Open up the Rudder:

[pjacobs55]

Doug,Thanks for the link to your videos. Osprey was a beautiful boat.Peterwww.sintacha.com

 

[dougpol1]

Well Tom, I don't understand your
coment maybe I don't have enough information. Maybe you were
beating off a lee shore? I managed a couple of weeks cruising in
July and was caught up in a squall. I saw it coming and was ready.
I have no idea what the wind speed was? Strong Id say. We
rolled up the Jenny pretty small and had a double reef in the
main. We turn and ran some off the wind taking wind off the stern
quarter. The wind eased a little and sailed about 55 degress to
windward. WE may have healed 25-28 degrees for short periods in
gusts but but I don't think for the most part we were ever down
more that 20 deg. The boat sailed very fast. We had some helm but
it was never excessive for very long. Of course healing and helm
can be excessive for short periods of time but that is ,I don't
think what causes rudder problems. Heavy helm loads for hours on
end crushes the glass around the rods coming off the rudder post
and allows the rudder to move back and fourth against the
stainless until the whole thing weakens. That is the fault of the
sailor. Heavy helm is a balance problem. Any way I try not to
put my boat under a heavy strain for long hours at a time.
Doug

 

[tomfentonvega2977beowulf]

Thanks for the further detail Doug. We just wanted to keep going on the course we had planned. Cruising in the Med seems bedeviled with light airs (or none at all) so that when you get a chance to sail, you take it. We did three days journey in one that day. I entirely take your point that severe weather helm and balance are the responsibility of the sailor, or in my case the skipper, becuase my wife was helming and I didnt realise as soon as I should have how much weather helm she was fighting. As soon as I did and let out some main we were much better balanced, though still heeling well over. I totally agree that the boat is faster when properly reefed and more upright. Thanks again for drawing our attention to the effect of heel and weather helm on the rudder. Tom
Tom FentonSV Beowulf, V2977www.blog.mailasail.com/beowulf