So you're sailing off in the boonies somewhere, hit a log or a deadhead or a whale and disable your rudder. Now how are you going to steer your boat? I once would have glibly answered, "steer with the sails!" Having seen how much weather helm both of the Hunters I've owned develop when they heel, and having read of other experiences of sailing rudderless, I think that answer is more theoretical than practical. We leave Monday on our cruise around Vancouver Island, and I wanted something on the boat that was a contingency plan for the loss of our rudder. Yesterday was test day. Our emergency rudder consists of our whisker pole which is ten feet long without extension and 2.75 inches in diameter. To that I attached a one foot by two foot piece of half inch plywood. I cut slots in the plywood through which I fed four large hose clamps to secure the wood to the pole. I lashed the inboard end of the whisker pole with a rolling hitch and secured the line to the two cleats on my transom. The outboard end was secured with a topping lift tied to the main halyard, and two steering lines run through snatch blocks shackled to the padeyes for my split backstay and then to the genoa sheet winches. The aft end of the whisker pole was also weighted down with two five pound weights from my dive belt. Sorry for the absence of a picture but my wife went to the mainland for the day and had the digital camera in her car. We had a sunny day with less than five knots of wind and flat water for the trial. Even so deploying the whisker pole with the weights and the lines was a chore. I imagined doing this in ten-foot ocean swells while standing on the swim platform and it sounded really exciting. We put Wanderlust's real rudder amidships and secured it with the wheel brake, and then fired up the engine and put the transmission in gear, running at about four knots. It took some fiddling with line tensions to get things in balance. An immediately apparent problem was that the portion of the whisker pole with the plywood on it wanted to ride up partially out of the water. More weight is needed than the ten pounds I put on there. Nonetheless by tensioning one steering line with the genoa sheet winch and easing the other, we were able to steer the boat, albeit slowly. We turned 180 degrees in one direction and then reversed to our original course. We also steered a slalom course. However it would take about five minutes to do a 180 degree turn. I found if I sat on the whisker pole, forcing the plywood further into the water, our rate of turn about doubled. Next time I try this I will at least double the amount of weight at the outboard end of the rudder or possibly even use my 30 pound kellet. How well the emergency rudder would work in heavy winds and seas is defintely questionable. If there's anyone out there with experience with an emergency rudder, I'd appreciate learning from your experience. If anyone has design ideas to improve the efficiency of this arrangement, I'm all ears. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
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E Rudder
Gary Good idea, and have a great cruise. Either SAIL and/or Cruising World have had articles with pictures and details of emergency rudders for boats in our size range (C36 and another boat). I think if you check their archives, you should be able to come up with those articles. I have them saved, hard-copy, in my files, not right at hand now, but could retrieve at least one if you need them. Stu
Gary Good idea, and have a great cruise. Either SAIL and/or Cruising World have had articles with pictures and details of emergency rudders for boats in our size range (C36 and another boat). I think if you check their archives, you should be able to come up with those articles. I have them saved, hard-copy, in my files, not right at hand now, but could retrieve at least one if you need them. Stu
Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island
Gary, I am planning to go around the Island next summer on Tula my Oceanis 390 and I would be pleased to hear how your trip went. I plan to do the trip in five legs over next summer. As I have a Cape Horn windvane I must admit I had not given the issue of an emergency rudder much thought but will now as I need to test that thing. That lee shore apparently can get a little scary with the fog and all. I am at svtula1@shaw.ca if you are doing a report later this year. Safe trip to you both, Thanks, Peter S/V Tula
Gary, I am planning to go around the Island next summer on Tula my Oceanis 390 and I would be pleased to hear how your trip went. I plan to do the trip in five legs over next summer. As I have a Cape Horn windvane I must admit I had not given the issue of an emergency rudder much thought but will now as I need to test that thing. That lee shore apparently can get a little scary with the fog and all. I am at svtula1@shaw.ca if you are doing a report later this year. Safe trip to you both, Thanks, Peter S/V Tula
Thanks, Stu
Yeah it was in Sail magazine, and I stole most of my ideas from them. Each boat is a little different though so it takes some experimentation. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
Yeah it was in Sail magazine, and I stole most of my ideas from them. Each boat is a little different though so it takes some experimentation. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
Thanks, Peter
We're really excited about the trip,and I think Wanderlust is about as prepared as she can be. The rapids above Desolation Sound, Cape Scott, and the stretch of coast down to Estevan point promised to be particularly exciting. We hope to miss most of the fog by leaving early and getting back in early August. Having spent "fogust" in Barkley Sound last year was enough to bring me back early. I'll give you a report on our return. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
We're really excited about the trip,and I think Wanderlust is about as prepared as she can be. The rapids above Desolation Sound, Cape Scott, and the stretch of coast down to Estevan point promised to be particularly exciting. We hope to miss most of the fog by leaving early and getting back in early August. Having spent "fogust" in Barkley Sound last year was enough to bring me back early. I'll give you a report on our return. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust H37.5
Have a great trip!
Hi Gary - You'll have a blast. You say you're leaving early - better get a move on if you want time to explore! I've done that trip twice, both times leaving in late May and returning in early August to beat the fog. I have to say I wasn't as prepared as you with a contingency plan for an emergency rudder - good on you! There's so much to see, so try to take your time out there and enjoy. The pic shows Solander Island in the distance on probably as calm a day as you could possible get. Best, Trevor
Hi Gary - You'll have a blast. You say you're leaving early - better get a move on if you want time to explore! I've done that trip twice, both times leaving in late May and returning in early August to beat the fog. I have to say I wasn't as prepared as you with a contingency plan for an emergency rudder - good on you! There's so much to see, so try to take your time out there and enjoy. The pic shows Solander Island in the distance on probably as calm a day as you could possible get. Best, Trevor
Van Isle 360
Hi David, Yes, we've been following the race a bit. Time Bandit, currently in second place in Division 1 makes it's home about three slips down from our boat. We're going to do the circuit at a more relaxed pace, taking about six weeks for the whole trip. Probably won't get the big receptions every night either! Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
Hi David, Yes, we've been following the race a bit. Time Bandit, currently in second place in Division 1 makes it's home about three slips down from our boat. We're going to do the circuit at a more relaxed pace, taking about six weeks for the whole trip. Probably won't get the big receptions every night either! Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
Thanks, Trevor
We're planning about six weeks for the whole trip focused on the North end of both the inside and the outside as we've cruised the Southern half of the Island pretty extensively. We're going to try sailing all the way home from Ucluelet nonstop under sail only if possible which should be an adventurous way to end the trip. Good pic of Solander Island. I didn't know the winds off Cape Cook were ever less than gale force! Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
We're planning about six weeks for the whole trip focused on the North end of both the inside and the outside as we've cruised the Southern half of the Island pretty extensively. We're going to try sailing all the way home from Ucluelet nonstop under sail only if possible which should be an adventurous way to end the trip. Good pic of Solander Island. I didn't know the winds off Cape Cook were ever less than gale force! Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
Rudder ideas
Gary, Perhaps you can lash the whisker pole in two places to hold the makeshift rudder down in the water (like to the stern rail, or backstay) Then you wouldn't need weight to hold it down. Of course you'd need a semi stout whisker pole to do this. Also, you might see if you can use one of your storage covers (typically under the setee cushions) as the rudder. They should be about the right size & you won't have to carry extra wood (two uses for everything, right!). Enjoy!
Gary, Perhaps you can lash the whisker pole in two places to hold the makeshift rudder down in the water (like to the stern rail, or backstay) Then you wouldn't need weight to hold it down. Of course you'd need a semi stout whisker pole to do this. Also, you might see if you can use one of your storage covers (typically under the setee cushions) as the rudder. They should be about the right size & you won't have to carry extra wood (two uses for everything, right!). Enjoy!
Our slip mate, Solla Sellew is having a rough go..
had a DNF in Leg 3 I think so they are languishing in last place Div 2 but some other members of our club are doing fine... By the way, have a great AND safe trip! Cheers David
had a DNF in Leg 3 I think so they are languishing in last place Div 2 but some other members of our club are doing fine... By the way, have a great AND safe trip! Cheers David
Online Article
In the summer 2004 newsletter from Hunter Marine they discussed the topic of rudderless sailing. http://www.huntermarine.com/prodNot/Hunter2004TuneUp.pdf Now they have another answer as well offering a backup rudder system. http://www.huntermarine.com/prodNot/RudderLetter0405.pdf
In the summer 2004 newsletter from Hunter Marine they discussed the topic of rudderless sailing. http://www.huntermarine.com/prodNot/Hunter2004TuneUp.pdf Now they have another answer as well offering a backup rudder system. http://www.huntermarine.com/prodNot/RudderLetter0405.pdf
considering the history...how apropo
Considering the Hunters history for damged and lost rudders, I find the article apropo. ;^)
Considering the Hunters history for damged and lost rudders, I find the article apropo. ;^)
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