Dealing with waves on a beam reach

[wanzap1]

Hi guys,

I'm new to sailing and wondering what is the best method to improve comfort whilst sailing on a beam reach in a chop.

This weekend I was out in a nice breeze of about 12 knts. I was sailing headsail only due to a technical problem with the main. Progress was good but the wind cause a steep chop (like a powerboat wake) coming beam-on making the boat roll. There was no saefty concern but after an hour it was getting tiring. Any techniques, other than changing my point of sail, to improve comfort or minimise roll?

 

[Kukri]

In a well developed beam sea, luff for each crest and bear away as it passes. In a chop, the seas are not big enough for that to be practical so point higher, then lower.

 

[VicS]

Probably find that the manisail will help .

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Hi guys,

I'm new to sailing and wondering what is the best method to improve comfort whilst sailing on a beam reach in a chop.

This weekend I was out in a nice breeze of about 12 knts. I was sailing headsail only due to a technical problem with the main. Progress was good but the wind cause a steep chop (like a powerboat wake) coming beam-on making the boat roll. There was no saefty concern but after an hour it was getting tiring. Any techniques, other than changing my point of sail, to improve comfort or minimise roll?

Two factors involving the non-use of the mainsail caused your difficulty.
First, the main provides a steadying inertia factor that you would even use if you were motoring, to damp the rolling.
Second, the aerodynamic synergy provided by the combination of the two sails is "greater than the sum of the parts" - the low power you were getting from just the jib/genoa was not enough to move you fast enough to overcome the 'wallowing' that you would experience at slow speed in those conditions. Sailing efficiently is the solution.

 

[lw395]

As Minn says, try steering up and down each wave if they're big enough.
Otherwise be prepared to deviate from your intended course.
Sailing higher and then lower to manage the rolling can result in better progress.

This weekend, where I was, the wind was coming off the land, so a short chop was developing inshore.
In this case, heading more inshore would give less waves, no need to go too close and lose the breeze under the cliff though.

Sometimes having more or less sail up will help, your main might have damped the motion.

Spending time sailing your boat will let you develop the best ways to handle it in different conditions.

 

[wanzap1]

Thanks for the advice all.

I was averaging 5.5knts for the first hour, the wind dipped and I dropped to 4.5. This was on a lough (lough neagh) and the chop was very tight and steep albeit it only small.

Next time I'll probalby bring it downwind a little. (and use the main!)

 

[rotrax]

Lough Neagh is a bugger for short steep chop in a breeze.

The mainsail will be of great assistance in future.

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Probably find that the manisail will help .

+1 always more comfortable with the main up

 

[William_H]

As said the mainsail up will probably help. However the problem is that modern sail boats rely on form stability. That means that the flat bottom if exaggerated provides the righting power rather than the pendulum effect of a heavy keel. That pendulum effect only becomes really effective beyond 45 degrees of heel.
So the hull relies on the buoyancy of the turn of the bilge chine area to keep the boat flat. But if the water it is in takes on a slope as in a wave then inevitably the boat heel will follow the slope of the water. (wave front or back).
So a rolling motion is a bit inevitable in a modern boat. A deep long keel hull with a vee shaped profile will rely more on pendulum effect of the keel so stay flatter regardless of the waves. But will be initially very tender and heel easily at first. So as said change your direction related to the waves or put up with it. ol'will

 

[johnalison]

In the circumstances described, only a change of course would have helped much, but I always maintain that a cruising boat is more comfortable when fully driven anyway, whatever the course. There is nothing more nauseating that lolling around in the waves after the wind has dropped and one hasn't got round to shaking out the reef.

 

[geem]

In the circumstances described, only a change of course would have helped much, but I always maintain that a cruising boat is more comfortable when fully driven anyway, whatever the course. There is nothing more nauseating that lolling around in the waves after the wind has dropped and one hasn't got round to shaking out the reef.

I couldnt agree more. It always surprises me when we see yachts sailing with full jib, no main on a beam reach. Why not balance the boat with both sails, reefed if necessary. More comfortable in my experience and easier on the autopilot

 

[RupertW]

I couldnt agree more. It always surprises me when we see yachts sailing with full jib, no main on a beam reach. Why not balance the boat with both sails, reefed if necessary. More comfortable in my experience and easier on the autopilot

Depends on the boat - ours is very sensitive to weather helm with the wind around the beam and has a horrible tendency to round up regardless of what you do with the wheel. But it’s a safe and a joy to sail if you balance it right - right for the boat, not my preconceived ideas.

So we keep reefing the main as the wind gets up if it’s on the beam or aft of it, so by 30 knots it’s full jib only and the bait is balanced well with little light helm needed and enough sideways force in the jib to keep it from wallowing.

 

[johnalison]

Depends on the boat - ours is very sensitive to weather helm with the wind around the beam and has a horrible tendency to round up regardless of what you do with the wheel. But it’s a safe and a joy to sail if you balance it right - right for the boat, not my preconceived ideas.

So we keep reefing the main as the wind gets up if it’s on the beam or aft of it, so by 30 knots it’s full jib only and the bait is balanced well with little light helm needed and enough sideways force in the jib to keep it from wallowing.

I wouldn't deny that your boat could be well driven with just a jib I 30 knots wind, but I was making a more general point. One reason that makes sailing on jib alone unappealing to me is that if the wind gets up in can be hard work to furl the sail, whereas with the main up as well is is a simple matter to bear off and blanket most of the pressure on the sail, when the lack of flogging is kinder on the sail.