How do you sail slowly?

[Nostrodamus]

This may get AWOL’s back up a bit and he may decry me as someone who cannot sail but I am going to ask anyway so I can learn through others experience.

How do you sail slowly?

Strange question I know but the other day I was sailing between two marinas some five hours apart.

I could not get into the second marina until after 8 hours because of the lack of water before then.

I had no choice when I set off; I had to go when I did.

The tide was with me for six hours and was at over 3 knots for some time, the wind was almost on the nose and there was plenty of rocks along the way (Brittany, France). I had as little sail up as possible but we were either still flying along or continually being pushed off ourse.

I could have just sailed around in circles but on a wonderful sunny day I was happy just to go as slowly as possible but how do you sail a boat slowly but still hold a course?

 

[nimbusgb]

Sail further, don't point as high.

Test out the sea anchor or trail a warp

BTW i have no problem sailing slowly ...... it's sailing quickly that I fall down on

 

[mjcoon]

... but how do you sail a boat slowly but still hold a course?

It's that last bit that is the tricky one! The answer is that you cannot sail an arbitrary course slowly any more than you can quickly, for instance straight into the wind.

The stock answer is to heave-to, so that the mainsail and jib are acting against each other to give the minimum of resultant. But I gather that most boats (I haven't sailed "most boats", let alone hove-to, hence this is hearsay!) will only do this in a very restricted pair of symmetrical directions relative to the wind.

So the best answer I can think of is to do it badly, using a combination of excessive reefing/furling and bad sail setting (e.g. pinching). A secondary objective must of course be to avoid sail damage by flogging or chafe so that has to be taken into account.

Mike.

 

[oldharry]

reef the sails down so the boat goes slower. Good practice for when you actually have to, and it is not 'doing it badly' as another poster seems to think. Reducing sail to slow the boat is simply standard practice when occasion demands and good seamanship going back to long before Nelson.

Otherwise, practice heaving to, and have a break somewhere on the way. I arrived off Portland Bill too early to make the inshore passage once, and had an excellent tea breakim a F5 once

 

[DJE]

You're in Brittany, find a nice anchorage along the way.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Get to close to where you're going as normal, then either anchor off or heave to.

 

[Poignard]

With a lot of time to kill I would heave to. Then, apart from an occasional look-around, you can relax and read or eat in comfort. The boat will hardly move through the water with minimal heeling.

If you want to keep sailing all you need to do is reduce the sail area by reefing or taking a sail in.

If you want to sail slowly for a short time you can just use the weather sheet to haul the jib over to weather a bit so that the boat sails inefficiently.

Another method is to 'steer shy', i.e. sail a bit too close to the wind. This will slow the boat down (but she will make more leeway).

 

[Nostrodamus]

I didn't want to stop or anchor. Just wondered if there was a way of going slowly rather than going as fast as possible. I did try a reefed main alone which seemed to be the best for about 10 minutes but it was difficult to keep a course without being blown around by the wind and then not having enough speed in a tide going with you to bring her round again.
It is the first time I have tried to go slowly anywhere (unless you count the pub when it is my round) and just wondered if there was any way of slowing the boat down.?

 

[alant]

This may get AWOL’s back up a bit and he may decry me as someone who cannot sail but I am going to ask anyway so I can learn through others experience.

How do you sail slowly?

Strange question I know but the other day I was sailing between two marinas some five hours apart.

I could not get into the second marina until after 8 hours because of the lack of water before then.

I had no choice when I set off; I had to go when I did.

The tide was with me for six hours and was at over 3 knots for some time, the wind was almost on the nose and there was plenty of rocks along the way (Brittany, France). I had as little sail up as possible but we were either still flying along or continually being pushed off ourse.

I could have just sailed around in circles but on a wonderful sunny day I was happy just to go as slowly as possible but how do you sail a boat slowly but still hold a course?

Scandalise the main, taking most of the drive out.

 

[awol]

This may get AWOL’s back up a bit and he may decry me as someone who cannot sail but I am going to ask anyway so I can learn through others experience.

I certainly did not intend to "decry" anyone who seeks advice, rather my gripe was against those "experts" who don't question their abilities and knowledge.

As for how to sail slowly and keep to a planned rock dodging course when the water is moving faster than you want, I'm afraid my only solutions are to change the course and go for a detour, anchor or heave-to at one end or the other - my choice would be the destination if possible, or go somewhere else. It's not a problem I've met - I'm more likely to be hurrying to get somewhere before the tide turns or the water runs out. I try, if possible, to have a plan B for when my best laid plans gang agley - I hope that your destination, when you finally got in, delivered its promised joy.

 

[prv]

The answer is that you cannot sail an arbitrary course slowly any more than you can quickly

Rubbish! Reduce sail, you'll go slower.

I've never wanted to make a passage slowly (in the OP's situation I'd probably anchor either for lunch or on arrival to wait for water) but if I'm sailing into a river or to a mooring, I start by taking down the mizzen. One less thing to worry about, and slows us down a bit. Once things get a bit closer, I lose one of the headsails which slows us down more. If the final approach isn't to windward, I take in the other headsail for it. If I really need to go slow I can drop the peak, which turns half the mainsail into flapping washing while the other half still provides a tiny bit of drive. To finally kill the power once the anchor's in the water or the mooring is sliding in towards the hull, I hoik up on the topping lift which turns the other half of the sail into slack dangling cloth but is easy to drop again if needed.

That's how I turn the sailing "throttle" from full ahead to neutral. Not all those stages are appropriate on passage as opposed to manoeuvering, but to assume that being under sail inevitably means travelling at maximum possible speed is just not correct.

Pete

 

[HinewaisMan]

Get to close to where you're going as normal, then either anchor off or heave to.

+1

 

[Nostrodamus]

I know I can sail somewhere and drop the hook or heave too. That is not the point. I just wondered what is the best way to sail as slow as possible whilst still holding a course. I had eight hours to think about it and try various things and was just asking for ideas as it was something I had never come across. There have been some good suggestions and I thank people for them. It would seem though as if not a lot of people have had to sail slowly which supprised me.

 

[chrisedwards]

This may get AWOL’s back up a bit and he may decry me as someone who cannot sail but I am going to ask anyway so I can learn through others experience.

How do you sail slowly?

Strange question I know but the other day I was sailing between two marinas some five hours apart.

I could not get into the second marina until after 8 hours because of the lack of water before then.

I had no choice when I set off; I had to go when I did.

The tide was with me for six hours and was at over 3 knots for some time, the wind was almost on the nose and there was plenty of rocks along the way (Brittany, France). I had as little sail up as possible but we were either still flying along or continually being pushed off ourse.

I could have just sailed around in circles but on a wonderful sunny day I was happy just to go as slowly as possible but how do you sail a boat slowly but still hold a course?

eight hours practicing - man overboards - there are hundreds of different ways, sail combinations - throw fenders oveboard and slalom between them - many ways of doing this too. Rudderless manoeuvers. etc etc....

Why not?

 

[Robin]

Maybe when realising the potential problem at the passage plan stage and if really not wanting to anchor up and wait a while somewhere, I would plan a different destination instead. Where was this passage to and from along the North Brittany coast?

Otherwise as others have said, reduce sail, or drop the main and just use a bit of genoa.

 

[Nostrodamus]

I don't think I must have been clear in my original question so to make it simple.
You have to get from point A to B in the slowest time possible without an engine. There are hazzards along the way so you need to be able to shape a course. You dont need to stop or do anything else on the way.
What is the best way to sail as slowly as possible.

 

[awol]

I don't think I must have been clear in my original question so to make it simple.
You have to get from point A to B in the slowest time possible without an engine. There are hazzards along the way so you need to be able to shape a course. You dont need to stop or do anything else on the way.
What is the best way to sail as slowly as possible.

If the wind on the nose condition still applies, don't point so high with just enough sail to give you steerage control. You could even sail down-wind at the same speed as the tide and stay still.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Maybe when realising the potential problem at the passage plan stage and if really not wanting to anchor up and wait a while somewhere, I would plan a different destination instead. Where was this passage to and from along the North Brittany coast?

Otherwise as others have said, reduce sail, or drop the main and just use a bit of genoa.

Robin,
You probably know this coast where as I don't but you will find where we were and where we went to on the blog section of our website below including reasons for leaving and photos of why we didn't want to get there too early. We did pick up a waiting buoy at the destination but i was just wondering how to sail as slow as possible. Sometimes this can be enjoyable in good company and good weather.

 

[webcraft]

.
Reef down. we've sailed across Biscay for over 24 hours at 3-4 knots in a F5-6 because we didn't want to catch up with the F7-8 ahead of us. Triple reefed main and half the genny furlerd away reduced the boat speed to 4 knots or less when we could have been making made six with the appropriate amount of sail set.

Provided the sail plan is balanced there are no adverse implications. This strategy can also be employed if sailing in company with slower boats.

- W

 

[Lakesailor]

Sail around in circles. It costs nothing.

I do it all the time.