Well there's a first time for everything. Out on the water yesterday with four friends. Wind blowing constant 18 kts and starting to top 20 consistently. Waves maybe 3 ft or 4. Mistakes I made: - Couldn't get main luff tight due to high wind and binding in luff track when we raised the sail. So had a little slack in the luff near the bottom. - Had main sheeted in too tight with traveler too close to center. - Forgot to ease topping lift after sail was hoisted. (Still not sure if this contributes to the problem.) - Sailing with too much heel. Felt the rudder go to full stop trying to turn off the wind a couple times. This should have warned me that I needed to make adjustments. - Had the Genoa unfurled only about 1/2. Was seriously thinking about a reef, when "Whooooooosh" we get hit by a gust and around we came -- right now. Can't quit analyzing it, and it's a day later. I've sailed all my life, on small boats, and this is only my second season with my 33.5. I guess this phenomenon doesn't occur on small boats because they just go over before they can get to this extreme. Been there, done that. It was too windy to deal with a reef after this point because the outhaul was jammed in the boom end, so we just dropped sail and motored back to the harbor. I was feeling pretty dejected because otherwise it was a beautiful sunny warm day, and here we were tucking tail and running. Next time I will be more prepared. I understand a lot of the mistakes I made with the main, but what about the jib. Should I have had more jib unfurled to counteract the problem of heading up? Or would a reefed main have most likely been all that was necessary? Comments appreciated.
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Gary Wyngarden
Broaching a 335
Geoff, I sail a 1992 335. My experience with her has been that her helm is more sensitive to total sail area up and consequent heeling than she is to fore and aft balance. I've actually broached with my asymetrical spinnaker and full main up. (An exciting day!) How big is your genoa? My suggestions are these: 1. Yes, reef down your main (didn't understand your comment about the jammed outhaul and inability to reef--you should still have been able to--please tell me more about this). At 18 knots I'd for sure have one reef in and above 20 two reefs in, particularly if you are beating up wind at all. 2. Ease your traveler to leeward as the wind builds. It will change your angle of attack on the wind. You may be backwinding the main a bit which will look sloppy. But it takes off a lot of sail pressure, heel, and weather helm without slowing your speed and it's very easy to do when things get gusty. Hope this helps. Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335 PS Don't be hard on yourself--think of it as a learning experience.
Geoff, I sail a 1992 335. My experience with her has been that her helm is more sensitive to total sail area up and consequent heeling than she is to fore and aft balance. I've actually broached with my asymetrical spinnaker and full main up. (An exciting day!) How big is your genoa? My suggestions are these: 1. Yes, reef down your main (didn't understand your comment about the jammed outhaul and inability to reef--you should still have been able to--please tell me more about this). At 18 knots I'd for sure have one reef in and above 20 two reefs in, particularly if you are beating up wind at all. 2. Ease your traveler to leeward as the wind builds. It will change your angle of attack on the wind. You may be backwinding the main a bit which will look sloppy. But it takes off a lot of sail pressure, heel, and weather helm without slowing your speed and it's very easy to do when things get gusty. Hope this helps. Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335 PS Don't be hard on yourself--think of it as a learning experience.
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Bill O'Donovan
Rules of thumb
1. Reef early. If as you go out it looks like's it's already 12-15, reef as you deploy the main. 2. If you choose not to reef, do not fly the foresail. It will definitely overpower you. Plus there's no need.
1. Reef early. If as you go out it looks like's it's already 12-15, reef as you deploy the main. 2. If you choose not to reef, do not fly the foresail. It will definitely overpower you. Plus there's no need.
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Paul
tight luff, rounding up
If your sail has full battens, you have to be absolutely dead-on head to wind to get the sail all the way up. The battens twist the slugs when there's pressure in the sails, and you and 10 winches won't be able to get the sail up all the way. As you probably already know, it's especially important to have a tight luff (a tight everything!) when the wind is up. Don't mind rounding up, it's a good thing! It's your line of defense against a knockdown, and nature's way of telling you that you have too much sail up. Rounding up is different than a broach where the boat is spun by external forces. Rounding up is the boat's hull shape turning it towards the wind when there isn't enough rudder in the water (or the rudder is tilted too much) to keep the boat tracking straight. Remember when you are overpowered and sailing close to the wind, pinch up in gusts, sort of like rouding-up-under-control. That will stand up the boat and slow you down, reducing the apparent wind. If you're on a beam reach or lower, bear away in the gusts. That keeps the boat flatter and the rudder in the water. On a light-wind or no-wind day, experiment with raising & lowering the sails at your dock or mooring. Also, go through the reefing drill. You don't want to wait until conditions are difficult to try these things on a new boat.
If your sail has full battens, you have to be absolutely dead-on head to wind to get the sail all the way up. The battens twist the slugs when there's pressure in the sails, and you and 10 winches won't be able to get the sail up all the way. As you probably already know, it's especially important to have a tight luff (a tight everything!) when the wind is up. Don't mind rounding up, it's a good thing! It's your line of defense against a knockdown, and nature's way of telling you that you have too much sail up. Rounding up is different than a broach where the boat is spun by external forces. Rounding up is the boat's hull shape turning it towards the wind when there isn't enough rudder in the water (or the rudder is tilted too much) to keep the boat tracking straight. Remember when you are overpowered and sailing close to the wind, pinch up in gusts, sort of like rouding-up-under-control. That will stand up the boat and slow you down, reducing the apparent wind. If you're on a beam reach or lower, bear away in the gusts. That keeps the boat flatter and the rudder in the water. On a light-wind or no-wind day, experiment with raising & lowering the sails at your dock or mooring. Also, go through the reefing drill. You don't want to wait until conditions are difficult to try these things on a new boat.
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Michel Sanscartier
Huters have big mains
I have a hunter 34 and compare to catalinas, mirages, C&Cs, the main is much bigger. Mine will run up in a gust at 20 when racing. It needs to be reefed early. It helps to take all the bag out of the sail and making it flat (boom vang, halyard, sheet, cunnigham, outhaul, everything). Otherwise, sail close to the wind, or have someone dump the main (lower the traveler) as soon as the boat reaches 20 degrees of heel. You can also let out the main sheet if you run out of traveler but it tends to let the main bag out and is not as effective as along traveller. In racing, weather helm forces the rudder to act as a brake and loses you speed. As Paul said rounding up is not big deal. You can see it coming and you tell the crew. If they can't dump the main then the boat switches direction 90 degrees to winward. Just watch for boats behind you they might get surprised!! It also fun to watch the eyes of the crew if they are on the winward rails.... they tend to get wet!!!
I have a hunter 34 and compare to catalinas, mirages, C&Cs, the main is much bigger. Mine will run up in a gust at 20 when racing. It needs to be reefed early. It helps to take all the bag out of the sail and making it flat (boom vang, halyard, sheet, cunnigham, outhaul, everything). Otherwise, sail close to the wind, or have someone dump the main (lower the traveler) as soon as the boat reaches 20 degrees of heel. You can also let out the main sheet if you run out of traveler but it tends to let the main bag out and is not as effective as along traveller. In racing, weather helm forces the rudder to act as a brake and loses you speed. As Paul said rounding up is not big deal. You can see it coming and you tell the crew. If they can't dump the main then the boat switches direction 90 degrees to winward. Just watch for boats behind you they might get surprised!! It also fun to watch the eyes of the crew if they are on the winward rails.... they tend to get wet!!!
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Richard Deep
Sailing in big winds
Geoff, Sailing on SF Bay always offers the opportunity of big winds. I have a H-31 with a 110% roller jib, and here's what works for me. Below 20kn, full main and jib 20-25kn, first reef in both main and jib 25-30kn, second reef in both main and jib Above 30kn, jib only. All of the comments about flat sails and traveller adjustment apply, as well as feathering in the gusts. Also, once the wheel is over about 1/4 of a turn, the rudder will stall and lose effectiveness, so resist the tempation to keep cranking over. Instead, "pump" the wheel back to center and over again to keep water flow attached to the rudder. Finally, an adage that has served me well out here: If you're even thinking about reefing, do it! It's far easier to shake a reef out if it's light than to put one in if it's blowin'.
Geoff, Sailing on SF Bay always offers the opportunity of big winds. I have a H-31 with a 110% roller jib, and here's what works for me. Below 20kn, full main and jib 20-25kn, first reef in both main and jib 25-30kn, second reef in both main and jib Above 30kn, jib only. All of the comments about flat sails and traveller adjustment apply, as well as feathering in the gusts. Also, once the wheel is over about 1/4 of a turn, the rudder will stall and lose effectiveness, so resist the tempation to keep cranking over. Instead, "pump" the wheel back to center and over again to keep water flow attached to the rudder. Finally, an adage that has served me well out here: If you're even thinking about reefing, do it! It's far easier to shake a reef out if it's light than to put one in if it's blowin'.
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Geoff in Ann Arbor
Thanks Gary, Bill, Paul, Michael and Richard
I will heed your advice and put it to practice. As to the jammed outhaul that Gary wondered about: I have three outhaul lines. One is attached to the clew, the other two are for reefing. The two that I have never used have loops in the outboard end formed by metal slugs instead of a splice (somebody's bright idea instead of learning how to splice.) I should have noticed these previously, and changed them, but since I had never had to reef they have been largely ignored. Anyway, the metal slugs were jammed in the boom end, and I could not get either one free while things were thrashing around. I could have just undone the one from the clew, but that was when I just decided to motor back. The advice about practicing in calm conditions would have solved this problem, and as I said initially, I will heed your excellent advice. Thanks again.
I will heed your advice and put it to practice. As to the jammed outhaul that Gary wondered about: I have three outhaul lines. One is attached to the clew, the other two are for reefing. The two that I have never used have loops in the outboard end formed by metal slugs instead of a splice (somebody's bright idea instead of learning how to splice.) I should have noticed these previously, and changed them, but since I had never had to reef they have been largely ignored. Anyway, the metal slugs were jammed in the boom end, and I could not get either one free while things were thrashing around. I could have just undone the one from the clew, but that was when I just decided to motor back. The advice about practicing in calm conditions would have solved this problem, and as I said initially, I will heed your excellent advice. Thanks again.
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