How to break a boom

[tomD]

I have never heard of anyone breaking a boom this way, but thought I would share my embarassing moment as a caution that it can be done:It was blowing v.v. hard, we motored out of the marina, set a storm jib and did a heave-to... Hoisted the main and put in a reef. The boat was nearly abeam, the luffed main was laying against the lower sidestays as I was tieing the reef lines to tidy up the foot of the reefed mainsail. It all went well enough except that I tied a reef tie around a sidestay as well as the boom and sail. I came off the heave-to, attempted to gibe, and crack. Loaded the main on the other side--something had to give and it did. In all the courses I have taken and the shop-talk with other sailors, I have never ever heard of this. May it never happen to you. It was nothing that money and time can't fix--the other C-22 Mark 2 at my marina pulled her weatherside sidestays out of the mast on the same day: 6 big men on the weather rail, full main, again, something had to give.

 

[Dick of Sylvan]

Strong Reef Line

Thanks Tom for the sad story-- may help some of the rest of us avoid something similar. Wonder if our reef lines (I presume the ones toward the middle and not near the luff or leach) ought to be of rather low strength line so that they would break first in this kind of situation? Dick

 

[Dan]

Conditions?

Was this a race? Sounds like pushing the envelope a bit for the conditions. Glad no one was hurt.

 

[tomD]

Just daysailing

Not racing, just out for a cruise with the missus, ie shorthanded sailing. Did not measure the windspeed, would guess at 25-30 knots, cold front moving thru. The other C-22 was with a sailing school. The boom error was entirely mine, I've sailed lakes in wind like that before, the boat is quite OK with it, although it is a very wet ride. The hatch has an annoying way of hinching forward in a pounding, letting water down below unless you latch it to the hatchboards and have no access below. In ocean swells the whole experience gets to be too much. As a light boat, it is quite corky. I may put gripping wrap on the tiller too, slippery when wet. The jacklines were set, I was in harness, the keel was locked down. Why was I out in it? Because it was my long weekend! The new boom arrived, so here we go again.

 

[Dan]

Good for you

I understand the only-day-off problem only too well. Usually, the wind is NOT blowing on mine, though!