Gybe... whoa!

[newly anonymous]

Phil,

I'm assuming a controlled DDW gybe without quartering seas. The point here is that the acceleration of the boat depowers the main, and that's the moment to gybe. A broach is a whole 'nother matter, especially on older IOR era "broach coach" designs with pinched sterns and unbalanced rudders. But more modern designs, where the beam is carried aft, tend to stabilize as they approach hull speed and the stern squats. This makes the point of acceleration an ideal time to gybe.

 

[smitroe]

response to wave motion

Joe I was taught that jybing is a downwind low wind manuver only. sometimes you have to break the rules and controll a gybe as best you can in other situations. but in general it is very stressful to force a boat through the wind. the rigging can let go if the winds are high. I would probably watch what happens on any given day when you are sailing downwind in low winds and purposfully gybe your boat at different points during the waves motions. Then keep that in mind for a tougher time for stronger winds and rougher seas.what is always most important to me is how my boat would react in a situation, so I will practice this one myself the next time I am sailing downwind and see how my own boat responds...... smitroe

 

[George]

Gybe

Personally I avoid gybing in high winds and usually resort to a "chicken gybe". A lot depends on who is with me and what kind of sailing I'm doing.

 

[Joe White]

Gybing in high wind

Thanks for all the responses. I always learn new ideas on this forum. I guess the right answer is - avoid gybing manuver in high winds. My last weekend's uncontrolled gybe was the result of attempting to gybe at high winds ,18knots, combined with the wave that turned the boat faster than I could sheet in the main sheet. One other question is - what is a chicken gybe? Is this a 270 degree tack?

 

[newly anonymous]

high winds?

yeah, Joe, a chicken gybe is actually a 270 degree tack from one broad reach to another. But, noticing that you sail the SF bay, I have to add that you're not allowed to call 18 knots "high wind." That might be high wind down in SoCal, but around here that's as near a perfect day as you're going to find, save the middle of winter. Tuck a reef in if you must at that point, but learn to handle gybes in the 15-25 knot range or you'll miss the best sailing we've got. For most SF sailors, 18 knots apparent downwind is just the point when you switch from the 3/4 oz kite to the 1.5 oz chute. And you can't chicken gybe with either of those sails.

 

[OldCat]

When it happened to us

This situation happened to us last year - except that we were on a lake so no waves to deal with. My Admiral was at the helm, the winds were building and she was having trouble staying on a broad reach - she kept heading up a bit much. She is not an experienced sailor, and the winds were right at her limit of control.Then the wind built up another notch - and we were approaching the shore - so I gently suggested that I take the helm. She quickly agreed, and I took the tiller and mainsheet (J22). The winds were still in a range that I was comfortable gybing with full sail up, so we gybed (she handled headsail duties perfectly).IMHO - the decision depends on how you feel about the situation, and depends on the boat, your experience, crew, and so on. I would have chicken gybed if conditions were tougher than what we had - but it wasn't, so I gybed, cleared some traffic, tacked, hove too and reefed.John White - it sounds that perhaps you waited too long to sheet in the main - generally I do this first, before turning - and keep control of it (uncleated) so I can let it out as soon as it pops over to the other side.Regards,OC

 

[Malcolm Young]

Care when chicken gybing (tacking)

To carry out a chicken gybe as has been explained earlier, you must bring the boat into the wind so that you can tack. This creates problems if you are starting from downwind as you can lose a lot of speed in the manoever and end up in irons (head to wind with no way on). The problems are:1. Sailing on your ear - The wind will be a lot stronger than it feels when you are going downwind so that you are going to heel a lot when you start going into it and will loose speed and contol (thus Gary's comments on reducing sail first while going downwind - it can be done). 2. Not enough speed - You must have real good speed to come about when heading into a strong wind and significant waves as they will stop you dead quicker than you can imagine (thus others comments on having your engine on to help you around). To avoid going into irons when you are going through your tack it helps a lot to allow the jib to back (wind on backside to push the bow around) until the main sail has come over to the new tack.Gybing is better if you can do itPersonally, depending on conditions, my preference would be to gybe with care and have done on a number of occassions (including 30 to 40 knot winds. I generally agree with others have said earlier - know your boat, you need someone steering that is steady and someone else on the mainsheet that knows what to do, wave conditions must be such that you can control yawing (swing in the heading of the boat as waves pass). If you feel out of control (and there is time) then start to reduce sail per Gary's suggestion and do a chicken gybe (ie. tack through 270 degrees). To gybe in heavy weather and waves you should do it in a clear step by step fashion (I know that many of you know these but what I see is people trying to do things too quickly and the boat going to far around and ending up on their ear). 1. Change your course from running to a very broad reach with the wind clearly and consistently from one side of your boat.2. These steps should be timed to conicide with a period when the waves are smaller than average- pull in the main close to the centreline- gently steer to carry out the gybe (do not steer hard over or you will go too far and run the chance of broaching across the waves with the wind against the side of the sail)- as it gybes, after the main has clearly crossed the centreline, start to straighten out on a broad reach on the opposite tack. In conjunction with this you want to quickly let the sail out on the new tack to avoid a broach (caused by the wind filling the sail if it is still pulled in). You may have to apply significant correcting helm back towards downwind as the boat yaws due to the action of the wind and waves. It is easier than it sounds if you do things step by step and practise in lighter airs.Regarding the question posed - what I would do depends a lot on the configuration of the sandbar relative to my course. If I decided to change tacks then I would do it as above.

 

[iainlyall@lycos.com]

sandbank?

.....raise my swing keel, if it's still down, and hope there is stillat least 5"'s of water left under me. *yks

 

[Ross B.]

GYBE ???

Heck, why bother with a gybe. Just do like we do; drive straight into the sandbar, the boat will turn by itself. Then with full wind across the beam, silde sideways across the ridge and into the next cut. Then you can just motor sail back into deeper water at your leisure. --- Would be even funnier if I hadn't done it before.