capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Agree with all that too. Especially MOB under sail.
Beats working for a living!!
Beats working for a living!!
Controlled gybe in strong winds
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
snooks
Well-Known Member
@neil In the real world, ie cruising not racing, there would be few times when you would have to gybe from a beam reach... In most circumstances I would gradually bear away until onto a very broad reach (or shy run) then sheet in as you describe.
As for gybing in strong winds, best advice is don't, unless you have to
The only time I've found myself having to gybe in 30+ knots and a couple metre seas we didn't 
Instead we hardened up, tacked and bore away again. In those seas it was far easier to control as the boat wasn't rolling or surfing during the manoeuver. There were only two of us on board and we were cruising, not racing, so had time to maker a longer winded safer manoeuver.
In a fully crewed race boat with a big wide cockpit, gybing can be done a lot easier and quicker, and speed is a priority (sometimes above the boat and it's fittings).
As for gybing in strong winds, best advice is don't, unless you have to
The only time I've found myself having to gybe in 30+ knots and a couple metre seas we didn't Instead we hardened up, tacked and bore away again. In those seas it was far easier to control as the boat wasn't rolling or surfing during the manoeuver. There were only two of us on board and we were cruising, not racing, so had time to maker a longer winded safer manoeuver. In a fully crewed race boat with a big wide cockpit, gybing can be done a lot easier and quicker, and speed is a priority (sometimes above the boat and it's fittings).
Neil
Well-Known Member
Despite the couple of wanderings from the thread, it has made interesting reading. However, I'm still not certain whether or not, in strong winds, there is enough speed (from the headsail) and momentum to take you through the gybe without letting the mainsheet out going from beam to broad reach, before sheeting in to centre the main going through the gybe.
I do know I tried to heave to from a close reach in order to let the ferry out of the harbour and the boat just kept ploughing on.......
The example I was referring to was artificial; close maneuvering in a confined space in F7 would probably be more akin to racing, of which I have no experience whatsoever. We were just practicing the technique under strong wind conditions, when getting it right is more important.
I do know I tried to heave to from a close reach in order to let the ferry out of the harbour and the boat just kept ploughing on.......
The example I was referring to was artificial; close maneuvering in a confined space in F7 would probably be more akin to racing, of which I have no experience whatsoever. We were just practicing the technique under strong wind conditions, when getting it right is more important.
pagoda
Well-Known Member
@neil In the real world, ie cruising not racing, there would be few times when you would have to gybe from a beam reach... In most circumstances I would gradually bear away until onto a very broad reach (or shy run) then sheet in as you describe.
As for gybing in strong winds, best advice is don't, unless you have to
In a fully crewed race boat with a big wide cockpit, gybing can be done a lot easier and quicker, and speed is a priority (sometimes above the boat and it's fittings).
+1 I think....
The critical thing not really highlighted is the sea state. If you have 25 ish Kts real wind - in open sea, it is fairly big & lumpy.
To do the gybe safely, and stay in control needs somebody on the helm paying serious attention. The chances of surfing as you bear away are pretty good, which is all very well, but you need to introduce the wind to the other side of the mainsail carefully as your stern comes round.
A following / aft quarter sea is quite capable of turning it all into a broach.
Much faster than you can dump the main...
In sheltered flattish water 25Kts is great fun. Outside... it's the water that needs real respect in the procedure.
Son #1 brought our boat back from WHYW some years ago with a snapped boom (just aft of the kicker). Racing in fairly strong winds- a gybe went wrong
.. He's more careful these days. 
Graeme
Mrnotming
Well-Known Member
We had very bad and lumpy seas of Cap Couronne, Golf of Fos the other day, so we tacked rather than risked gear failure, and it was a tame affair compared to the shock of a gybe even doing one's best to haul in.
I secure the kicker with a length of webbing at the mast foot as a weak link, but decided to preserve this weak link this occasion as I had just replaced it after an earlier in the week involuntary gybe whilst goosewinging.
I secure the kicker with a length of webbing at the mast foot as a weak link, but decided to preserve this weak link this occasion as I had just replaced it after an earlier in the week involuntary gybe whilst goosewinging.
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awol
Well-Known Member
I would like to make it quite clear that the word "useless" was used only for comic effect. It in no way reflects on the wonderful skills of the essential members of my crew who may from time to time have performed this invaluable service. I may even go against the habit of a lifetime and buy them a drink!
jimi
Well-Known Member
to those that spoke of tacking round, in an early post on this thread I spoke of wearing round when short handed rather than gybing, I think this is technically the correct expression ;-) for this manouvre!
awol
Well-Known Member
I regret, sir, to correct you but wearing ship is synonymous with gybing. With a square rigged vessel tacking was fraught with risk and wearing ship was often chosen as preferable despite the loss of ground to windward.
jimi
Well-Known Member
you'd better fix this then!
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wear+round
Verb 1. wear round - turn into the wind;
Mrnotming
Well-Known Member
Wearing as not in trousers?
Has the term "wearing ship to do with Lateen rig, where the upper spar has to be made upright and swung around the foot of the mast ?Sort of optimist rig with the spar sticking out much more to for'ard?Nile comes to mind.
Wish I had my Dixon Kemp Manual of Yacht and boat sailing (1897 ed.) with me to peruse.
I'm at the mercy of those in yacht club libraries, ensconced in sumptious leather armchairs!
Or maybe I should just Google it!
Has the term "wearing ship to do with Lateen rig, where the upper spar has to be made upright and swung around the foot of the mast ?Sort of optimist rig with the spar sticking out much more to for'ard?Nile comes to mind.
Wish I had my Dixon Kemp Manual of Yacht and boat sailing (1897 ed.) with me to peruse.
I'm at the mercy of those in yacht club libraries, ensconced in sumptious leather armchairs!
Or maybe I should just Google it!
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Best they do....I was always taught that wearing is to Gybe and google mostly agrees
http://www.seatalk.info/cgi-bin/nau...gi?db=db&view_records=1&uid=default&Term=wear
awol
Well-Known Member
Seajet
...
Wearing ship was basically a square rigger tactic, when they couldn't be persuaded to tack they had to bear away and gybe round; that in itself explains the poor progress to windward and becoming wrecked on lee shores one sees so much evidence of in old photo's etc, one could point quite well but lose a tremendous amount of ground doing that !
As for gybing yachts, I certainly didn't mean 'do it just this way' but to use judgement and choose how to suit conditions, boat and crew, I'd hoped that came across but apologies if it didn't.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
jimi
Well-Known Member
Sounds as if wearing is gybing instead of tacking, so it maybe also applies to tacking instead of gybing ie doing the long but safer way round to get to the desired point of sail? Perhaps derived from wearing the crew out to get the boat round?
awol
Well-Known Member
Give in ye wee nyaff - ye'r wrang!
jimi
Well-Known Member
As ever, when the debater descends to abuse, he loses the argument. I will wear the victory garland with my accustomed grace and humility.
Seajet
...
Actually Jimi I think you're right; while the original 'wear around' was to gybe instead of tacking, I've heard it used the other way on modern boats, TBH usually inexperienced racing dinghy crews who didn't fancy gybing in strong winds; I thought at the time 'technically wrong, but it does follow the spirit of 'wearing'.
awol
Well-Known Member
Oh, come on. Just 'cos AWBs are too chicken to gybe doesn't give them the authority to call black white. This used to be a noble seafaring nation with pride in its traditions and seamanship and if wearing ship meant putting it's arse through the wind for Nelson, Collingwood et al, it surely still means the same.
Hrumph!
Hrumph!
snooks
Well-Known Member
Even my iPhone dictionary agrees:
"To bring a ship about by turning her head away from the wind"
Sounds like gybing to me
"To bring a ship about by turning her head away from the wind"
Sounds like gybing to me
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