Heeling Woes

[Mark Juetten]

Oh So True

What great resources you all are. Whats worked for us over 20 years of sailing is having my wife take the helm even in heavy air making sure it is a balanced Helm. She enjoys a good 20 kts and 15 degrees heal and sails an excellant line. It is a joy to see her skills and confidence increase. I always tell newcomers aboard to watch her eyes and you can tell how things are going, a bit misleading as she always wears sunglasses. The key here is balance, reef early, and don't beat your self up. Go fast, have fun, be safe!

 

[Peter Brennan]

Heal heeling woes

When we bought our first boat, a Dawson 26, my wife adored it whikle we worked on land getting her ready fior sea. The first outing getting from Huntington to home poer was a disaster. She had never been on a sailboat before and was terrified. "Looks like we are going a hundred miles an hour!" she said of the water streaming past the port where she had gone below to hide. We were hardly heeling at all. Things did not get much better as the season wore on. Of course, having a boat, we had many friends who wanted to go for a ride. Few realized that sailboats travel on their sides and few returned for a second experience. So we have two groups of friends, summer friends and winter friends. But never mind them, my wife was the problem.The following April I sent her to sailing school, first class of the year, early April, Long Island Sound, in Solings. Miserable cold wet weather and learning sail in a Soling is sort of like learning to drive in a Ferrari. But she learned and became unafraid and most important, learned that her husband really knew what he was doing. One thing she klearned is that heeling more than 20 degrees is a waste of wind, slows the boat, makes leeway. She insists on reefingf when the wind gets up, a little too soon for my liking but good sense nonetheless. And we have been out in some horrendous stuff with double reefed main and handkerchief jib with the boat riding comfortably, smashing through the waves. We have heeled far enough in the old boat to have water into the cockpit and fill the coaming boxes but never with our present boat, an O'Day 37. We have had guests panic as a gust lay us on our beam ends. We don't panic.We brought our new boat, just the two of us, from Annapolis to Long Island Sound in early April the year we bought her. That was a trip and a half with knock down and blown out jib and lots of rain. But such progress from the first trip in the old Dawson. We have also both since taken another sailing course in big boats. I learned a thing or two also.Moral: save a lot of time and angst and take a sailing course.

 

[Steve Growcock]

it worked!!!

Over the weekend, I took our 25' Oday, "mojo", out into a beautiful breeze. Be'ins I have a bit of mechanical background, the spring example Tim Schaaf provided was perfect as I described heel to my guests. It worked perfectly. Thanks Tim. We had a great time even when we hit 25-30 degrees and no panic! Awesome! Although, I think my lovely wife will be assigned "rail meat" duty until she gets used to the angle. Ms. Jacobs, thanks for creating a string we have in common. regards, steve!

 

[Peter Brennan]

Meat?

Uhhhm...I suspect your wife would prefer to be thought of as "rail bird" rather than "rail meat."

 

[Steve Growcock]

meat? Touche!

Peter - you are so correct! Meaculpa. I guess we all have to come into port sometime where the captaincy, in my case, changes hands. Where I would be dubbed "yard meat".Perhaps I should refer to her services as "rail queen", "most beautiful counterweight", er ... ah, I just better stick with "sit over there on that thingy" - Steve!