Dealing With an Overpowered Situation

[Don Guillette]

A sailor on the "new post" forum opened a topic describing sailing with a 150 jib and being overpowered when the wind pipes up. I couldn't locate the post but Stu J & Joe from San Diego contributed excellent advise.

I think both Stu J & Joe from San Diego suggested that the 150 jib might be too much for the sailor to handle and I agree. I started out with a 150 on my C30 and it was way too much for me to deal with while single handed. I replaced it with a 135 deck sweeper, which I didn't like, and then with a 135 higher cut, which was perfect for me. I was glad it worked because my wife told me "no more jibs!!". Fortunately for me, through the sail trim forum network of sailors, I was able to quickly sell the 150 & 135 deck sweeper

There are probably a number of ways for a sailor to deal with gusts or a persistent overpowering wind situation. Here's what works for me. Let's say I'm hit with a gust and the boat heels over. With many newbie sailors this is panic time but all they have to do, to buy time to figure out the next step, is to drop the traveler and ease the jib sheet. That action (changing the angle of attack) will bring the boat back on it's feet. Assume it's a gust. If it is, just wait till it passes and then adjust the main/jib to it's original position(assuming it was correct for 100% efficiency) and sail merrily on their way.

Suppose it's a persistent wind change. The first thing I do is induce twist in the main/jib thus spilling power from the top 1/3 of both sails and making them less powerful. Maybe that didn't work. The next step is to make the sail as flat as possible (a flat sail is a less powerful sail) by adjusting the controls for draft depth & draft position. A sailor has to know the sail trim controls for the main/jib that adjust those 2 elements as well as the controls that adjust twist and angle of attack. If they don't they're just guessing at the adjustment procedure.

If none of the above work to stabilize the boat to the comfort level of the sailor then it's time to reef.

What's your method of dealing with a overpowered situation??

 

[JRT]

Since he was talking about an O'day 25 like mine, I also agree he had too much sail for gusty conditions. I'm very happy with my new Precision 110 and 2 full batten North Sail Main now and like working the trim. My first step is to dropthe mainsheet traveler because it seems to really help depower the boat. If the gust becomes constant or more I'll easy the jib and retrim for flatter sail to get back to my heading. Still have a lot to learn but not worried about gusting conditions.

 

[topcat0399]

Some of us just ride it out with a death rip on the tiller. Parts of the fun isn't it?

Seems a lot easier and successful now that I have reshaped my rudder to a NACA 12 foil.
Darn thing used to want to round up too soon...

 

[FDL S2]

Some of us just ride it out with a death rip on the tiller. Parts of the fun isn't it?

Seems a lot easier and successful now that I have reshaped my rudder to a NACA 12 foil.
Darn thing used to want to round up too soon...

Lol, I was thinking with a gust I just ride it out!
If the wind picks up, I let out the traveler and jib and if still healed too far I flatten the main with the outhaul, sheet and vang. After that, I reef the main and think about changing the head sail or dropping the main and going jib only.

 

[Jackdaw]

Not sure what the question is. An increase in pressure always pushes the apparent wind aft. Easing sails matches the change in wind angle to the new breeze. Turning slightly up into the ‘velocity lift’ and trimming in until the boat regains it’s prior angle of heel is SOP, no matter if a puff or sustained pressure.

 

[danstanford]

This has happened to me several times and always shorthanded. It has been the impetus for me to really train the others on the boat about what needs to be done and when since I have found myself very busy on the helm! First I turn down wind to lessen the apparent and then work on furling some jib to make her workable. Once I have taken a decent reef on the jib I look for a chance to turn back into the wind so I can reef the main.
The dangerous assumption I have made is that the gustiness is going to be short lived and now I make a habit to get going sooner than later on shortening sail. If it turns out to be over quickly easing the sails out is easy!
Looking forward to the other answers.
Dan

 

[Will Gilmore]

Pay attention to Jackdaw. He's got it right. Sudden gusts move apparent winds aft because they increase the vector force of the wind against your forward movement. This also translates to more heeling force over driving force. Letting trim out improves drive force by increasing efficiency of sail angle under those conditions. Heading up will do the same only quicker. Of conditions are gusty like that, a 150 is a tough sail to control. Sustained high winds are actually easier to handle. Choose your sail wisely and be prepared for it not to be what you expected.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Don Guillette]

This has happened to me several times and always shorthanded. It has been the impetus for me to really train the others on the boat about what needs to be done and when since I have found myself very busy on the helm! First I turn down wind to lessen the apparent and then work on furling some jib to make her workable. Once I have taken a decent reef on the jib I look for a chance to turn back into the wind so I can reef the main.
The dangerous assumption I have made is that the gustiness is going to be short lived and now I make a habit to get going sooner than later on shortening sail. If it turns out to be over quickly easing the sails out is easy!
Looking forward to the other answers.
Dan

Sailing in So Ca rarely required a reef but my rule was always when I thought I needed a reef that was the time to do it but I hope the thought that's in my head comes out on paper and it applies more to a persistent wind increase than a gust. Here goes. There are probably a bunch of ways to deal with sailing situations and a sailor has to pick the one that works for him and the one he's PRACTICED or at least thought out so he's not adjusting on the fly. Assume I'm cruising along with both sails set for 100% full power - no twist and draft belly set at full power. In other words, my foot is on the accelerator. Then a gust hits. I could head up and if it's a single gust that would work but most gusts are a prelude to conditions going downhill. All my sail trim controls are led back to the helm. So with a flick of the wrist I can drop the traveler and and gradually bring the boat back to the original heel while still on course with very little loss of speed.

Getting back to my foot on the accelerator with the wind building. A reef is my last resort. Before that happens I want to take my foot off the accelerator by starting to flatten the sail (taking out the belly) and inducing twist and if that doesn't work, finally going to a fully flattened sails. If that fails to correct the situation then it's time to reef or in LA harbor find an oil island I can duck behind. Sometime those island are just little specks on the horizon and I wish I were closer!!

Anyway, that's my way and I've practiced it and thought about it so it's almost automatic and the process just happens and I can do it very quickly and single handed. Originally, my process was a mess until I figured out a method that worked for me.

 

[weinie]

I go right to flattening sails rather than easing the vang. Tighten the vang, outhaul and halyard on main (no backstay or downhaul). I have no traveler so I need to vang sheet by keeping the vang on and ease the mainsheet to keep the boat on it's feet and moving fast. Tighten the halyard on jib and max out tension on the jib sheet to get the lower part flat as a can be..

My secret weapon is my square top main which works similar to easing the vang by twisting off in the gusts. It works remarkably well and gives me several more knots before I would want to reef.

 

[Jackdaw]

Letting trim out improves drive force by increasing efficiency of sail angle under those conditions. Heading up will do the same only quicker. Of conditions are gusty like that, a 150 is a tough sail to control. Sustained high winds are actually easier to handle. Choose your sail wisely and be prepared for it not to be what you expected.

-Will (Dragonfly)

You got that one backwards Will. Easing will create immediate relief and better trim. Trying to turn up quickly requites a hard rudder action, more like a brake and slows the boat. Easing first allows the boat to accelerate with the extra pressure and wider wind angle, and then trimming in and turning up in unison allows the boat to carve up to the new higher angle.

Watch a good dingy sailor driving with tiller in one hand and main-sheet in the other, In a puff its always ease, then trim and turn. I teach my main trimmers that it is they job to keep the boat on our optimal upwind heel angle. When they feel pressure and the boat starring to heel, they ease. Then we trim and turn up in unison.

 

[Will Gilmore]

You got that one backwards Will.

I will defer to your expertise on this, but I'm going to have to let that percolate for a while.
As you said above, a strong gust moves the CE aft. This leaves, in my dinghy experience, with more heeling force than driving force. Either improve the efficiency of the angle of sail by letting it out or turning up to recapture the original angle of apparent wind or both. Certainly a hard rudder move will put the brakes on, but that wasn't my thinking. If I'm in danger of being knocked down, the fastest way to relieve the heeling pressure is to come up. Letting off on the sheet will work and in my pram, I sure sailed with one hand on the sheet and one hand on the tiller, but not in a bigger boat that isn't nearly as fast a response.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jackdaw]

I will defer to your expertise on this, but I'm going to have to let that percolate for a while.
As you said above, a strong gust moves the CE aft. This leaves, in my dinghy experience, with more heeling force than driving force. Either improve the efficiency of the angle of sail by letting it out or turning up to recapture the original angle of apparent wind or both. Certainly a hard rudder move will put the brakes on, but that wasn't my thinking. If I'm in danger of being knocked down, the fastest way to relieve the heeling pressure is to come up. Letting off on the sheet will work and in my pram, I sure sailed with one hand on the sheet and one hand on the tiller, but not in a bigger boat that isn't nearly as fast a response.

-Will (Dragonfly)

If you turn up first rather than ease you will lose every race you enter. Big boats or small boats.

 

[Will Gilmore]

If you turn up first rather than ease you will lose every race you enter. Big boats or small boats.

You are probably right about that.
Please understand, however, I wasn't trying to outline the steps to take, only explain the options. In the second post, I did say coming up to avoid a knockdown was faster than easing the sheets. If you disagree with my saying so, I will seriously reconsider my approach.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[weinie]

I will defer to your expertise on this, but I'm going to have to let that percolate for a while.
As you said above, a strong gust moves the CE aft. This leaves, in my dinghy experience, with more heeling force than driving force. Either improve the efficiency of the angle of sail by letting it out or turning up to recapture the original angle of apparent wind or both. Certainly a hard rudder move will put the brakes on, but that wasn't my thinking. If I'm in danger of being knocked down, the fastest way to relieve the heeling pressure is to come up. Letting off on the sheet will work and in my pram, I sure sailed with one hand on the sheet and one hand on the tiller, but not in a bigger boat that isn't nearly as fast a response.

-Will (Dragonfly)

You may find you reduce the excessive heel as you turn up, but as soon as the gust peters out, you will stall, quickly lose speed, and have to turn back down to accelerate back to where you were before the gust.

 

[Daveinet]

Um, with my HobieCat, steering was the best way to balance it against the wind when up on one pontoon, so maybe not any boat. If you let loose on the main sheet, the pontoon will drop into the water and you loose all your speed.

I would also suggest that even in a monohull, it is dependent on how the boat is set up. If there is no boomvang, letting out the main sheet puts belly in the sail and it powers up, so you heel worse. This was especially bad with mid-boom sheeting. On the same boat, I switched sails to full batton, and 2/3rds sheeting. With that sail, you could let it out to balance the heel, but with the oem setup, you couldn't, it would just power up.

 

[FDL S2]

Um, with my HobieCat, steering was the best way to balance it against the wind when up on one pontoon, so maybe not any boat. If you let loose on the main sheet, the pontoon will drop into the water and you loose all your speed.

With my 16" Hobie i always would steer through gusts for this reason, my brother has an 18" Hobie now and we have a "don't be a hero, let it out" rule when we get a gust because that thing sucks to right when you put it on its side

 

[Will Gilmore]

with my HobieCat, steering was the best way to balance it against the wind

I also use to sail a hobie 18.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[weinie]

My experience with Hobies are that they practically stop dead in its tracks if you turn just a little to much into the wind, especially when tacking.

 

[Will Gilmore]

My experience with Hobies are that they practically stop dead in its tracks if you turn just a little to much into the wind, especially when tacking.

With or without a jib or either? I never had any trouble unless I rolled the jib in.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[weinie]

without. i suppose that probably makes a big difference.