Fun with Broaching

[kpgraci]

Funny how things work out. I was in the process of trying to understand the definition of Broach, how and why it happens.

So I'm out sailing, two weekends ago, solo, moving nicely on a broad reach with a steady 7-10 mph wind, when all of a sudden the wind picks up, I guess somewhere around 13-16, not a gust so much as a quick buildup, and bingo, the boat is instantly on a close reach and I get this feeling I've got way to much sail up.

Well, I 'm sure it wasn't as bad I thought it was at the time, I let out the sheets which oddly didn't seem to help much and the noise and commotion of the sails flapping added to the excitement.

Fun stuff. I can't wait to get back out there.

Part 2 of my learning day:

I was done with fighting the wind and possible demasting, so I anchored outside the harbor for a while. I was low on gas and worried if I ran out how hard it would be to sail into the harbor with the wind conditions. So as I'm sitting there I see several boats do just that, sail in, make the 180* tack then the 90* opposite tack to get in the harbor. Both had full sails up, the second was a pretty tall rig and he must of had a 45* plus heel making the 180. Showoffs.

 

[tommays]

You can do much better than that

 

[Charisma]

Brilliant, enough said . . .

 

[Snotter]

Great photography!

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

So, that reminds me of a funny story. Years ago my husband and I had just gotten our first spinnaker and were practicing with it on our Seidelmann 24.1. My husband was doing middle of the boat, I had foredeck and our friend John was on the helm. We were scooting along in about 7-8kts of wind when all the sudden came a big build up to maybe 13kts. John is trying to keep the bow of the boat under the chute and he and I are both yelling at Jim to ease, ease, EASE the GD sheet. Jim finally drops the sheets and says "I am not touching the sheets" and about that time I notice that the bow is just starting to submarine so I leapt for the spin halyard clutch and just as I reach to pop it I realize that John is still yelling at JIm to blow the sheets and JIm says I did and John is screaming you have them cleated you dispshit (I had told him not to cleat). Jim says oh and reaches forward and pops the sheet and the guy just as I blow the halyard.
The sheet and guy rip through the blocks and the halyard screams out the mast and there is our spinnaker flying about 2 boat lenghts in front of our boat. It was quite the adventure after that trying to collect it all back in. I wish we would have had a picture of it. We still laugh about it after all these years.

 

[shemandr]

The caption should read with a bubble over the skipper's head "It's not a broach until MY feet get wet!"

 

[RichBone]

Love the photo. What's holding up the foredeck hand? I would love to have seen the recovery.

Rich

 

[mel22]

kpgraci, does the sailing community still do a lot of night sailing on the lake?