Heavy Weather Sailing DVD
Are
you a fair weather
sailor? I am. I have decided I like fair weather
sailing a lot. There is nothing about fair weather sailing that I do
not like. Except one thing, and that is you can’t count on fair weather
all the time. You can hope for it but chances are heavy weather sailing
will eventually arrive and you need to be safe and you need
to prepare. That is just what it does, it shows up without a
warning sometimes.
Although sometimes, you have plenty of warning. Heavy weather sailing
will have you running around shouting orders, grabbing lines, hauling
up the anchor and yes even
battening down the hatches. So what do we do when heavy weather sailing
is upon us?
Sailboat in Rough Water, Ticonderoga Race Photographic Print
Brown, Michael
Buy at AllPosters.com
The first thing to do is try to always be prepared for the worst. We have a life raft tied topside for every crossing we have ever made. Heavy weather sailing is when weather conditions cause the captain and crew to change their plans and possibly their destinations to prevent damage or to prevent capsizing of the vessel or loss of craft or crew. A life raft aboard is a necessary precaution.
Examples of heavy weather are a thunderstorm, a hurricane and a tsunami. “ It's a hard day at sea, Captain”. (I have forgotten who said this.) Any one of these would make for a hard day at sea. Learn about the weather, watch the weather, listen to NOAA, and be patient. Don’t rush home or rush to the next port if the weather is telling you not to. Don’t put yourself at risk but seek shelter if at all possible.
If you hear heavy weather is on the way reef the sails ahead of time, put on your heavy weather gear, PFDs, safety harness and tethers. If you can, eat a good meal and take seasick pills before the storm hits. No one can work hard if they are hungry or seasick. Have hot or cold drinks in the thermos, and sandwiches made for after the storm or during. Double lash everything on deck, stow the anchor below, double check running rigging for chafe, turn on navigation lights, check the bilge pump making sure the intakes aren’t choked, close all sea cocks. Secure cupboards with duct tape. Run ahead of the storm if you think you can stay ahead of it. If not, then it is time to ride the storm out. Come aboard a 40ft sailboat in this Sailing In Heavy Weather video to get the feel of what "riding the storm out" can mean .
One way to ride out the heavy weather sailing is to heave to. This means to passively ride out the storm. Shorten the sails in the aft, take the rest down. This will keep the vessels' head into the sea where she can ride the most comfortable without making any progress. It is also easier on the sailboat hull when you point the bow into the sea. If you can keep the engine running also this will allow for better steerage along with determining the period of the waves and the natural motion of the sailboat.
Lying a hull means to go down below and ride it out letting the boat find its own course in the waves. To me this seems the most terrifying. Sailing the boat in heavy weather is better because you can avoid large breaking waves and you can try to get to a safe harbor. Sail windward to the shore the wind is coming from so the waves will be smaller. Do not enter a harbor that is narrow on the leeward side because the wind and waves in a narrow place could be dangerous. Reefed sails give you something to steer with as opposed to bare poles but if the wind gets too high take the sails down. Sail the boat with the bow pointed into the waves, then surf down the other side of the wave.
Heavy weather sailing is something to be prepared for. A sea anchor off the bow or a drogue off the stern will help for pointing into the waves from which ever end you need to. A small sail at the stern will help keep the boat pointed into the wind. It is called a weather vane. On a sloop put a small sail on the backstay to help stay pointed into the wind. This book, Adlard Coles' Heavy Weather Sailing, puts it all down in an easy to understand way.
A Sailing Boat in a Heavy Swell, 1876 Giclee Print
Aivasowsky, Ivan
Buy at AllPosters.com
Always practice these tactics in good weather. Heavy weather sailing is something all sailors will do and the chance of heavy weather sailing goes up the more or longer you are on the water. It happens. So practice reefing the sail, practice heaving to, practice setting out storm sails, practice making predictions. Play 'what if ' games with each other. Nothing helps more than an experienced crew. Always sail to the ability of the crew not the skipper or the boat. Remember that most sailboats make it. Even the ones left to the sea to find their own paths. You should not only protect yourself and crew but also your investment
Sailboat in Rough Water, Ticonderoga Race Photographic Print
Brown, Michael
Buy at AllPosters.com
The first thing to do is try to always be prepared for the worst. We have a life raft tied topside for every crossing we have ever made. Heavy weather sailing is when weather conditions cause the captain and crew to change their plans and possibly their destinations to prevent damage or to prevent capsizing of the vessel or loss of craft or crew. A life raft aboard is a necessary precaution.
Examples of heavy weather are a thunderstorm, a hurricane and a tsunami. “ It's a hard day at sea, Captain”. (I have forgotten who said this.) Any one of these would make for a hard day at sea. Learn about the weather, watch the weather, listen to NOAA, and be patient. Don’t rush home or rush to the next port if the weather is telling you not to. Don’t put yourself at risk but seek shelter if at all possible.
If you hear heavy weather is on the way reef the sails ahead of time, put on your heavy weather gear, PFDs, safety harness and tethers. If you can, eat a good meal and take seasick pills before the storm hits. No one can work hard if they are hungry or seasick. Have hot or cold drinks in the thermos, and sandwiches made for after the storm or during. Double lash everything on deck, stow the anchor below, double check running rigging for chafe, turn on navigation lights, check the bilge pump making sure the intakes aren’t choked, close all sea cocks. Secure cupboards with duct tape. Run ahead of the storm if you think you can stay ahead of it. If not, then it is time to ride the storm out. Come aboard a 40ft sailboat in this Sailing In Heavy Weather video to get the feel of what "riding the storm out" can mean .
One way to ride out the heavy weather sailing is to heave to. This means to passively ride out the storm. Shorten the sails in the aft, take the rest down. This will keep the vessels' head into the sea where she can ride the most comfortable without making any progress. It is also easier on the sailboat hull when you point the bow into the sea. If you can keep the engine running also this will allow for better steerage along with determining the period of the waves and the natural motion of the sailboat.
Lying a hull means to go down below and ride it out letting the boat find its own course in the waves. To me this seems the most terrifying. Sailing the boat in heavy weather is better because you can avoid large breaking waves and you can try to get to a safe harbor. Sail windward to the shore the wind is coming from so the waves will be smaller. Do not enter a harbor that is narrow on the leeward side because the wind and waves in a narrow place could be dangerous. Reefed sails give you something to steer with as opposed to bare poles but if the wind gets too high take the sails down. Sail the boat with the bow pointed into the waves, then surf down the other side of the wave.
Heavy weather sailing is something to be prepared for. A sea anchor off the bow or a drogue off the stern will help for pointing into the waves from which ever end you need to. A small sail at the stern will help keep the boat pointed into the wind. It is called a weather vane. On a sloop put a small sail on the backstay to help stay pointed into the wind. This book, Adlard Coles' Heavy Weather Sailing, puts it all down in an easy to understand way.
A Sailing Boat in a Heavy Swell, 1876 Giclee Print
Aivasowsky, Ivan
Buy at AllPosters.com
Always practice these tactics in good weather. Heavy weather sailing is something all sailors will do and the chance of heavy weather sailing goes up the more or longer you are on the water. It happens. So practice reefing the sail, practice heaving to, practice setting out storm sails, practice making predictions. Play 'what if ' games with each other. Nothing helps more than an experienced crew. Always sail to the ability of the crew not the skipper or the boat. Remember that most sailboats make it. Even the ones left to the sea to find their own paths. You should not only protect yourself and crew but also your investment
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