64% of responding Hunter 0wners have never sailed winds in excess of 40 knots, according to last week's Quick Quiz. If you're one of the skippers who ventured out of port in the blow, how did your boat hold up? Did it feel tender, or were you able to reef it into submission? Was the hull stiff enough for you, and would you leave port in those winds again?
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Flying Hobies
I haven't sailed either my Hobie 18 or my Hunter 26.5 in 40+ kts., but I do remember the day I learned that Hobies truly can fly. I had just finished de-rigging my boat at Lake Lewisville's Hobie Point (near Dallas, TX), when the horizon turned black. The one Hobie sailor with a weather radio instructed everyone to de-rig as quickly as possible, get boats trailered, and most importantly, to get the boats still on the water back to shore. Within 10 minutes, the storm hit. The rain and wind continued to build from the south, and eventually it got so thick that we could barely see 100 yards. At this point, we had to stop de-rigging and put as much body weight on the boats as possible to keep them on the ground. The wind was blowing so hard that the raindrops felt like needles on my skin. We still had 15 Hobie 14s, 16s, 17s and 18s sitting on the beach. Unfortunately, we were short handed and two of the boats started to fly. Two guys were trying to prevent one of them from rolling downwind, as the boat was balanced on the tips of its hulls. The second boat wasn't so fortunate. The owner couldn't hold it down himself, and there was no one who could help, so the boat flew into the windshield of a Toyota pickup, trashing the car, cracking the hull, and bending the boat's crossbars. Luckily nobody was injured. We then realized that we also had 2 boats still out on the water - both Hobie 18s. One was within 1/2 mile of shore, and looked like it was going to make land, when it capsized. The crew could not right the boat and were picked up by a Parks & Wildlife rescue boat. The wind pushed the boat all the way to the other side of the lake. Some how the boat survived. We were sure that at least the mast had been trashed, but it was intact. We actually couldn't see the other boat until the storm started to subside. They came back into shore with a make shift main and a blown genoa. Somehow, they managed to keep the boat upright. Stealing a little from Forrest Gump, they named the boat "Jenny." After the storm died, we found out that the winds gusted to 75 miles per hour or about 65 knots per hour. Pretty intense winds for lake sailing. The windsurfers sure enjoyed it, but I'd just assume avoid anything like the kind of wind we saw that day.
I haven't sailed either my Hobie 18 or my Hunter 26.5 in 40+ kts., but I do remember the day I learned that Hobies truly can fly. I had just finished de-rigging my boat at Lake Lewisville's Hobie Point (near Dallas, TX), when the horizon turned black. The one Hobie sailor with a weather radio instructed everyone to de-rig as quickly as possible, get boats trailered, and most importantly, to get the boats still on the water back to shore. Within 10 minutes, the storm hit. The rain and wind continued to build from the south, and eventually it got so thick that we could barely see 100 yards. At this point, we had to stop de-rigging and put as much body weight on the boats as possible to keep them on the ground. The wind was blowing so hard that the raindrops felt like needles on my skin. We still had 15 Hobie 14s, 16s, 17s and 18s sitting on the beach. Unfortunately, we were short handed and two of the boats started to fly. Two guys were trying to prevent one of them from rolling downwind, as the boat was balanced on the tips of its hulls. The second boat wasn't so fortunate. The owner couldn't hold it down himself, and there was no one who could help, so the boat flew into the windshield of a Toyota pickup, trashing the car, cracking the hull, and bending the boat's crossbars. Luckily nobody was injured. We then realized that we also had 2 boats still out on the water - both Hobie 18s. One was within 1/2 mile of shore, and looked like it was going to make land, when it capsized. The crew could not right the boat and were picked up by a Parks & Wildlife rescue boat. The wind pushed the boat all the way to the other side of the lake. Some how the boat survived. We were sure that at least the mast had been trashed, but it was intact. We actually couldn't see the other boat until the storm started to subside. They came back into shore with a make shift main and a blown genoa. Somehow, they managed to keep the boat upright. Stealing a little from Forrest Gump, they named the boat "Jenny." After the storm died, we found out that the winds gusted to 75 miles per hour or about 65 knots per hour. Pretty intense winds for lake sailing. The windsurfers sure enjoyed it, but I'd just assume avoid anything like the kind of wind we saw that day.
40 knot question
30 knots was maximum speed and she performed just fine with double reef and reefed headsail.
30 knots was maximum speed and she performed just fine with double reef and reefed headsail.
High winds are often not the biggest problem.....
In one decade, and well over 30,000 NM, of sailing Hunters I believe we have only faced 40+ knot winds three times and always close to land. The first time was on the Chesapeake Bay in 1990 on a Legend 33.5 ("Windtryst") when we were surprised by a thunderstorm. Although we got all sails down in time (after noticing the roiling, inkblack clouds) we were nearly knocked on our beam ends by the force of the gusts. The biggest technical challenge was trying to stay in the channel with the depth meter going crazy because of the swirling mud. The scariest part was to stand in the open cockpit and hold the metal wheel with lightning bolts striking all around, providing glimpses of the nearby shore. Luckily, I spotted a lighted channel buoy and managed to keep Windtryst on station downwind, pointing her bows at the green light while having to gun the Yanmar pretty hard at times to avoid being driven off. Our secret weapon, however, was our guest of the day who happened to be a young, aspiring minister. He and the crew were in the main cabin on their knees and negotiated an end to our ordeal in less than 20 minutes or so. The second and third time were both caused by the Alenuihaha Channel between Hawaii and Maui, while sailing our Legend 43 "Rivendel II" in 1997. Two out of three times the wind itself was not the biggest problem. The associated chaotic seas, the nearness of land and/or the lightning were much bigger sources of anxiety. Only when suddenly being williwawed during near-calm conditions off the coast of Maui, with far too much sail up, was the force of the wind (which even threatened to peel the fully furled genoa from the headstay) our main concern. We turned and ran till I could wrestle the main down far enough to tie in the third reef. In just 30 minutes, or so, we lost hours worth of agonizingly slow progress in near-calm conditions, after several days of drifting without wind and fuel (the May 1997 El Nino conditions completely canceled out the tradewinds). Both Legends (33.5 and 43) felt stiff enough and kept listening to their rudders well. However, we prefer not to leave port under heavy weather conditions. Especially after a long layover it takes most sailors several hours ,or even days, to acclimatize again. Some crew members on longer passages never seemed to fully recover from immediate exposure to very rough weather right out of the harbor. Flying Dutchman
In one decade, and well over 30,000 NM, of sailing Hunters I believe we have only faced 40+ knot winds three times and always close to land. The first time was on the Chesapeake Bay in 1990 on a Legend 33.5 ("Windtryst") when we were surprised by a thunderstorm. Although we got all sails down in time (after noticing the roiling, inkblack clouds) we were nearly knocked on our beam ends by the force of the gusts. The biggest technical challenge was trying to stay in the channel with the depth meter going crazy because of the swirling mud. The scariest part was to stand in the open cockpit and hold the metal wheel with lightning bolts striking all around, providing glimpses of the nearby shore. Luckily, I spotted a lighted channel buoy and managed to keep Windtryst on station downwind, pointing her bows at the green light while having to gun the Yanmar pretty hard at times to avoid being driven off. Our secret weapon, however, was our guest of the day who happened to be a young, aspiring minister. He and the crew were in the main cabin on their knees and negotiated an end to our ordeal in less than 20 minutes or so. The second and third time were both caused by the Alenuihaha Channel between Hawaii and Maui, while sailing our Legend 43 "Rivendel II" in 1997. Two out of three times the wind itself was not the biggest problem. The associated chaotic seas, the nearness of land and/or the lightning were much bigger sources of anxiety. Only when suddenly being williwawed during near-calm conditions off the coast of Maui, with far too much sail up, was the force of the wind (which even threatened to peel the fully furled genoa from the headstay) our main concern. We turned and ran till I could wrestle the main down far enough to tie in the third reef. In just 30 minutes, or so, we lost hours worth of agonizingly slow progress in near-calm conditions, after several days of drifting without wind and fuel (the May 1997 El Nino conditions completely canceled out the tradewinds). Both Legends (33.5 and 43) felt stiff enough and kept listening to their rudders well. However, we prefer not to leave port under heavy weather conditions. Especially after a long layover it takes most sailors several hours ,or even days, to acclimatize again. Some crew members on longer passages never seemed to fully recover from immediate exposure to very rough weather right out of the harbor. Flying Dutchman
recently
spent a few days offshore last june in gale-force winds, running downwind off the coast of california. sailing a 410, we had only a jib out, about 50% furled, and AVERAGED 9.5 knots. for two days. not bad for a boat with a hull speed of 8.25 knots. was glad to discover that my autohelm 7000 could handle such conditions. biggest problem was the lack of adequate sea berths, had to wear harnesses in bed as well as up in the cockpit. going to fix that problem before the next big trip. S/V BUOYANT handled the seas nicely though, and we never felt that she was being pushed to the limits. when we finally made port after 48 hours, slept like the dead. went into the harbormaster's office the next day, and nearly got seasick, the room seemed to be rocking so violently. sheeesh.
spent a few days offshore last june in gale-force winds, running downwind off the coast of california. sailing a 410, we had only a jib out, about 50% furled, and AVERAGED 9.5 knots. for two days. not bad for a boat with a hull speed of 8.25 knots. was glad to discover that my autohelm 7000 could handle such conditions. biggest problem was the lack of adequate sea berths, had to wear harnesses in bed as well as up in the cockpit. going to fix that problem before the next big trip. S/V BUOYANT handled the seas nicely though, and we never felt that she was being pushed to the limits. when we finally made port after 48 hours, slept like the dead. went into the harbormaster's office the next day, and nearly got seasick, the room seemed to be rocking so violently. sheeesh.
Two Situations
In the past year, our 375 has been in very high winds twice. First off, we would never choose to sail in winds of 40+ knots, but in the FL Keys weather can be fast and unpredictable. Last July, we made a 10-day trip to Bimini and the nearby Bahamian cays. There was ABSOLUTELY no wind for nine days, requiring us to motor 100% of the way across the gulf stream and around the islands. But as luck would have it, when we were just in the middle of the gulf stream returning back to the Keys, even though the NOAA reports were for more of the same, the whole sky blackened and we were overtaken by a powerful storm with north winds. We quickly furled the genoa and double-reefed the main. When the winds hit, the infamous gulf stream square waves kicked up just as all the sailing stories describe them. In order to maintain as much VMG toward our destination, we sailed on a beat and into the waves. In order to keep the sailing as smooth as possible, we ran the engine to keep the hull speed in harmony with the period of the waves. The boat handled extremely well. In fact, much better than I expected. After a few hours, we made it out of the gulf stream, and of course the storm passed leaving us again becalmed. As we motored to an anchorage, we heard radio reports that a few boats were sunk in the storm and one life was lost. The second situation was earlier this month. After carefully monitoring the NOAA reports, and hearing that a tropical disturbance had dissipated and posed no risk to any land areas, we headed west to the Marquesas (an atoll located ~20 miles west of Key West). Once there, the NOAA reports suddenly changed. Not only did the disturbance not dissipate, but it had become a hurricane that was aiming at the Keys. Fortunately, we made it back to the marina just before the storm hit, but the point of this half of the tale is the boat's performance when tied up. The eye of the hurricane went right over the marina, and of course, everyone came out and looked around. When the eye passed and the wind started up again, I was amazed to see how much the boat was bucking against its lines. It was heeling to the wind much more that the ODay, Watkins, and Morgan in nearby slips. But even more surprising was the way it was squirming in the water. It looked like it was being steered by a drunken helmsman without actually moving forward. When the hurricane was past, the windward stern piling was leaning toward the hull of the boat from the force of the pull. A NOAA weather station about 5 miles away recorded winds of "only" 79 knots, a minimal hurricane. So, about this aspect of the boat's performance, I'm not so sanguine. Robert Pancza
In the past year, our 375 has been in very high winds twice. First off, we would never choose to sail in winds of 40+ knots, but in the FL Keys weather can be fast and unpredictable. Last July, we made a 10-day trip to Bimini and the nearby Bahamian cays. There was ABSOLUTELY no wind for nine days, requiring us to motor 100% of the way across the gulf stream and around the islands. But as luck would have it, when we were just in the middle of the gulf stream returning back to the Keys, even though the NOAA reports were for more of the same, the whole sky blackened and we were overtaken by a powerful storm with north winds. We quickly furled the genoa and double-reefed the main. When the winds hit, the infamous gulf stream square waves kicked up just as all the sailing stories describe them. In order to maintain as much VMG toward our destination, we sailed on a beat and into the waves. In order to keep the sailing as smooth as possible, we ran the engine to keep the hull speed in harmony with the period of the waves. The boat handled extremely well. In fact, much better than I expected. After a few hours, we made it out of the gulf stream, and of course the storm passed leaving us again becalmed. As we motored to an anchorage, we heard radio reports that a few boats were sunk in the storm and one life was lost. The second situation was earlier this month. After carefully monitoring the NOAA reports, and hearing that a tropical disturbance had dissipated and posed no risk to any land areas, we headed west to the Marquesas (an atoll located ~20 miles west of Key West). Once there, the NOAA reports suddenly changed. Not only did the disturbance not dissipate, but it had become a hurricane that was aiming at the Keys. Fortunately, we made it back to the marina just before the storm hit, but the point of this half of the tale is the boat's performance when tied up. The eye of the hurricane went right over the marina, and of course, everyone came out and looked around. When the eye passed and the wind started up again, I was amazed to see how much the boat was bucking against its lines. It was heeling to the wind much more that the ODay, Watkins, and Morgan in nearby slips. But even more surprising was the way it was squirming in the water. It looked like it was being steered by a drunken helmsman without actually moving forward. When the hurricane was past, the windward stern piling was leaning toward the hull of the boat from the force of the pull. A NOAA weather station about 5 miles away recorded winds of "only" 79 knots, a minimal hurricane. So, about this aspect of the boat's performance, I'm not so sanguine. Robert Pancza
Wind over 40 kts
In March 95 I was making a passage from Simpson bay, St.Martin to Peter Island, B.V.I. on my passage 42 "Sojourn" and encountered Winds from 45-55 knots when a front past through the area. We encoutered winds of 40+ for around 8 hours. The boat handle well with the main reefed and the 110% jib reefed to 80%. The only casualty was my son being sea sick form time the front passed which left me at the helm for 10+ hours. The boat performed well at 8.5+ kts and we arrived Peter Island in the a.m.
In March 95 I was making a passage from Simpson bay, St.Martin to Peter Island, B.V.I. on my passage 42 "Sojourn" and encountered Winds from 45-55 knots when a front past through the area. We encoutered winds of 40+ for around 8 hours. The boat handle well with the main reefed and the 110% jib reefed to 80%. The only casualty was my son being sea sick form time the front passed which left me at the helm for 10+ hours. The boat performed well at 8.5+ kts and we arrived Peter Island in the a.m.
High Winds..on 29.5
It happened just once , 3 years ago , on an anual summer rally from Tel-Aviv,ISRAEL to Larnaca , CYPRUS , a 190 nm open sea leg , shared then by about 20 boats.. We were on the last 4 hours of the about 35 , on a clear sunny day , among the head boats of the flotilla ( altough being among the smallest boats) when the afternoon 15-20 kts close reach breeze , moved to astern(lucky us..) and raise to 35 kts gusting 40 with 6 (and raising..)feet chop ,in just 15 minutes.. I foolishly tried for a while to keep second-reefed main up, but the we just fought the wheel ,were rolling and couldn't keep a stright course .I then got the main down(it wasn't eassy , going downwind..)and kept about 30% of the genoa , at which point the boat became eassy to handle and full in control , keeping a comfortable 6-6.5 speed downwind... We enter the safe but full Larnaca marina like a bullet motor-sailing , and narrowly missed 2 boats on the way to the alocated mooring berth.. A month later I added a third reef to the main , but never yet had to use it.. Frankly , I wouldn't like sail my boat in such wind condition on more developed sea condition , or taking it anything less than broad reach.. If unavoidable I would preffer a deeper more V pronounced hull and deeper(than current 4 feet) keel.
It happened just once , 3 years ago , on an anual summer rally from Tel-Aviv,ISRAEL to Larnaca , CYPRUS , a 190 nm open sea leg , shared then by about 20 boats.. We were on the last 4 hours of the about 35 , on a clear sunny day , among the head boats of the flotilla ( altough being among the smallest boats) when the afternoon 15-20 kts close reach breeze , moved to astern(lucky us..) and raise to 35 kts gusting 40 with 6 (and raising..)feet chop ,in just 15 minutes.. I foolishly tried for a while to keep second-reefed main up, but the we just fought the wheel ,were rolling and couldn't keep a stright course .I then got the main down(it wasn't eassy , going downwind..)and kept about 30% of the genoa , at which point the boat became eassy to handle and full in control , keeping a comfortable 6-6.5 speed downwind... We enter the safe but full Larnaca marina like a bullet motor-sailing , and narrowly missed 2 boats on the way to the alocated mooring berth.. A month later I added a third reef to the main , but never yet had to use it.. Frankly , I wouldn't like sail my boat in such wind condition on more developed sea condition , or taking it anything less than broad reach.. If unavoidable I would preffer a deeper more V pronounced hull and deeper(than current 4 feet) keel.
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