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what did I do wrong?!

2K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  manatee 
#1 ·
I normally sail dinghy racers/ centerboard daysailers, so I'm used to doing things a certain way. I have at times sailed keelboats, and always found them more forgiving.

However, this past weekend I was out on a 22' keelboat and had an "issue".

Port tack Furling Full genoa out. 16-22 knots

Boat heeled excessively and was over powered . Helm eased Mainsheet quite a bit. At that time headsail caught a gust. Boat now had lee helm because of eased
Mainsheet , fell off wind (to stbd)and then jibed (spun). Wild.

As is typical in the Midwest, wind direction was changing up to 60 degrees or so.

What did I do wrong ?
 
#3 ·
Not sure what you did wrong. I assume if you were healed hard you were close hauled? I have trouble imagining going from close hauled to an accidental gybe, except for falling off and a wind shift simultaneously?

For future sails, I would furl a portion of the jib before I would be spilling the mainsail. First step furl the jib, it is so easy why not? If you are still overpowered then reef the main. I don't know when I would spill the main so much as to have lee helm, I like weather helm so I can feel what is happening and the boat rounds up if it gets overpowered.
 
#5 ·
Yes, we had reefed/furled headsail earlier, but then winds settled down a bit, so we let more out. I agree, too much headsail. I think it must have been that plus a shift in wind position. If we had been in a centerboard dinghy, we'd had been swimming.

I feel I'm fairly knowledgable and careful, so this upset me a bit. I guess I should have put one reef in the main at the dock (was calmer then, and only forecast up to 15 knots a little later) and reefed the headsail. Still kinda perplexing.
 
#7 ·
Put whatever reef in pretty much the moment you find yourself wondering if you should...
 
#9 ·
I agree with everyone that you went into the situation with too much sail out.

When the helmsperson (See i can be politically correct) eased the mainsheet, I think I would have eased the jib sheet instead. I feel that would have done a better job of depowering the boat and easing up on that excessive heeling.

It may also have avoided the boat jibing round the way it did.

But hey, that's my opinion. Ultimately the best solution would have been to reef earlier.
 
#10 ·
Full genoa 155? or 135? definitely too much headsail, sadly if the main wasn't eased, the boat would have griped and rounded UP not down.

Better to flatten the heck out of the main dump traveler, and if that isn't enough, vang on, and dump mainsheet... but also move genoa cars aft , and allow the genoa to twist off, but surely a smaller headsail or even a partially reefed headsail (furler after all) would have been better.

Or fly it all and stack up 4 or 5 200lb crewmates on the rail!
 
#11 ·
Perhaps a propitiatory ceremony for Aiolos before your next voyage? :)
 
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