Tack or Gybe ?

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
The scenario is that you are sailing close-hauled, hard against high wind and big waves and you want to turn back. However, the concern is that if you turn, either by tacking or gybing, you may end up having a big wave straight on your broad side, risking a knocked down; would you tack or gybe ?

Personally, from experience, I would time it, to position the boat on top of a flattish wave, sheet in and make a controlled gybe, ensuring that the boat does not fall off the wave.

What would you have done?
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Hard to really know unless I was there.

I would tend towords a "chicken gybe" in strong winds. or perhalps dispense with the main alltogether.
Call me a fool but close hauled hard against the wind in big waves sounds like fun. I probabaly wouldn't turn back. As long as I am making trees.:D
 
It appears that half of the forumites will tack and the other half will gybe, which means that there is no right or wrong, it all depends on the boat, manpower, specific circumstances at the time and personal preference.

Some even suggested that if the boat is going closed hauled hard against wind and waves, its such fun that would carry on going; I agree, why turn back?, lets carry on until we reach the Americas:)
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
It appears that half of the forumites will tack and the other half will gybe, which means that there is no right or wrong, it all depends on the boat, manpower, specific circumstances at the time and personal preference.

Some even suggested that if the boat is going closed hauled hard against wind and waves, its such fun that would carry on going; I agree, why turn back?, lets carry on until we reach the Americas:)
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It actually depends on the size of the waves and the motion and stability of the boat.

I was in exactly this position this season, in the middle of the Bristol channel blowing a Hoolie over a huge ebb tide. Myself and Swmbo who is not experienced.

Once I decided we had enough tide to turn back to Cardiff and get in I started the engine and dropped the main. Then picked a spot to tack under power before running home under headsail. All the time reassuring swmbo.

The boat would have been less exposed if gybed and without the engine that would have been the choice, but the auxiliary makes up the time difference when you pick your spot.

Those who are talking about bearing away first are not really talking about big (short, breaking) waves.

Just my two pennies
 
onesea said:
Depends on if open waters or hazards near by.

Probably tack shake a reef out then see what speed we clock.

To me the question is a bit of a none starter, either way tack or Gybe you have to go broadside on to the waves.

As long as you can get your head through the wind a tack is a safer bet.
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I agree, and 'gybe' is normally associated with wind abaft the beam.
 
I'm also a tacker, with the engine if necessary, though I can't remember this happening. Where I differ is that I dislike sailing under jib alone in a strong wind since that can make furling the jib difficult or even impossible. Even a deeply reefed main can be used to shelter the jib and make the job quicker, easier and therefore safer.

Somewhere in a book Uffa Fox described a hairy gybe. His method involved swinging the boat round so fast that the boom never had a chance of reaching the shrouds and bringing the mast down. Don't try this at home.
 
bitbaltic said:
It actually depends on the size of the waves and the motion and stability of the boat.

.....

Those who are talking about bearing away first are not really talking about big (short, breaking) waves.

....
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That's the thing with these threads, we each interpret the proposed scenario differently.
I can imagine situations where I'd tack, others where I'd gybe.

It is interesting to understand the way other people think about the issues though.
 
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