary

_______

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.

How Did that Winch Get All Tangled Up?

       Or, I only looked away for a moment …

April 30, 2013

     "He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea."

Thomas Fuller

I have said before that sometimes sailing is a little dangerous. Really, that’s OK. Lots of things adults do can be a little dangerous – or even very dangerous. We all know people who have done downhill skiing. We also know you can get injured, and we have heard of rare cases of famous people who died while skiing –- Sonny Bono. Michael Kennedy. I know three people who ride or rode motorcycles, and all three have had fairly significant accidents resulting in a badly broken ankle, a badly broken wrist, and some broken ribs. My late husband completely severed his Achilles tendon –- a serious leg injury –- playing, of all things, volleyball. What are you going to do –- just stay at home? Won’t work –- most accidents happen in the home!

We shouldn’t let a small degree of risk keep us from doing things we love. However, it makes sense to be aware of the risks involved. So from time to time I may point out some of these risks. They are easier to describe than the joy of sailing. And when you know about them, you’ll enjoy sailing more because you’ll know you’re prepared.

So – on to overrides. An override means a line that has wrapped itself badly around the winch, as shown in this picture:

  Headsail sheet “wrapped” around a winch. The line 
is now frozen and the winch will not move.

Now, I can tell you four things about overrides:

1)   They happen when the line approaches the winch from the wrong angle.

2)   There is a safe, and a very UNsafe way to solve the problem.

3)   It WILL happen to you if it hasn’t already. It’s a common event for newer sailors and sometimes catches very experienced sailors by surprise. 

4)   The boat will now sail in circles. Just accept it. You’ll have to turn the engine on to force the boat to stay on the needed tack to solve your problem.

That takes us back to #2.

The guiding principle for all fouled lines is this: lines can be dangerous. You really have to pay attention to where your hands and feet are. If you try to force the line off the winch while it is “loaded,” or with a lot of tension on it, you could lose one or more fingers. I’m not kidding –- I know someone it happened to under similar circumstances. One of his hands no longer has a ring finger because he tried to loosen a line under tension.

So what do you do? Relieve the tension. Unless you’re racing, start the engine. Give it just enough power to overcome the force on the sail and move the boat in a straight line instead of circles.

Put the boat on whatever tack you need to so that the wrapped sheet (what we call the lines that control the headsail) becomes the “lazy” sheet –- in other words, there is no longer any load on it because your headsail is now to the other side of the boat. Of course, it can’t go all the way, because you’re going to have to free up that override first. If the headsail is out to port when the override happens, then the tension is on the port sheet. Since it’s the tensioned, or “loaded” line, that gets wrapped, this means to change your tack so the boom is out to starboard. Now the strain is on the starboard sheet and you can safely remove the wrap.

NOW –- take a moment to consider how that wrap happened. Probably, whoever was pulling that sheet in didn’t pay attention to how it was wrapping around the winch. You need to be looking at the winch when you’re using it.

LESSON LEARNED: You might not always have to turn the engine on, but any time I have a significant problem that’s the first thing I do (make sure there are no lines dragging in the water -- even in neutral, a line can get wrapped around the propeller, and then your life will *really* complicated). It can help you solve all sorts of problems, including problems you don’t know how to solve –- yet. With the engine on, I –- or my crew and I –- don’t have to get things perfectly right using only sails in order to get things under control again.