So I went sailing in the small craft advisory weather...

[walt]

http://analogengineering.com/elevenmile/TI_AI.html

This was what I did last Saturday at 8600 feet in Colorado. I was working in the area that day and saw a Hobie TI drive by going to the lake (close by) so went down to check it out. It was white caps on and off on the lake with a windy forecast (way inland so no water craft advisories here). The Hobie TI owners were prepared for the conditions and I just happened to have my Hobie AI close by and a dry suit - so we went out and had an extremely fine sail. Both of these boats have a single sail that rolls up on the mast with infinite adjustments and the boats have a huge wind range - but it’s a wet ride which would be dangerous on this mountain lake if you don’t have the proper equipment. I wasnt taking any pictures in the big gusts..

This same day, there were two around 18 foot sailboats at this lake. I probably would have taken out my 26S that I have been sailing for years, probably would have NOT taken out my 15 foot dingy that I have also been sailing for years. Both of these sailboats that showed up at the lake that day had been recently purchased so limited experience with both crew and boat. One sailboat never left the parking lot - probably a good idea. The other guy did go out and had trouble with a boom roller reefed main - didn’t get far and turned back.

Depends on the boat, location, crew experience, etc. etc.. etc..

 

[Piotr]

Reading this thread i wonder...don,t you fellow sailors watch the colors in the sky anymore? I mean really look up, see the cloud formations. Watch What are they are doing up there? Don,t you know their meanings? Feel the wind on you face. Look at the state of the sea? Is it choppy? Wavy? White caps? Are they frothing off at the top? Look at your barometer, falling or rising? is it getting cooler? Warmer? Stickier? Check the horizon, If you are going out in your boat you should know what the changes in the world around you are telling you. Simple things Like red sun at night, sailors delight. These and many more sayings can guide your decisions.
Yes i have an iPhone, apps , gps, chart-plotter etc but nothing here is Actual Knowledge like being there, in it. Knowing what your boat can do, what you can do. When you know how to do these things then, you are a sailor. And unless you go out and do it you will forever be an armchair sailor. Real sailors know when to turn around and come back to harbor and when to go on. They know what their eyes are telling them by looking at how the world around them is reacting. all these new devices are great but out on the water its you, the captain, who decides the fate of all aboard.
Yes use everything you can can to make a pleasant voyage but make good real time decisions. We all have 20 20 hindsight.

Done all that. Chesapeake is very unpredictable. Based on the conditions in the marina and my knowledge I made a decision to go out. After I went out, I reassesed the conditions and came back. BTW, I know the exact wind speed because when we were motoring in (sails down) I asked my son to use the anemometer and it read 27-28 mph. Don't have barometer. Now I know the boat's limits.

 

[topcat0399]

Start out by knowing your limitations, and minimizing variables.

Make sure your boat is ready for the expected conditions, both in condition and type. Make sure your sails are up to the task. This means that they are sized for the conditions, ARE NOT BLOWN OUT, and are double reef-able on the main. Old blown out sails are terrible in big air, even when reefed you cannot de-power them.

PICK YOUR CREW WISELY. You should ideally be the least experienced person on the boat. No 13 never-sailed-before kids. People that can help and teach you, and not panic and do things wrong.

Baby steps. Start out double reefed and jib. Have someone calling puffs. Main should never be cleated. Sail close-hauled or bigger than a beam reach; easier on the boat. Boats hate to close reach in big air, so avoid that. Chicken gibe rather then risk a real gibe. Have a good MOB plan, including if the MOB is YOU.

All good advice Jackdaw. Thank you.

Unfortunately not all of those resources are available to some of us deeply land locked sailors. Sailboats are few and far between in these parts and when we travel to bigger waters we don't know anyone.

We desperately need a new mainsail and in big wind the main-sheet never leaves my hand. It helps that we have a high tolerance for risk and adventure in our crew.

How many people die in bathroom accidents alone in the USA every year? How many die from sailing? How did Drake get all the way around the world in those leaky rotting old ships?

 

[Kings Gambit]

Facing a "sail" in the conditions you describe, I probably would not have gone out much further than the protected area in the lee of the shore you describe, or would have returned earlier. First, you were not prepared for the conditions; they were a surprise to you. This leads to the making of ad hoc decisions, not necessarily goods ones. Testing a boat's capabilities should be done under "controlled" conditions; so if there was a lack of knowledge or doubt about the integrity of the rigging, etc., you should not have proceeded into rough conditions with the crew you had. Also, taking any passenger/crew out for the first time in those conditions is foolhardy since you do not know whether sea sickness might also be a factor. Puking over the (low?) side while healing in excess of 30 degrees is dangerous for that crew. You might have wrecked the new kid's chance to fall in love with sailing by creating a highly negative early experience.

Finally, it does not matter about the SCA; whether you knew about it a priori as a "defense." An advisory is to warn you of the conditions in your weather zone so you do not blunder out and get helplessly caught in unsafe or hazardous conditions. Since you had been out there already the fact that you discovered the SCA upon return means nothing insofar as your decision to continue sailing for half an hour; you had first hand knowledge of the conditions and could have turned back before exposing you, your crew, and your vessel to conditions that you were not fully prepared for.

 

[Piotr]

Facing a "sail" in the conditions you describe, I probably would not have gone out much further than the protected area in the lee of the shore you describe, or would have returned earlier. First, you were not prepared for the conditions; they were a surprise to you. This leads to the making of ad hoc decisions, not necessarily goods ones. Testing a boat's capabilities should be done under "controlled" conditions; so if there was a lack of knowledge or doubt about the integrity of the rigging, etc., you should not have proceeded into rough conditions with the crew you had. Also, taking any passenger/crew out for the first time in those conditions is foolhardy since you do not know whether sea sickness might also be a factor. Puking over the (low?) side while healing in excess of 30 degrees is dangerous for that crew. You might have wrecked the new kid's chance to fall in love with sailing by creating a highly negative early experience.

Finally, it does not matter about the SCA; whether you knew about it a priori as a "defense." An advisory is to warn you of the conditions in your weather zone so you do not blunder out and get helplessly caught in unsafe or hazardous conditions. Since you had been out there already the fact that you discovered the SCA upon return means nothing insofar as your decision to continue sailing for half an hour; you had first hand knowledge of the conditions and could have turned back before exposing you, your crew, and your vessel to conditions that you were not fully prepared for.

Interestingly, you made a lot of statements based purely on your assumptions:
a) I never said I felt we were in danger. I do not believe we were. I turned back to make sure I do not get into a dangerous situation. b) while sailing, we are constatntly exposed to "surprises" and making ad hoc decisions; yes, the wind/waves were higher than I expected, but not so as to pose an immediate threat. Therefore, I stayed for 1/2 hour. You do not have a clue what YOU would have done, since you do not have the first hand experince (i.e. you weren't there) of the conditions I encountered. c) the SCA is just that, an advisory. Frankly, 25 kts is marginal for SCA. d) I never said I went out to "test the boat's ability." I went out to go sailing with two kids. Have I gone to do any tests, I would have asked an experience sailor to go with me.
I do appreciate your comments, though.

 

[Kings Gambit]

The question you asked was: "Would you have gone out in my situation?" Why ask that of a forum if your opinion now is that we have no clue what we would have done, not being there? Also, feeling in danger and being in danger are not the same thing; as I'm sure you know.

 

[Piotr]

The question you asked was: "Would you have gone out in my situation?" Why ask that of a forum if your opinion now is that we have no clue what we would have done, not being there? Also, feeling in danger and being in danger are not the same thing; as I'm sure you know.

Sorry, I re-read your post and you are correct. My bad.