Yachtsmans Gales

[Wansworth]

Does the gale depend on the yachtsman or is there a recognised wind strengh,beaufort scale.Many yachting accounts talk of force 7/8 as fairly normal weather to be out in or are they hyping up the wind to make their trip more heroic!

 

[nathanlee]

Depends on the boat and it's crew.

I've seen 32 knots on Kudu, which is giving it some on a 21foot boat. She handled it though, and if it wasn't for the fact I had to cross a river bar, then it would have been a fine day out.

If there's little fetch and the water is relatively flat, then I'd think nothing of going for a potter in a 7. I'd think twice about trying to make any distance though since it would be hard going for hours.

I think it really does come down to sea state and wind direction. The wind speed is pretty irrelevant if your boat is solid.

A force 6 onshore with a big fetch is going to be far, far worse, than a force 7 offshore. IMO.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Does the gale depend on the yachtsman or is there a recognised wind strengh,beaufort scale.Many yachting accounts talk of force 7/8 as fairly normal weather to be out in or are they hyping up the wind to make their trip more heroic!

Many will quote the wind speed as the wind over the deck (apparent wind), where as they should be quoting True wind speed. This makes a huge difference to the beaufort scale number if you are beating to windward at 6 knots - we had 30 knots ---- no you didn't, you had 24 knots!!!

 

[snowleopard]

These days force 8 is the official definition of a gale. in the days of merchant sail I believe it was force 6.

I tend to use the term 'gale' in its technical sense but have a separate scale along the lines of - Motoring weather, Sailing weather and Too b****y windy. The last category equates to different wind speeds depending on which way I want to go.

 

[Salty John]

Traditionally, a Force 6 is known as a yachtsmans gale.

 

[tmh900]

I read somewhere Yachtsmans Gale is the unofficial other name for Beafort F6. Was sure it was mentioned in one of Tom Cunliffe's books (day skipper or Yachmaster), but can't now find a reference to it.

 

[bobgoode]

Snowleopard puts it very eloquently.

Another though...world of difference between a sustained 30 kt and a gust to 30 kt

 

[glashen]

Went out is a forecast 6-7 occ 8 Paimpol to Guernsey looking at the forecast we hoped to miss the worst of it, but were recording 40+ kts over the deck for a while and that was downwind. That it is one of the most important aspects upwind or downwind and will you end up on a lee shore. Downwind and a flat sea, Force 7 can be fine. My Trident 24 was OK and I felt it was sort of weather the boat was built for, just the genny and that with 3 reefs. Did cop a few good waves and I don't intend to make a habit of it.

I noticed the French forecasts have begun to give the gusts in Wind Force which seems wrong to me (e.g.) Force 7-8 Gusts to Force 10.

Anyway I'm counting that as being out in Gale (Yachtsman's at least)

 

[dt4134]

One new crew member was reluctant to turn up because he'd heard it would be a Force 6. Told him not to worry it would only be a strong breeze.

 

[webcraft]

It depends on your destination

Does the gale depend on the yachtsman or is there a recognised wind strengh,beaufort scale.Many yachting accounts talk of force 7/8 as fairly normal weather to be out in or are they hyping up the wind to make their trip more heroic!

F6 beating hard to windward means 25+ knots over the deck with gusts into the 30s, wet and unpleasant and not very profitable if your boat makes a lot of leeway. It is about the limit for serious windward work in most boats under 30 ft.

F6 on a beam reach is a grand sail for most people - 22 knots over the deck - but it can be very lumpy in open water. We recently came back across the Minch in a solid F6 from Lochmaddy to Canna; it was an exhilarating sail, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it in October - and certainly wouldn;t have tried to make seriously to windward. F7 is OK on the beam in sheltered water, but the seas will be very uncomfortablel in open water.

F6 downwind is nothing - could mean as little as 15 knots over the deck and hard to get the boat up to anywhere near hull speed. We have sailed downwind under genoa alone in a F8 once or twice and thought nothing of it.

- W