an abrupt broach...
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best subject matter [for me } in a while
I am two years into sailing {since my youth} and the advice and opinions on this subject was terrific. It was just a month ago that while sailing downwind under a reefed main while looking for shelter I had the sh*^ scared out of me. Twenty five knots of wind and 3 to 5 foot seas I felt safe enough untill it happened. It was the first time for me and to be honest I didn't even think it might happen. My rudder lost its bite and I turned broadside into the 3 to 5 foot seas at a 30 plus degree angle of heel..ouch! By the grace of god and some luck it was over less than a minute. I was back on my feet and no worse for the wear with a little more experience under my belt. It helps to know that I wasn't the only one out there to have it happen to. Experience right? Jack
I am two years into sailing {since my youth} and the advice and opinions on this subject was terrific. It was just a month ago that while sailing downwind under a reefed main while looking for shelter I had the sh*^ scared out of me. Twenty five knots of wind and 3 to 5 foot seas I felt safe enough untill it happened. It was the first time for me and to be honest I didn't even think it might happen. My rudder lost its bite and I turned broadside into the 3 to 5 foot seas at a 30 plus degree angle of heel..ouch! By the grace of god and some luck it was over less than a minute. I was back on my feet and no worse for the wear with a little more experience under my belt. It helps to know that I wasn't the only one out there to have it happen to. Experience right? Jack
Thanks for all the great info.
I will take it all into account. The only thing I was suprised about was leaving the centerboard up...but it too makes sense..kinda. I have heard that in bigger waves leaving the centerboard down can dampen the up/down ride, but better to be "bumpy" and have control. Thanks again for the knowledge given. Richard
I will take it all into account. The only thing I was suprised about was leaving the centerboard up...but it too makes sense..kinda. I have heard that in bigger waves leaving the centerboard down can dampen the up/down ride, but better to be "bumpy" and have control. Thanks again for the knowledge given. Richard
more...
Just a couple of other thoughts on broaching... I define broaching as spreader tips in the water (or really close). Generally in a big gust the boat will roll to weather and drop on you. Otherwise it would just round up (although it could drop to leeward in the right conditions). You can help prevent this by a hard yank on the headsail sheet the instant you feel it start to roll. Also can help get back under control by cycling the wheel/tiller back and forth in slow arcs to re-attach flow to the rudder. Don't forget that if the boom approaches the water, BLOW THE VANG- it will keep the boom out of the water. If the boom hits the water, it will suck down and take you over. Simple prevention is to come up another 10 or 15 degrees (or until things steady out). The other thing to remember is that most keelboats are self righting (if yours isn't, this all changes) and will come back up on their own. Just don't panic. Great topic and lots of great insight from everybody! B
Just a couple of other thoughts on broaching... I define broaching as spreader tips in the water (or really close). Generally in a big gust the boat will roll to weather and drop on you. Otherwise it would just round up (although it could drop to leeward in the right conditions). You can help prevent this by a hard yank on the headsail sheet the instant you feel it start to roll. Also can help get back under control by cycling the wheel/tiller back and forth in slow arcs to re-attach flow to the rudder. Don't forget that if the boom approaches the water, BLOW THE VANG- it will keep the boom out of the water. If the boom hits the water, it will suck down and take you over. Simple prevention is to come up another 10 or 15 degrees (or until things steady out). The other thing to remember is that most keelboats are self righting (if yours isn't, this all changes) and will come back up on their own. Just don't panic. Great topic and lots of great insight from everybody! B
That you were able to beach the boat .....
probably means a boat with a centerboard and with the rudder hung from the transom. There are some 'tricks' for sailing lightweight centerboard boats in 'heavy weather', especially those that can 'plane': Pulling up the centerboard (not all the way) will allow the boat to 'skid' when taking a puff instead of having the tendancy to severely heel/broach. With the board all the way down when hit from a quartering puff a rudder thats hung from the stern will easily 'cavitate': the hull heels to one side and in so doing lifts the rudder partway out of the water .... and air gets sucked down along the remaining immersed rudder blade and the rudder becomes 'useless' to steer. (Thats why the super-fast scows and catamarans have two rudders ... one is always submerged!) With a light weight planing type of boat try to keep the boat UNDER the mast in heavy going. Keeping the hull directlly UNDER the mast will prevent rudder cavitation with a transom hung rudder. In a planing hull boat its usually better in those condition to pull the board 'almost' all the way up and when hit by an overpowering gust - **HEAD DOWNWIND** instead of heading up and 'feathering'. The boat will accelerate like a banshee but you MUST keep the mast 'over the boat' or you will risk a broach - sometimes a windward broach ..... **immediatelly followed by a leeward broach**. The only danger is when sailing in big waves in a planing boat is that when accelerating you dont put the bow *through* a large wave in front of you .... and become an instant 'submarine' or pitch-pole. So if you are accelerating faster than the waves, be sure to go 'up' a wave at an 'angle' to prevent the bow from disappearing INTO the wave. If this is a planing hull then the above will help; if however, the boat is a 'displacment' (non-planing) hull then all you can really do is reef down and slow down, and take the waves at the bow at 'an angle', etc. Hope this helps. ;-)
probably means a boat with a centerboard and with the rudder hung from the transom. There are some 'tricks' for sailing lightweight centerboard boats in 'heavy weather', especially those that can 'plane': Pulling up the centerboard (not all the way) will allow the boat to 'skid' when taking a puff instead of having the tendancy to severely heel/broach. With the board all the way down when hit from a quartering puff a rudder thats hung from the stern will easily 'cavitate': the hull heels to one side and in so doing lifts the rudder partway out of the water .... and air gets sucked down along the remaining immersed rudder blade and the rudder becomes 'useless' to steer. (Thats why the super-fast scows and catamarans have two rudders ... one is always submerged!) With a light weight planing type of boat try to keep the boat UNDER the mast in heavy going. Keeping the hull directlly UNDER the mast will prevent rudder cavitation with a transom hung rudder. In a planing hull boat its usually better in those condition to pull the board 'almost' all the way up and when hit by an overpowering gust - **HEAD DOWNWIND** instead of heading up and 'feathering'. The boat will accelerate like a banshee but you MUST keep the mast 'over the boat' or you will risk a broach - sometimes a windward broach ..... **immediatelly followed by a leeward broach**. The only danger is when sailing in big waves in a planing boat is that when accelerating you dont put the bow *through* a large wave in front of you .... and become an instant 'submarine' or pitch-pole. So if you are accelerating faster than the waves, be sure to go 'up' a wave at an 'angle' to prevent the bow from disappearing INTO the wave. If this is a planing hull then the above will help; if however, the boat is a 'displacment' (non-planing) hull then all you can really do is reef down and slow down, and take the waves at the bow at 'an angle', etc. Hope this helps. ;-)
Tripping over your centerboard
Rich is quite correct, and I wish I'd read that 30 years ago. I also did quite a bit of dinghy sailing in the 70's, and the only award I ever won (that I truly deserved) was the OK Dinghy fleet Capsize Award. I got this for 'repeated performances' mostly because I weighed maybe 110 at the time and had more square feet of sail than I had pounds of weight. I've tripped over my centerboard plenty of times. Its a feeling you don't ever forget. You are screaming down off the wind and everything seems ok, and then a puff hits the sail, maybe the boat starts to rock, and then you start to round up a little... and whee... Its even worse if your boom hits the water and keeps you from rounding up. The problem is that the mass of the boat is still going downwind, and the wind is blowing you the same way, but your boat is starting to point across the wind, and you centerboard (or keel) is starting to contribute to the heeling moment in a negative way. Water pressure on the leeward side of the board is pushing the boat over. You just tripped over your centerboard. *This* is the reason that dinghy sailors keep their centerboards up some when off the wind. Rich also mentions the windward broach, which I always called the death roll. Its not pretty when the mast is the first thing to hit the water.
Rich is quite correct, and I wish I'd read that 30 years ago. I also did quite a bit of dinghy sailing in the 70's, and the only award I ever won (that I truly deserved) was the OK Dinghy fleet Capsize Award. I got this for 'repeated performances' mostly because I weighed maybe 110 at the time and had more square feet of sail than I had pounds of weight. I've tripped over my centerboard plenty of times. Its a feeling you don't ever forget. You are screaming down off the wind and everything seems ok, and then a puff hits the sail, maybe the boat starts to rock, and then you start to round up a little... and whee... Its even worse if your boom hits the water and keeps you from rounding up. The problem is that the mass of the boat is still going downwind, and the wind is blowing you the same way, but your boat is starting to point across the wind, and you centerboard (or keel) is starting to contribute to the heeling moment in a negative way. Water pressure on the leeward side of the board is pushing the boat over. You just tripped over your centerboard. *This* is the reason that dinghy sailors keep their centerboards up some when off the wind. Rich also mentions the windward broach, which I always called the death roll. Its not pretty when the mast is the first thing to hit the water.
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