Quote:
Originally Posted by oceangirl
Not to sound like a toddler but..
Why? Why is it more likely to sustain damage when riding "bow-to" then "stern to"? Isnt the bow the strongest part?
I did go to JDS and read up(thanks for the suggestion) and it was very interesting, I was surprised how up to date he was, using hurricane IKE info/stats.
Sorry if I am beating a dead horse, thanks for taking the time to explain all this to a landlocked wish-I-was-back-on-my-boat Ocean Girl.
PS land dwellers are a strange lot 
Erika |
When a big wave hits you, you surge in the direction the wave sends you. If you are tethered by the stern you surge forward, the way boats are meant to go. If you are tethered by the bow, you surge backwards, and in big waves you do so very fast and hard. Your rudder can then be slammed against the stops if it is swung to one side, with great possibility of serious damage to it. That is the main problem with being secured from the bow.
The other problem is that a bow-on position isn't really bow on, it is really usually 45 degrees (at best) to the wind, a position that exposes much more of the vessel to the elements. We all know a boat at anchor sails from one side to the other, with shock loads at the end of each swing. That's why we have riding sails, but who wants more windage in a survival storm? When attached by the stern the aerodynamic qualities of most boats makes them much more like a weathervane that presents a much smaller cross section to the wind and waves. I would much prefer to face a breaking wave end-on (either end) than at any angle.
I am a belt-and-suspenders type person so I carry a parachute and a JSD, knowing that each situation is different and I can see a use for both. For example, if in the open ocean with lots of sea room I would go with the JSD but if there was land to leeward I would opt for the chute since that slows you down much more.