Bit blowy in the Solent yesterday afternoon

[jaminb]

I took two experienced sailor out yesterday for some heavy weather sailing. It gusted 40 knots and with wind over tide there were 2m swells. It was the roughest conditions I have been out in.

We knew the forecast, the boat and the sailing area.

We had an issue with the lazy Genoa sheet whipping out the fairlead and wrapping it’s self around the windward sheet so we could not gybe or reduce the Genoa further. Managed to untangle, then the lazy jack pulley sheared off the mast but managed to zip up the stack pack tidy the loose lines.

As we approached Cowes we were the only pleasure vessel out. The ferry’s and fast cat were still running.

We’re we foolish or sensible for building experience in such weather but in a relatively controlled situation? I wouldn’t have chosen to go out singlehanded or with an inexperience crew in the forecast conditions.

 

[ashtead]

If you were out in an challenger 60 just an average days sailing. Downwind with only a Genoa to Cowes ? Doesn’t sound pleasurable but all depends on vessel I guess.

 

[Supertramp]

I think it's part of building confidence in yourself and the boat. There are many problems that magically appear when conditions get more challenging. I did something similar a few months ago and got a really useful list including changes to jib sheeting arrangements, finding a small hank on jib, adding non slip strips on deck, discovering how to balance the boat in 30knts and not least to open the deck drain seacock before hitting big seas!

Much better to learn by practice when fully crewed than when tired, caught out and singlehanded.

 

[William_H]

Well in a way you were foolish to go out in forecast conditions. It is just not worth the risk of danger but more likely frightening crew. Yet quite an achievement to get home in one piece with that experience behind you. Yes lazy jib sheet should always be pulled in to take out slack. Load it on to winch ready for next tack/gybe. (but you know that now) Well done ol'will

 

[Sandy]

We’re we foolish or sensible for building experience in such weather but in a relatively controlled situation? I wouldn’t have chosen to go out singlehanded or with an inexperience crew in the forecast conditions.

Sounds perfectly sensible to me. You don't learn anything if you don't explore the edges of the envelope.

Single handed those conditions should be OK with a third reef. Sea room in Lake Solent might cause an issue depending on the wind direction.

Did you experiment with heaving to or lying ahull? After being caught out in a F8 gusting F9 I sat ahull in Tees Bay waiting for the tide to get into Hartlepool. By then the wind had had moderated a F6 and the boat sat very comfortably for a pot of tea and a meal.

 

[bignick]

I’d say it was reasonable to do this, provided you make appropriate preparations and then take care.
Say you’re planning on doing some long passages in the future. You need to be prepared. So how do you prepare for what you may unintentionally get caught out in the future, if you don’t sail in challenging conditions intentionally from time to time?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We were racing in Cowes til about 1600. There were literally hundreds of other boats out. It was certainly pretty windy, beyond what we’d normally race in, in an XOD, but all 3 of us quite experienced in the boat. 40 knots, no way, though in the convergence near Gurnard, it was more than we had. Egypt point was grim, there was a nasty MOB incident, the race got abandoned. Weather wise though, a fairly blowy day on The Solent.

 

[jaminb]

We turned round at Yarmouth at 16.00 when it got really windy and arrived back at Cowes just after 18.00 when anyone sensible was already tucked up in their berths. We heard the MOB on the radio but was as a bit confused with everything else going on and the Coastguard had a strong foreign accent.

Thanks for the encouragement, it was supposed to be a test of my nerves and the boats ability. I now have every confidence in the boat!

 

[steveeasy]

Even on a busy day on lake Solent you’d struggle to have a space problem. I enjoy more boats on the water.
If you don’t have too much sail singlehanded is fine and defiantly the right thing to go out on a bad day. Sounds like you had fun.
Steveeasy

 

[harvey38]

Three experienced sailors, a known boat and a familiar sailing ground in heavy weather sounds very sensible to me.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We were off the water by 1630 tis true. We stuck around for a bit to hear any news about the MOB, then went by road to Yarmouth. Full on ebb tide, the water was flecked all over. I’m sure the usual places, Black Rock, Hamstead Ledge, Egypt point etc were pretty grim by then. There’s another usually unmentioned bit off the river outside Lymington too. It’s unusually short and steep almost anywhere in the western Solent, and the shorter your boat, the worse it feels. We came close to burying the bow at one point on the way back to Cowes, the ebb having started about 1430 there.

 

[AndrewL]

The MOB ended in tragedy
WOMAN DIES AFTER FALLING OVERBOARD FROM BOAT OFF COWES

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We were aware. I don’t think I should add anything, pending the enquiry.

 

[Wansworth]

Years ago a well equipped contessa 32 was making to sea out of Littlehampton harbour and was stopped by the harbour aster as the storm cones had been set on the pier,the crew wanted to test their boat prior to a round britain race

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Years ago a well equipped contessa 32 was making to sea out of Littlehampton harbour and was stopped by the harbour aster as the storm cones had been set on the pier,the crew wanted to test their boat prior to a round britain race

It was nowhere close to that yesterday. We ‘might’ have had a gust up to 30kn, momentarily, while we were still sailing. The bit where we nearly buried it maybe, we did have the kite up at the time. In no way was sailing irresponsible yesterday afternoon in Cowes.

 

[doug748]

.....
We had an issue with the lazy Genoa sheet whipping out the fairlead and wrapping it’s self around the windward sheet so we could not gybe or reduce the Genoa further. Managed to untangle, then the lazy jack pulley sheared off the mast but managed to zip up the stack pack tidy the loose lines.......

In quickly deteriorating inshore conditions, I think a lightly crewed boat does well to get a lot of headsail in before anything else. It's counter intuitive, we tend to first think about the main, as it can entail going on deck and we want to get it over with. However, it is the big genoa that frequently causes real problems, often wraps and snags which wind up involving a much worse trip to the foredeck .

Singlehanded, it can very difficult to reduce a big headsail without furling it and starting again, often at the cost or drama in poor conditions.

.

 

[jaminb]

The MOB ended in tragedy
WOMAN DIES AFTER FALLING OVERBOARD FROM BOAT OFF COWES

Very sad and sobering to hear that news

 

[dunedin]

Three experienced sailors, a known boat and a familiar sailing ground in heavy weather sounds very sensible to me.

I didn’t see the forecast for the Solent on the day in question, but a well found boat with experienced crew and suitable preparation should be fine there in “40 knot gusts”. Certainly I have sailed on a charter boat in these conditions in the Solent, and all the sailing school boats were out and about as well. Two inexperienced crew chose the ferry home from Cowes, which was perfectly fine, but the rest of us enjoyed a safe sail back under triple reefed (NB. I was experienced crew not the skipper - if not an expensive weekend charter, if skipper on own boat I would not have taken out inexperienced crew unless very keen, to avoid putting them off,)

 

[Concerto]

jaminb you did nothing wrong. You all wanted to test out heavy weather sailing and you certainly have learnt the boat can take it. Usually it is the crew that gives up first. I have just completed a singlehanded round Britain trip in my Westerly Fulmar and I will always sail with a forecast of up to force 7, however 4 days went to force 8 and 1 day to force 9. Knowing what to do in windspeeds you do not normally sail with is very important and should be learnt before high winds catch you unawares. Also you may have been in rougher water due to the constrictions of land squeezing the tide and causing a venturi effect, made worse if wind over tide. The main point of sailing in strong winds in the Solent is you are still in relativelysheltered waters. Personally you should have exited the Solent for more open water and you would have had waves that are more manageable as the wavelength would be longer and with less reflected waves. There is such a difference in the wave formations when you go coastal sailing and an even greater difference when reaching open water with a full Atlantic swell.

If you have not read the threads on my trip, I suggest you read them over the winter. Yes I am an experienced sailor, but many points I make might give you information you should find useful. Also the videos show some of the conditions I was sailing in and water conditions. All are available via my about me tab.

Finally a few questions. What type of boat were you sailing. Exactly where were the 2m waves. What was the windspeed normally and in the gusts. How much sail were you carrying. Did you or your crew feel unsafe or the boat could not handle the conditions.

 

[capnsensible]

As ones sailing experience grows, I see nothing wrong in pushing further on.

Preparation, preparation......adventure!

Worked for me.