Correcting excessive heel

[Anitabreak II]

Hello!
I have a '99 H240 that I've grown to love this summer. I've gotten over my fear of what I thought was a "tender" boat, have sailed in some gusty conditions reefed and felt quite comfortable........until today!

Race day at my club, winds were light about 5 knots,( no reef) got out on to the course had a good start and then the winds gusted to 12-15 knots. I got into a very uncomfortable heel; over 30 degrees, on starboard tack. I let out the main, pushed the tiller to port and the boat actually heeled even more! I was over powered for sure, and thought I was actually going to capsize, what a scare. I'm new to this boat as I mentioned already. My old and trusted rule of heading into the wind didn't seem to work for me this time. It's almost like the rudder stalled and I had no control at all.

I know to let out the main and the jib to flatten the boat out as well as heading up into the wind. Any thoughts as to what else I could have done or what I may have done incorrectly??

Thanks in advance
Anita

 

[Steve]

Guessing...

... she was carrying all the water she could hold in her water ballast tank and that your keel was down? Also guessing you weren't moving very fast when the gust hit you? You didn't mention letting the jib sheet go when she heeled so I'm also guessing you didn't have a lot of time to react? All those guesses in my head and I'm thinking you weren't making enough headway for the rudder to bring her around fast enough and the jib was still catching enough air to push her down. The 240 really is a tender boat, so is my Hunter 23 for that matter, but you don't need to be afraid of a tender boat if you have the right sails up. I've been pushed over past 30 a few times by unexpected strong gusts, or when I'm talking with my friends and not keeping a weather eye on the rest of the lake. I try and reef early and greatly reduce the head sail on gusty days. Actually, I really hate gusty days as it is a real challenge to find a piont of sail and trim combination that doesn't involve some wild action and excessive heeling. It is more work than fun to sail on days like that so we generally tuck into the lee of an island and have a few beers instead. My wife and daughters really don't care much for heeling over past 30 either. All in all, sounds like to weathered the experience without any damage or blood shed. You did good. Enjoy your new boat!

 

[Mergatroid]

Another thought.

On my 1996 26h if the rudder is not all the way down, you can not turn into the wind fast enough to avoid the knockdown.

 

[George]

Wind

Anita: Sounds like you are getting more comfortable with your boat.

My guess is you were a little late tending the main; once your boat starts to heel beyond 30 degrees, the rudder becomes less effective and the boat will want to head up because it's designed that way. Think of about it this way - your boat is saying

"I'll take care of you - I know what to do, I'll just weather up into the wind until you can catch your breath, and get back to sailing normally."

This happens to me from time to time in gusty conditions when I'm getting a little careless; I've just learned to let her head up until we level off and fall back on course.

Sounds like you did all the right things to compensate! Enjoy the ride, your boat will take care of you. Once you know that nothing bad will happen you'll just laugh...

 

[Ruedi Ross]

240 heeling

One of the lakes I sail on is famous for sudden, gusty winds out of nowhere. When I had a 240 I saw 50 degrees+ a few times. It can be a little unnerving until you get used to it and trust your boat. As others have said, the boat will take care of you. When you don't have much headway the boat responds slower. I would try putting the tiller over before releasing the main. When you release the main and still have the jib in tight the wind will put pressure on your bow and make it harder to turn upwind. If you have wind in the main it will blow your stern around and make the boat round up into the wind.

 

[Drew]

Another Trick

It is counterintuitive, but in the situation you describe, on a starboard tack, I would not "push the tiller to port," but would push, or pull it, to windward. In this case, starboard. That would have caused the boat to head off the wind a bit and given it enough stability to get back on its feet quickly as you released the main. It is the quick turning motion that caused the excessive heal - you were effectively transferring the boat's forward motion to the port side, resulting in rapid healing motion.

I spent years sailing Mercurys in Boston's Charles River and never capsized, in any conditions. Everyone that over-relied on "heading into the wind" ended up in the river - and then to the Hospital for a tetanus shot - ick!

Like I said, counterintuitive, but give it a try.

 

[Anita]

Thanks!!

Hello All!

I knew I could count on some great advice.

Drew, I'll give your advice a try...... I always sit to windward, had an instructor teach me that way if I got into trouble all I had to do was remember to push away the tiller.

George, I am getting more comfortable with the boat, as you might remember I was ready to sell it 2 weeks after I bought it last summer!!

Thanks again!!
Anita

ps went to Tasmania, Australia last Feb. and did some awesome sailing. Got to sail on "Sprit" America's Cup yacht in Sydney. Check out the Kookaburra Challenge. Axtually was at the helm!!!

 

[Anita]

oops photo didn't upload will try again

Kookaburra Challange Sydney Harbor 29 Feb. 2008

 

[Hogan]

My 260 has similar traits and

I have to agree that the first few times heeling over 30 degrees was a bit un-nerving. The boat would round up as the rudder stalled out and lost effectiveness. I have learned to keep just a little more flow on the rudder. I will give heading off the wind a try next time out with sporty winds.

 

[George]

Heading off the wind

The condition described is when the boat decides to head up and there is nothing you can do about it...I just go with the flow until things calm down.

To be honest I'm not a big fan of heading off -- it works, but in windy and wavy conditions you risk an unplanned jibe. I'm more comfortable with just letting the boat do what it wants - much safer IMHO

 

[Drew]

Unplanned Jibe?

Not if you do it right. We are talking five degrees here, at most. The point is merely to give the boat some enough stability to allow it to get back on its feet. Works every time, trust me.

 

[soling42]

Bearing off too

Granted, you have to have some running room and it won't solve being way over powered but it will knock off a few kts of apparent wind in a gust and the boat will stand up nicely. Do it all the time in the 260 if I'm trying to keep a leary crew more comfy on a gusty day(or grab some boat speed). Often the crew won't even know a gust blew through when I bear off in a puff. On a day over 12kts sheeting out and bearing away seems counter intuitive until you consider the steady power on a very broad reach compared to pulling up to a close reach and getting hammered upwind.

I love running off the wind down the coast 10-15mi under full sail on a day between 15-18kts, It's rounding up at the end of the run and trying to reef that I have to time right. Not Kelli's ideal day but a cozy tropical anchorage makes up for a multitude of fast/furious sailing hrs offshore. Michael

Bearing off on a breezy day under full sail with a boat load of first timers who never suspected they were only rail meat so I could go out. wahoo it was a 10....