Putting pride aside - Novice Question

[Lpenrose]

We've had our Hunter 25.5 shoal draft for almost a year. I'm gradually getting better at sailing and I'm loving it. My previous sailboat was a 16' Hobie Catamaran. When I tipped it over, my wife refused to sail with me again. She said, "Get a boat that I don't have to worry about tipping over or getting hit with the boom"

All has been well until a couple of weeks ago. We only sail on Lake Chicamaugua near Chattanooga. She has been fine with a 15 - 20 degree tilt believing that it was near impossible to have a knock down with our boat on the lake. Then a boasting/experienced sailor/inebriated dock neighbor had fun telling her that it was quite possible that our boat could "tip over". Now, however much I try to assure her, she is fearful of a repeat from the catamaran. She knows it won't "turn turtle", but once we get around 15 degrees she is very fearful and panicking.

Here is my question for the forum: I know that with more wind I need less sail and that more sail gives more force for the wind to act on the boat. From a practical point, how much chance do we have of a knock down of our boat. It's probably complicated by a formula that looks at wind/amount of sail/point of sail/and some factors I'm not aware of. In a gust I can dump the main or I head more into the wind. I've learned to read the water and most of the time I can anticipate gusts before they reach the boat.

If this is a dumb question I'm willing to take the heat.

I'm hoping that I can use your replies to assure her (at some level) that it's normal for some healing and that we have little to worry about "knockdowns"

Leif and Shaloy Penrose

 

[digby sailor]

your boat cannot be knocked down by wind.The more the boat heals the more wind spills off the sails.The wieght of the keel(ballast) will see that she doesnt capsize due to wind.Knockdowns occur due to waves.The only way you will get knocked down due to wind is if your keel falls off the bottom of the boat.In high winds you reef or even drop the main and use your headsail.The reason to reef or reduce sail is to reduce heel on the boat which will increase performance and lessen excessive weather helm cause by the boat wanting to round up into the wind due to less rudder in the water.Your wife will get used to it if she gives it a chance.The is something so unnatural about being in a boat going through the water heeled over but once a person accepts the fact that these boats are designed to do this you can really enjoy the rush.Nothing like getting your rails wet.We had a race last year where over half the racers turned back due to high gusts...three of us finished and it took me hours to get the smile off my face.Assure your wife you have boat that has been designed by professionals with a certain amount of ballast and a certain amount of sail that will not allow your boat to get knocked down by wind but until she gets used to it stay ashore when its breezy so you dont sour her on the sailing experience.With any luck she will get over her edgyness sooner rather than later.....Have fun!Oh and I love the 25.5 nice beamy boat!

 

[seadaddler]

Hate

I hate when my wife at work and this guy would tell her about a boat accident
where a sailboat had sunk or some one fell over board or any related boating accident would shake her up and her not being a swimmer would make her more nervous out sailing with me.
My wife after many years of sailing first with our Hobie 16 & 18 and now Hunter 36 she still hates heeling over 20%.
Most times she is OK if I reef the sails to help keep the heeling down,I try letting her saill the boat more and more to get the feel of sailing and more understanding how the boat handles the wind.
Nick

 

[David in Sandusky]

Definitions and assurance

Capsize: turning over until your mast is down and your keel is up. The wind alone cannot capsize your boat. It would take a breaking wave greater than your beam in height (say 10 feet) taking you square on the beam to capsize your boat. Because such a wave takes a great fetch (distance of open water upwind of you), and considerable time to build you are in no danger if you head to port when the going gets rough. I doubt that there are ever 10 footers on Lake Chickamauga.

Knock-down: a tremendous gust of wind presses your sails down flat on the water (a 90 degree roll.) While quite rare, this can happen. Among 30+ personal acquaintances who sail lake Erie every summer, I have heard one account of a knock-down in 20 years of that skipper sailing. Because gale force storms are easy to avoid with modern weather forecasting, this knock-down (and others that I have read about) was caused by a powerful linear gust of wind coming off the top of approaching thunderclouds (or a strong front) while they were some miles away. Once the wind passes, the keel will quickly turn you upright again. What ever is not fastened down in the cabin will be adrift, and there may be some bumps and bruises, but no other damage would be expected. You can avoid this phenomenon by attending to the weather forecast, and getting off the lake when you see thunderstorms approaching.

Your boat sails best at about a 15 degree heel. Any more will slow you down, while it may feel more exciting. So it is good sailing, and good for your crew for you to learn how to control the heeling with your traveler, mainsheet, other sail tuning, and reefing when appropriate.

I applaud your concern for your crew. Taking care of the ones we love is the best way for sailing to become a joyful escape for both of you.

 

[Lpenrose]

Thanks for the replies...

I appreciate all three replies. They were thoughtful and encouraging.

Leif Penrose

 

[Hugh4753]

Re: Thanks for the replies...

Nothing short of a microburst or hurricane will knockdown the boat. At a certain point of heel the wind spills off the sail and the boat turns into the wind, now this can get sorta sporty but really nothing to worry about. Just adjust the sails to reduce the heel. When in doubt let it out!

 

[Don Guillette]

Lpenrose: I'm not familiar with the set up on your boat. Do you have a traveler? Let's assume you do. Let's also assume you're sailing closehauled and are hit by a heavy gust of wind and the boat heels over. The first thing you want to do is kill the power and the easiest way to do this is change the ANGLE OF ATTACK and how you do this is to drop the traveler. There are a number of reasons to use the traveler but the most important one is that when you move the traveler you're killing the power BUT not changing the shape of the sail. If you use the mainsheet or outhaul or whatever else you are changing the shape of the sail. Additionally, you may not have to mess with your jib as the traveler may correct your problem especially on a Hunter with a fractional rig. On a fractional rig the engine is the mainsail . On a masthead rig the jib is the engine. Here's why the shape of the sail does not change. Picture your screen door with a pin in one end that rides in a track on the floor. When you open your screen door does the shape of the screen change? Obviously, it doesn't. Same thing with your sail. Additionally, the advantage of using the traveler to get the boat back on its feet is when the gust passes you merely crank the traveler back to its original position and go merrily on your way.

My wife was the same way as your wife. She never liked the boat to be tippy (her words) and I really wanted her to go with me each time I took the boat out. I knew a lot of married guys on my dock in Long Beach, Ca and with a bunch of them I never saw the wife at the dock. I did not want to join them. When my boat started to heel my wifes first words would be to get it back straight. I'd ask her to take the helm so I could adjust the sail trim controls. She'd say Ok after you get the boat straight - a no win situation!! I solved the problem by leading all the sail trim controls to the helm. I even had Garhauer Marine build me a 2' long winch handle so I could trim the jib.

 

[dakno]

here's one more- most, if not all crusing boats of simillar size are designed so that a strong burst of wind will overpower the rudder forcing the boat to round up into the wind. Another way of saying this is u'r rudder does not have enough power to maintain heading in a burst of wind strong enough to put u'r boat horizontal.

 

[rfrye1]

Leif, Remember this, "reef early, reef often". We own a H376 and because of the large roach mainsail I have no problem reefing the main in 16-18kts. Keeps the boat on her feet, keeps my wife happy, and we sail much more comfortably.
Have fun. Bob

 

[DJN51]

Check out youtube video {huntercapsize02]Ive tried it on my 23.5 ,boat heads up every time.Maybe don,t let wife see it!

 

[Jim Ormond]

What the heck is that thing hanging from their mast?

 

[Paul F]

If you can, find a sailing course in your area. Ask your wife if she would join you in taking the course. Knowledge of how the sails work with the boat and how to sail may give her the confidence she needs to enjoy herself.