The strongest wind i had to cope with was like 35 knots with my hunter 41 ac, i wonder with stronger winds like 45 that are not unusual i our gulf of mexico when a north is coming what would you do ? Whit 35 knots, only with my roller main, i take off just enough to have some speed and direction, but a see on some videos that you usually put on a ver small jib. Is that correct ? For doing that i must take down my roller jib and put up a very small jib. Also i think will be very difficult to try to close reach with that sail. Will the small part of the roller main be still the ideal choice ? Once, two years ago we were hit with a very hard north wind in another sailboat, was like 45 knots, with a broken motor, after 2 hours we ended on a beach. Sad memory, but now with that learning i want to be able to sail at close reach with a wind of 45 knots.
WINDS OVER 35 KNOTS
- Thread starter Valerio
- Start date
With a roller furling jib and main, here’s my guide:
Up to 15, full sail
15-20, roll in Main a little(1st Reef)
20-25, roll in jib 3 turns
25-30, roll Main a little more(2nd Reef)
30-35, roll jib in 3 more turns
>35, fly a handkerchief! Seriuousy, roll in main and roll in more jib, or vice versa depending on how you boat handles.
These are just guidelines to start, adjust them to your boat and comfort level.
Up to 15, full sail
15-20, roll in Main a little(1st Reef)
20-25, roll in jib 3 turns
25-30, roll Main a little more(2nd Reef)
30-35, roll jib in 3 more turns
>35, fly a handkerchief! Seriuousy, roll in main and roll in more jib, or vice versa depending on how you boat handles.
These are just guidelines to start, adjust them to your boat and comfort level.
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my jib rolled more than 3 turns is only a piece of tarp flapping bad, loosing all the shape, is just mine of is common ?
I have a 380 in SF Bay. I find a I have a much more balanced sail, and more comfortable if I keep both the main and the jib up, but as the wind increases....I lower the percentages of them both. It provides me the opportunity to keep my speed up while balancing the boat well. No doubt however, after 15 knots, you better be reefed in my boat....it gets ugly after that!
Take a look at the ATN Gale Sail, Etienne has done a great job of combining a device that prevents your genoa from unfurling in a blow, and a small head sail. Believe my 100 s.f. Gale Sail would also fit yours. After that you just need to be sure that your mainsail is up to job, a lot of OEM mainsails are not.
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45 knots is a lot of wind if you want sail upwind or on a close reach. I agree with Gunni in that if you sail in those conditions as a regular thing you need smaller, tougher sails. I found on my H356, with the roller main that much after the first reef the sail took on a very fat shape and became more drag than drive. I've come to realize that main was past it's lifespan. Maybe a young main sail would be better. But I don't know why you couldn't have a smaller main made and put on the roller for winter. Or, I'm not sure my memory is serving me but I think the H356 had an alternative track on the outside of the mast. If so that might be useful for a smaller main or trysail. Likewise for the jib. Maybe an 85% would work well. Or, the ATN which I have no personal experience. In summary I think smaller well shaped sails would be better than large deeply reefed sails.
High winds with roller reefed jibs can be hard. Pull in more sail than you think you're boat can handle. This is very much boat and sailor dependent. Keep in mind, however, that the wind puts forces on the sail that not only drive the boat, but also try to unfurl the jib. This puts a twisting force on the forestay foil. Reduce the profile for less tendency to unfurl.
-Will (Dragonfly)
-Will (Dragonfly)
at 45 kt. I would vote for a trysail and a storm jib. My choice would be very small for both of them. Quite often they are too large for "comfort".
Would think that a very, very small triangle of jib and furled mainsail you could be on a beam reach or beyond but close reach or hauled would be difficult.
Coming back to our marina on Saturday after anchoring out we thought it would be as forecast at 10 - 12 knots and a nice sail but once we rounded an island we started a close reach sail and the winds built to 24 knots. Furling down on both the mail and jib it just got difficult to sail a close reach, falling off it was not a real issue and could keep the heeling to 15 degrees and 6+ knots but not the direction we needed to go. Decided we were close and just furled the jib all the way in and motored in with just the main sail as I did not feel like tacking and spending more time out there.
As noted earlier on the 356 furling mast there is a track on the left side of the opening for the sail that you can rig a tougher trysail.
Coming back to our marina on Saturday after anchoring out we thought it would be as forecast at 10 - 12 knots and a nice sail but once we rounded an island we started a close reach sail and the winds built to 24 knots. Furling down on both the mail and jib it just got difficult to sail a close reach, falling off it was not a real issue and could keep the heeling to 15 degrees and 6+ knots but not the direction we needed to go. Decided we were close and just furled the jib all the way in and motored in with just the main sail as I did not feel like tacking and spending more time out there.
As noted earlier on the 356 furling mast there is a track on the left side of the opening for the sail that you can rig a tougher trysail.
Just a tiny bit of sail can make the ride home a lot more comfortable. Much less rolling in the seas a high wind kicks up when there's a little sail aloft.
-Will (Dragonfly)
My comments re sail configuration for 45 Kts close reaching apply to the OP in response on how to manage sails with those conditions being common during the winter season. I would not leave the dock in those conditions. On anchor I would not sleep. I have sailed in that wind and worse when I was younger and more stupid, if possible; And while it was exciting I have no taste for it now.
In the gulf we have in winter time north winds coming down from texas alabama misouri etc, but our temp is allways over 80 f, so we plan a navigation and we try to avoid that wind but some time is impossible. The frist time we get cought in souch wind we ended on the beach, not my boat, no injuries, nothing broke on the sailboat. But i learn the hard way that the Murphy law is strong at sea and i wil be prepared next time.
Thanks for the clarification. I would like to know if you are talking about day sails, or short passages or maybe longer passages. All would involve different strategies. When you say sometimes you can't avoid that wind, I would like to understand why. I'm not being judgmental , I would just like to understand why.
When we hit the beach was in genuary, a 4 day trip to campeche and back, when headed back we know that at two oclock in the morining we were sure that the new north front will hit us. Because the murphy law that afternoon the motor stop to work, and the capitan instead to go as far as possible from the coast, dicided to close even more. We were hit from 10 knots to 45 in less than 5 minutes, one hour later because we cannot even go 90 degrees to the wind we ended on the beach. The coast is very shallow and so there is no significant wave on the beach. We could make ashore unharmed and we could two days later recue rhe sailboat unharmed.
Velario,
Amazing story. You got very lucky. I'm glad to hear both you and the boat survived.
-Will (Dragonfly)
Amazing story. You got very lucky. I'm glad to hear both you and the boat survived.
-Will (Dragonfly)
This story is a well know example of how carefully you must choose your sailing friends, especially the captain. Stubborn friends can put your life in danger, but the good point is when you survived and there is nothing more than a good story to remember.
This is not my frist run aground, a long long time ago a felt asleep with the automatic tiller pointed to a shore... my uncle stop talking to me for 10 years... No injury, boat rescued but i had bad dreams for a long time,jajajaj,, i think we learn for our mistakes. he sea is not a place for fight against the Murphy law.
My preferred response to heavy winds will vary with the particular boat in question. On a 40+ foot Tartan, I've come in sailing under bare poles with good results. That boat had a lot of free board & a lot of hull windage. On most boats, & especially on boats that are not built like a brick, I generally prefer to reach for a trysail. This guy gives you a general idea of one way to do it -
On most boats, I prefer to not attach the trysail to the track on the mast, but instead just lash the tack in tight above the gooseneck, run a ring or lashed loop around the mast where the halyard connects to the head of the trysail & depending on the boat, I may run the sheet to the boom or I may run it elsewhere. The guy in the video took a long time to get his trysail rigged. On a 35ish foot boat, I've done it in under 3 minutes with one other person helping me. ...in squall conditions
A heavily reefed main & no jib is my plan B on most boats. On some boats, I will run a small jib & no main. It depends on the boat. It depends on the balance of the sail plan. It depends on the geometric relationship between the location of the keel/centerboard & the location of the mast. In very heavy weather, I very much want to maintain weather helm. I also do not want to allow myself to rely on the motor as my only source of propulsion. In heavy weather, (if not racing) I like to have the motor running & a very small amount of canvas up. If the motor quits & you have no canvas up while you are in heavy weather, the quality of your day is is likely to decrease rapidly.
In very heavy conditions, I don't try to sail too close to the wind. I just get through it & go back to pointing better after conditions improve.
When sailing in very heavy weather (trysail is up), EVERYONE wears a PFD, even the guys down below, and anyone on deck MUST be clipped in. Those are the rules on my boat.
On most boats, I prefer to not attach the trysail to the track on the mast, but instead just lash the tack in tight above the gooseneck, run a ring or lashed loop around the mast where the halyard connects to the head of the trysail & depending on the boat, I may run the sheet to the boom or I may run it elsewhere. The guy in the video took a long time to get his trysail rigged. On a 35ish foot boat, I've done it in under 3 minutes with one other person helping me. ...in squall conditions
A heavily reefed main & no jib is my plan B on most boats. On some boats, I will run a small jib & no main. It depends on the boat. It depends on the balance of the sail plan. It depends on the geometric relationship between the location of the keel/centerboard & the location of the mast. In very heavy weather, I very much want to maintain weather helm. I also do not want to allow myself to rely on the motor as my only source of propulsion. In heavy weather, (if not racing) I like to have the motor running & a very small amount of canvas up. If the motor quits & you have no canvas up while you are in heavy weather, the quality of your day is is likely to decrease rapidly.
In very heavy conditions, I don't try to sail too close to the wind. I just get through it & go back to pointing better after conditions improve.
When sailing in very heavy weather (trysail is up), EVERYONE wears a PFD, even the guys down below, and anyone on deck MUST be clipped in. Those are the rules on my boat.
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