Sailing in heavy weather.

[alant]

This 'Howards Way ' boat is still sailing out of Haslar & called Barracuda of Tarrant. Although not as pristine as newer boats, she will sail remarkably well on most points of sailing. Most noticeable thing about her seems to be the 'light' helm - even when expecting weather helm it doesn't occur & this doesn't convert into lee helm either, can be steered by 'weak' novices.

 

[Guest]

Insurance? I hope so, but you do not think about insurance policies when you are deciding how to cope with difficulties.

Actually, any well-found yacht should be able to cope easily with force 8 in the open sea. It is in marginal conditions (close to land, already damaged, crew injured etc) that force 8 is a problem. We do not normally go to sea in force 8. Normally one can wait. Force 7, yes, provided there is a forecast of better things.

The thing that makes one go to sea when you are living aboard (normally time is not of the essence) is getting guests to the airport. That makes me very sympathetic to all those poor so--people who have to get back to work on Mondays.

William Cooper

 

[Guest]

Of course I agree with what you say, hence my occupation with wind against tide.

And for the Scots, Pentland is something else. I navigated an aircraft carrier of 38000 tons based at Invergordon and we were frequently in Pentalnd or Rosyth too. I promise you that once in the pentland we had all the Roman Catholics crossing themselves, and the rest needed clean laundry. The only other place I have seen seas like it was off the North cape in winter, and then ice was the trouble.

Not many yotties sail up there, except the RCC

William Cooper

 

[Guest]

So right. In bad weather, wheelhouses are worth their weight nand windage.

The Needles. I do not understand the lifeboat cox'n, but local knowledge of a man like that cannot easily be gainsayed. I do not really know the Solent. I took a frigate to sea through that channel into a 9-10 on a rescue mission once and I had to say I was not at all a happy bunny, and I spent a quarter of an hour wishing I'd gone round via the Nab.

Never be patronising about local knowledge. I suppose in my youth I have been and the memory comes back to haunt you.

When I was 18 I thought my father was a bit over-cautious. When I was 23, I was surprised by how much he had learned in 5 years.

William Cooper

 

[graham]

Re: Wind with tide.

In the Bristol Channel in very heavy weather we encounter bigger seas on the flood when a Westerly gale is blowing.With our strong tides this doesnt make sense but is a fact.

Close inshore off the headlands overfalls often occur in the normal wind over tide situation but further off the tide seems to bring larger seas up with it.

I have little experience in the Solent but if a local lifeboat coxswain gives that advise I would tend to believe him.

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Wind with tide.

There is a very lucid analysis of this phenomenon, as it ocurs in the Thames Estuary, in the late Michael Frost's book "Half a Gale".

 

[alant]

Re: Wind with tide.

What is the lucid analysis?
Please tell.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Wind with tide.

Having seen wind over tide at F7 in the Needles channel (on the ebb) it's difficult to imagine that it could be worse with the tide on the flood!

Maybe the waves are bigger, but less broken?

I shall seek out the RNLI oracles next time I'm in Yarmouth.

 

[romany123]

Bill_cooper
The question was not that a well found boat can't cope with a force 8 (inshore or offshore) but will your insurance cover you actualy setting out in a forcasted gale.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Surely they must. I would give evidence at any time to say that such anaction can be prudent. I have lain in many harbours that could be untenable in a gale, and where the only sensible thing is to go to sea because it would be safer at sea. many many times.

Obviously it is not something you do lightly, but the good skipper should be able to balance the risks. Quite often the wind blows home in some harbours. It can be two forces higher inside than out. This is something you have to learn, but it has never occurred to me that insurance is a factor. As master, you do what is best for your ship and no underwriter can gainsay that because you are the man on the spot. If you have trouble like this: hold out. It is for the master to make the decisions.

William Cooper

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Wind with tide.

Basically that the rate of surface drift can become extremely high, so you will be swept downwind and downtide faster than you can make up against it.