Have you set out only to turn back?
- Thread starter fireball
- Start date
Plomong
Well-known member
Ever set out only to turn back ???
Of course. Once did it three days in succession when trying to go West from Santander. Swell was just too high, much more than the weather forecast from RNE gave as its estimate. Entering San Vicente de la Barquera under the conditions would have been interesting, to say the least of it !!
Turning back, or turning in, is the skippers decision, but always taken considering the comfort of the Prime Passenger, also known as Lady Plomong.
We tend to turn in or back far more for comfort than for other reasons, mostly because Lady Plomong's tolerance for the motion of the ocean is rather lower than mine.
Plomong
Of course. Once did it three days in succession when trying to go West from Santander. Swell was just too high, much more than the weather forecast from RNE gave as its estimate. Entering San Vicente de la Barquera under the conditions would have been interesting, to say the least of it !!
Turning back, or turning in, is the skippers decision, but always taken considering the comfort of the Prime Passenger, also known as Lady Plomong.
We tend to turn in or back far more for comfort than for other reasons, mostly because Lady Plomong's tolerance for the motion of the ocean is rather lower than mine.
Plomong
Ru88ell
Active member
+1
...although I'd seen 32kts, and had a 44 footer drop onto us. Made for Yarmouth and sat it out listening to rescues on Ch16.
grumpy_o_g
Well-known member
Did it today. Realised it was time to turn back for home when I tried to pay for a sandwich and a drink at Barton Mills Roundabout on the A11 and found I didn't have my wallet on me 
fireball
New member
Did it today. Realised it was time to turn back for home when I tried to pay for a sandwich and a drink at Barton Mills Roundabout on the A11 and found I didn't have my wallet on me
had you already eaten the sandwich?!
whipper_snapper
New member
Absolutely! Most recently after we were hit by the squall in the video I just posted, rather than smash on into the wind we scooted into Manza bay for a quiet night sheltered behind the mangroves and sipping cold beer.
Seajet
...
Not exactly turned back, but I've diverted - or chosen not to sail & got the train back - a few times.
Once I took an old schoolfriend ( novice sailor ) out in my Carter 30, and the Solent was a lot nastier than advertised on the Sunday return trip; as the poor bloke hung over the rail, I suggested we could take the Monday off work & go into Cowes, which he seemed pretty keen on.
As we sailed up the Medina River I had the entertainment radio on as a sort of distraction, there was a traffic report of everyone at a standstill for miles on the M4.
My chum exclaimed " Lucky B*****ds ! I'd love to be in a traffic jam ! "
Once I took an old schoolfriend ( novice sailor ) out in my Carter 30, and the Solent was a lot nastier than advertised on the Sunday return trip; as the poor bloke hung over the rail, I suggested we could take the Monday off work & go into Cowes, which he seemed pretty keen on.
As we sailed up the Medina River I had the entertainment radio on as a sort of distraction, there was a traffic report of everyone at a standstill for miles on the M4.
My chum exclaimed " Lucky B*****ds ! I'd love to be in a traffic jam ! "
Last edited:
NPMR
Well-known member
2008 - 6 hours out from Falmouth to Brittany. Just not making progress into the completely wrong wind forecast; bouncing and getting wet in big seas, especially as we cleared the Lizard and sailing on our ear. Looked like we would be doing this for another 24-28 hours or perhaps even more.
So round we went and into Helford River. Back in a an hour or two! Gave up going to France that year and did the South Coast instead. I've been saying how unreliable the weather forecasts are these days, in my opinion, and now, when I think about it, surprised for how long this has been going on!
One time we were in Guernsey and saw a good few boats going out, including a Folkboat, which made us query our judgement that it was way too rough for us, but maybe they knew something we didn't....?
Anyway, a few hours later we saw most of them back again. The Folkboat was festooned with bedding, oilies and stuff, drying out on the boom and guardrails -everywhere! Guess they took a pasting and it made us feel a bit better about not going.
So round we went and into Helford River. Back in a an hour or two! Gave up going to France that year and did the South Coast instead. I've been saying how unreliable the weather forecasts are these days, in my opinion, and now, when I think about it, surprised for how long this has been going on!
One time we were in Guernsey and saw a good few boats going out, including a Folkboat, which made us query our judgement that it was way too rough for us, but maybe they knew something we didn't....?
Anyway, a few hours later we saw most of them back again. The Folkboat was festooned with bedding, oilies and stuff, drying out on the boom and guardrails -everywhere! Guess they took a pasting and it made us feel a bit better about not going.
webcraft
Well-known member
.
(The extract below is from our Atlantic Cruise 2006/2007 blog. Boat is a 1973 27ft Albin Vega )
Weds 13th September - Bayona - Bayona (31nm)
Set off just after 11 o'clock into a South-Easterly which rapidly picked up to over 20 knots - so much for the forecast. Put two reefs in the main and we were able to motor-sail reasonably comfortably only 20 degrees off our course of due S. The seas were growing all the time though, short steep little walls regularly sending sheets of solid water across the decks.
It started to rain and the Musto jacket was dug out and pressed into service. Then it rained harder, and the Musto bottoms were donned. The windspeed continued to increase slowly, and we agreed that if it reached a steady 30 knots across the deck we would turn round and run back to Bayona.
By quarter to three we were a couple of miles or so North of the Portuguese border, but the boat was now beginning to resemble a submarine for a substantial portion of the time and the wind was a steady 30+ knots over the deck, which with a boat speed of just four knots meant the top end of a F6. We turned the boat round and began to run back to Bayona at 6 knots under double-reefed main and no foresail.
Our sail plan worked well for an hour or so, and we had a pleasant enough high speed run - I stayed on the helm in torrential rain with the washboards in while Kathy made sandwiches down below. By now I was drenched and wearing my Henri Lloyd Ocean jacket, which I had definitely not expected to have to dig out again - but then the rain eased and Kathy took the helm while I dried off below.
Back to within a couple of miles of the headland off Bayona the rain had stopped - but the seas were getting really big and steep and the wind was now a constant F7 with stronger gusts. We really needed to take the main down and run under a scrap of headsail, which would have given us a lot more control - but the thought of turning the boat head to wind in those seas then wrestling with the main on the bucking coachroof did not appeal, so we decided to hang on for the last couple of miles.
The wind now shifted slightly, meaning we had to gybe to clear the N. Cardinal off Cabo Silleiro - not an enticing prospect, so we went right round the other way and tacked. The seas were so steep that even though we started the manoevre doing seven knots the boat stalled in irons . . . but slowly paid off on the other tack eventually. When I tacked back I started the engine to help get her head round - by this time the headland was having the usual effect headlands do on waves, which were even steeper and more confused. Of course, we had tacked back too soon, so had to repeat the manoevre twice more, each time with increasing difficulty. On the final approach to the point I was sufficiently concerned about the possiblility of a serious broach that I got Kathy to assist me into my harness from the companionway while I clung on to the tiller and clipped on. Finally we rounded the mark and could come up into wind a bit and reach across into calmer water.
When we rounded the breakwater the whole marina was rocking in 35 knot gusts. We tied up in the same spot and went for a wander along the pontoon to exchange experiences. Several other boats had also left and turned back, generally a bit sooner than us. All rated the conditions as thoroughly unpleasant on the way down, with an exhilarating run back. I made a vow that next time in similar circumstances I would definitely get the main down before we turned for the dead run back.
[NOTES IN RETROSPECT]
With 10,000 miles under Fairwinds' keel since then we have a lot more confidence in the boat, and I have often gybed her in big seas and 30+ knots of wind - but we do still always try to get rid of the main as soon as we realise we are in for a long open water downwind run in F6 or more.
- W
(The extract below is from our Atlantic Cruise 2006/2007 blog. Boat is a 1973 27ft Albin Vega )
Weds 13th September - Bayona - Bayona (31nm)
Set off just after 11 o'clock into a South-Easterly which rapidly picked up to over 20 knots - so much for the forecast. Put two reefs in the main and we were able to motor-sail reasonably comfortably only 20 degrees off our course of due S. The seas were growing all the time though, short steep little walls regularly sending sheets of solid water across the decks.
It started to rain and the Musto jacket was dug out and pressed into service. Then it rained harder, and the Musto bottoms were donned. The windspeed continued to increase slowly, and we agreed that if it reached a steady 30 knots across the deck we would turn round and run back to Bayona.
By quarter to three we were a couple of miles or so North of the Portuguese border, but the boat was now beginning to resemble a submarine for a substantial portion of the time and the wind was a steady 30+ knots over the deck, which with a boat speed of just four knots meant the top end of a F6. We turned the boat round and began to run back to Bayona at 6 knots under double-reefed main and no foresail.
Our sail plan worked well for an hour or so, and we had a pleasant enough high speed run - I stayed on the helm in torrential rain with the washboards in while Kathy made sandwiches down below. By now I was drenched and wearing my Henri Lloyd Ocean jacket, which I had definitely not expected to have to dig out again - but then the rain eased and Kathy took the helm while I dried off below.
Back to within a couple of miles of the headland off Bayona the rain had stopped - but the seas were getting really big and steep and the wind was now a constant F7 with stronger gusts. We really needed to take the main down and run under a scrap of headsail, which would have given us a lot more control - but the thought of turning the boat head to wind in those seas then wrestling with the main on the bucking coachroof did not appeal, so we decided to hang on for the last couple of miles.
The wind now shifted slightly, meaning we had to gybe to clear the N. Cardinal off Cabo Silleiro - not an enticing prospect, so we went right round the other way and tacked. The seas were so steep that even though we started the manoevre doing seven knots the boat stalled in irons . . . but slowly paid off on the other tack eventually. When I tacked back I started the engine to help get her head round - by this time the headland was having the usual effect headlands do on waves, which were even steeper and more confused. Of course, we had tacked back too soon, so had to repeat the manoevre twice more, each time with increasing difficulty. On the final approach to the point I was sufficiently concerned about the possiblility of a serious broach that I got Kathy to assist me into my harness from the companionway while I clung on to the tiller and clipped on. Finally we rounded the mark and could come up into wind a bit and reach across into calmer water.
When we rounded the breakwater the whole marina was rocking in 35 knot gusts. We tied up in the same spot and went for a wander along the pontoon to exchange experiences. Several other boats had also left and turned back, generally a bit sooner than us. All rated the conditions as thoroughly unpleasant on the way down, with an exhilarating run back. I made a vow that next time in similar circumstances I would definitely get the main down before we turned for the dead run back.
[NOTES IN RETROSPECT]
With 10,000 miles under Fairwinds' keel since then we have a lot more confidence in the boat, and I have often gybed her in big seas and 30+ knots of wind - but we do still always try to get rid of the main as soon as we realise we are in for a long open water downwind run in F6 or more.
- W