Do's and Don'ts of sailing in Gale/Force 8+

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duncan_m

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Hi all,

I was out sailing on Sunday in the Solent in some pretty windy conditions (30-35kts gusting 40kts) in a 37ft Sun Odyssey which was great fun.

It struck me while I was out that while my intuition lead most of my decisions and overall it was a cracking sail, that there must be a raft of advice and tactics to sailing in these conditions.

Based on who I had on the boat I kept things very simple and took beam reaches for the worst of the sea with only enough Genoa out to give the sail some shape (avg speed was ~8kts)...

Comments, advice & ideas invited!
 
cOAST OF DEATH !!!!!

According to the local paper a Norweigian yachtsman cheated death hen his 40 footer hit a submerged object a mile offshore.He was able to sail the boat to the coast and sramble ashore near Muxia...la costa de muerte.Now awaitinf insurance payout to get new boat..he thought the natives kind and helpful Voz de Galicia To day
 
mogy said:
According to the local paper a Norweigian yachtsman cheated death hen his 40 footer hit a submerged object a mile offshore.He was able to sail the boat to the coast and sramble ashore near Muxia...la costa de muerte.Now awaitinf insurance payout to get new boat..he thought the natives kind and helpful Voz de Galicia To day
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Sorry! got mixed up.
 
We were out racing at the same time. The OOD routed us round a mark where there are overfalls and it was the waves that caused us problems, not helped by being hard on the wind. So I guess the best advice is to stay in a protected area like the Solent.
 
Some Good Reading And Make Sure Your Anchor Is Ready

Duncan_M this subject is as big as the planet in sailing terms. I suggest the following good books which cover all aspects of sailing in big winds; some of the guidance will be more relevant to ocean crossing but never the less plenty of good advice and tips for those coastal bashes: -

1. Heavy Weather Sailing; Peter Bruce
2. Close To The Wind; Pete Goss
3. Safety and Survival At Sea; ECB Lee and Keneth Lee
4. Venturesome Voyages; J.C. Voss

Big wind sailing is much the same as normal wind sailing except that the loading on your equipment is massive and if it goes wrong it usually happens far faster and the solution is more difficult to execute. If your boat is well found and navigated with wind and tides in mind then all should be OK.

My single bit of advice would be to check everything before you go out for a bash in strong winds and make sure that you can deploy your anchor without unnecessary delay. With a good blow, sails down, little sea room, and a sudden dead engine it may be the rapid deployment of your anchor which prevents a good sail becoming an expensive prang.

Before I go out in big winds I walk through the boat and store everything properly and check that the hatches are closed. Friends and family's idea of wedging stuff behind bunks or the shallow shelves is not my idea of stowed properly.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Duncan_M this subject is as big as the planet in sailing terms. I suggest the following good books which cover all aspects of sailing in big winds; some of the guidance will be more relevant to ocean crossing but never the less plenty of good advice and tips for those coastal bashes: -

1. Heavy Weather Sailing; Peter Bruce
2. Close To The Wind; Pete Goss
3. Safety and Survival At Sea; ECB Lee and Keneth Lee
4. Venturesome Voyages; J.C. Voss

Big wind sailing is much the same as normal wind sailing except that the loading on your equipment is massive and if it goes wrong it usually happens far faster and the solution is more difficult to execute. If your boat is well found and navigated with wind and tides in mind then all should be OK.

My single bit of advice would be to check everything before you go out for a bash in strong winds and make sure that you can deploy your anchor without unnecessary delay. With a good blow, sails down, little sea room, and a sudden dead engine it may be the rapid deployment of your anchor which prevents a good sail becoming an expensive prang.

Before I go out in big winds I walk through the boat and store everything properly and check that the hatches are closed. Friends and family's idea of wedging stuff behind bunks or the shallow shelves is not my idea of stowed properly.
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Thanks for the book list, I'll get on reading..
 
I once sailed in the Solent in a wind averaging 45 knots, gusting to 55. It was a heavy classic 40 footer operated by a sailing school (the punters have paid to go out so out we go).

The first point is that the waves were short and no more than 4 ft high so nothing like the open sea. We beat up from Langstone to Cowes with the wind in the West, carrying a storm jub and 3 reefs in the main. The biggest problem was holding the boat's head into the wind. Once a wave pushed the bow away, the weight of wind in the jib made it hard to get her to head up so we made very slow progress.

It is rare to get wind without waves and the Solent is a special case. Normally heavy weather sailing is all about coping with the sea, not the wind. For example, going to windward in the open sea with F8-9 blowing, the big problem is not being blown off course but stalling as you sail up the steep face of a wave or being knocked down by a breaking sea. A beam reach in those conditions can get pretty nasty as you get the maximum effect from the waves. As a rule of thumb, a breaking wave whose height is >= the beam of the boat is enough to cause a capsize. When the seas get big, either head into them or run off.

Here are a few ideas for sailing in heavy weather short of survival conditions.

- Everyone above decks to be strapped on. A big sea or a roll can happen with little warning and you're swimming.

- Shut the hatches. A big sea going down the hatch is very inconvenient.

- make sure you have everything you need ready rigged for the next reduction of sail

- take whatever you need in the way of seasickness remedies.

- pay careful attention to stowage above and below decks, stuff flying around loose can be stressful.

- make sure that food and drink can be served. Performance can deteriorate fast if there is nothing but cold drinks and biscuits for hours.

- remember that waves go down as well as up - you need to allow at least half the maximum wave height to your depth calculations when going into shallow water. And remember that the sandbank you sail across happily in normal conditions can turn into a killer when there are big seas breaking on it.
 
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duncan_m said:
Hi all,

I was out sailing on Sunday in the Solent in some pretty windy conditions (30-35kts gusting 40kts) in a 37ft Sun Odyssey which was great fun.

How dare you take an AWB like that out in such weather! You know its not allowed as it will broach all over the place and probably fall apart. Hope you had a liferaft on board - ideally one for each crew member.

Glad you enjoyed it.
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Take care with beam reaches a breaking wave slightly higher than your beam width can roll you. If you can sail off wind the wake tends to calm the waves.

Other obvious things:
Reef early.
As has been said, make sure everything is tied down or stowed securely. Check that the 'locks' on the top of the gimballed stove are closed and batteries are tied down.
Make sure alll hatches are secure.
Block the hole the anchor chain goes down.

Most of those things should be done before any passage. One thing about sailing in strong winds is just how beautiful the sea is with foam running down the front of the waves. That's until the wind goes up over seventy knots and you can't see anything because of the spray in the air - not the bows or even the top of the mast, it's awesome.
 
Heavy weather sailing

Here is my tuppence worth:

PREPARATION FOR HEAVY WEATHER
This may mean a Force 5 for a small family cruiser with inexperienced crew or a Force 8 for a well found large yacht and a strong experienced crew.

1. Obtain full weather forecast and be aware of weather changes pending and possibility of crossed seas from large wind shifts.
2. Plan passage so that ports of refuge are not on lee shores and away from tidal races, wind over tide situations and areas near shoals where the waves are refracted.
3. Issue sea sickness pills.
4. Charge batteries.
5. Remove mainsail, and stow in bag below decks, secure boom to deck, set up forestay for storm jib, if appropriate. Rig trysail.
6. Remove dodgers, fold or remove sprayhood.
7. Check all portlights, scuttles are fully closed. Fit or have ready ventilator covers. Attach hatchway and window storm screens. Fit dorade blank covers. Block hawsepipe with cork or plasticine.
8. Prepare in position any drag devices (sea anchor or warps) and associated gear as it may be difficult and dangerous to open cockpit lockers during storm.
9. Close all seacocks, pump heads through. Place a sign by engine starter button to say that engine inlet seacock is closed.
10. Plot position and, if a survival situation is anticipated, report position and intentions to Coastguard if within range. Keep a towel by the chart table to help keep charts dry. Continue to log the barometer reading regularly.
11. Check security of all gear below, particularly heavy items such as tool kits and batteries.
12. Put on appropriate heavy weather clothing.
13. Check grab bag is ready. Pack spare clothing, bedding, matches, lavatory paper, food, water, hand held VHF, spare flares, 1st Aid kit, TPAs and any other important items in heavy duty polythene bags if not already in grab bag.
14. Pump bilges. Check handles are secured close to pump with a lanyard.
15. Put washboards into position, check security lanyards. Consider rigging a rope lattice within cockpit.
16. Check security of all lockers and drawers down below. Tape up all lockers without positive locking arrangements. Rig lee cloths in saloon berths.
17. Check cockpit and anchor well drains are free. Use, if necessary, dinghy pump to blow debris clear.
18. Check all deck gear is secure, particularly: anchor, spinnaker pole, liferaft, winch handles, man overboard recovery gear. Check floating lights work.
19. Check halyards are free and well secured. Frap or secure all spare halyards.
20. Check navigation lights, hoist radar reflector if not permanently fixed. Check VHF, jackstays.
21. Stow inflatable dinghy below.
22. Consider changing gas cylinder and changing torch batteries where necessary.
23. Make up sandwiches and thermos of hot drinks.
24. Give everyone a good meal.
25 Secure all loose items below.
26. Position bagged sails to provide soft landing for crew.
27. All to know where grab bags, sharp knife are located, remind of need for good look out and knowledge of MAYDAY procedures.
28. Check location of rigging cutters, check lanyard is secure.
29. Establish watch system, if not already operating. No more than 2 hours on watch, depending on weather. Of duty watch to get as much rest as possible, warm waterproof clothing close to hand.
30. Check linkage on wheel steering, if wheel fitted.
31. Complete engine check.
32. Brief everyone
IF IN DOUBT DO NOT PUT TO SEA

Sticky
 
KellysEye said:
. One thing about sailing in strong winds is just how beautiful the sea is with foam running down the front of the waves. That's until the wind goes up over seventy knots and you can't see anything because of the spray in the air - not the bows or even the top of the mast, it's awesome.
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Hm! Good words but... your blog shows you sh@t yerselves in very brief downwind F8 transat and haven't been near an ocean since then!
 
- Stay clear of windward side of shallows, changing depths will alter the shape of waves, and usually not in a good sense.

- Wind vs tide make a huge difference. Make sure you know your streams.

- Parachute jumping: it's not the jump that kills you, it's the landing. Sailing: as long as you have sea room, you should be OK, it's the lee shore that kills.

- Don't try to point to high. When the wind picks up, I keep the traveller to leeward. This keeps the boat a bit more upright, and gives me more speed/power to deal with waves. What I hate about heavy weather sailing is the three-wave-effect: over the first, the second stops the boat, and the third kicks your nose to windward. That's what happens with a 3-ton 31ft boat in hard weather.

- Going downwind as the wind picks up is dangerous, before you know, you'll be over canvassed. Never cary more sail that you are willing to carry upwind. What if someone false over board on that nice downwind run?

- A boat is happier when being pulled than when being pushed. So downwind it's better to have a large headsail and no main than the reverse. Contrary to the rule above, oversizing the headsail when running downwind makes for a stable boat.

- Leave the kicker loose, so the main can spill wind in gusts. On the other hand a flat sail has less power. Anyone has an opinion on this one?

- If an object falls out of its storage inside, do not place it back, it means the storage is not secure (always funny to see students go back inside and place the same book in the same spot three times in a row)

- Heavy weather sailing relies heavily on preparation. When things don't go according to plan in heavy weather, even little things can be threatening, and they are hard to repair. Halyard breaks in F2: doh! Halyard breakes in F7: mother of f%*£%+/.//..£%***

- it's like drugs. Once you have sailed a bit in an F7, you wonder what all the hubbub was about when that F6 squall hit you last year. It gives you confidence in the boat.
 
Thank you to everyone who has offered advice on this subject, it makes for good reading/learning, especially Sticky's succinct list. Think I might actually print that out and laminate it for my chart table in preparation for our trip to Egypt tomorrow.
 
kingfisher said:
- Leave the kicker loose, so the main can spill wind in gusts. On the other hand a flat sail has less power. Anyone has an opinion on this one?
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Can't say I've heard that one before. Why would the kicker prevent you from spilling wind?
I'm coming from a dinghy perspective but have done a fair bit of sailing in stronger conditions, and it's considered a distinct disadvantage to adpot a reefing system which requires you to remove the kicker at any point.

AFAIK, the kicker is vital in depowering the sails, and when sailing off the wind, can prevent the sail from bellying and the boom kicking up (I think the result of this is a 'Chinese Gybe'?)
 
Many interesting comments here.

I do agree that F8 in the Solent is a very different proposition to the same wind strength in deep open water.

My only experience of sailing in really heavy weather ( 30 years ago last August ;)) was that it was a good idea to keep the boat moving through the water. This allows you to - to some extent at least - steer you way through the waves ( assuming its daylight! ). So we sailed a beam reach with storm jib only. We made about 8 kts in 70kts of wind. ( One of the helmsmen later said it was the best sail he had ever had! ) Although it may be conventional wisdom, it seems to me that putting long lines out the stern and taking all sail off seems to put you in real danger. As a really big wave approaches and lifts up the transom, there is a real danger of the stern trying to overtake the bow - result a pitchpole or a big broach that could easily turn into a rollover.

The OP took the decision to go out knowing the fx - sounds like it was a great day out. :D
 
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