sailing in rain

[bkw]

never sailed in the rain.
going to bvi and i think it rains there often.
any do's and dont's.

[Faster]

We did 2 weeks in the islands a couple of years ago - yes, it rains every day pretty much, but not for long. During the day it's often a welcome fresh water rinse, without much cooling effect, really.

During the night it's a nuisance because all your ports are open so its getting up to close them, then 20 min later getting up again to open things up before you cook....

Only once, with a largely overcast sky, did it get cool enough to want to cover up for it (rain and a 29 knot squall), and even that passed fairly quickly.

It's nothing like sailing in the rain here in the PNW.

[Sailormon6]

Yeah. I have a tip. We were anchored in Cane Garden Bay and it was raining. We were afraid it was going to rain all day and put a damper on our plans. Then we noticed that it was only raining over the island and the anchorage. Offshore the sun was shining. We realized that the clouds were dumping their rain over the island, and as soon as we got away from there, the weather was beautiful.

[btrayfors]

Usually, rainstorms blow through the BVI quickly. They move from East to West; you can see them coming from a long way away.

Often, these little storms contain a substantial amount of wind...25, 30, even 35 knots....so be careful to not have too much sail up when they arrive. The wind almost always precedes the rain, and the sailor's addage: "If the wind before the rain, soon you may make sail again" applies in the BVI.

Exceptions to this general pattern include tropical waves, hurricanes, and Christmas Winds.

Have fun.

Bill

[gc1111]

If there is a LOT of wind mixed with the rain and you don't have shelter at the helm, a nice trick is to put on a mask and snorkel. This will at least let you look to windward and breathe comfortably.

[sailortjk1]

Of course, Becareful of reduced visibility in congested areas. Heavy rain can really make it difficult to see. And, make sure to dry out your sails before rolling or flaking to prevent mold.

[T34C]

Please get a picture of yourself at the helm with the mask and snorkel on!! (flippers optional)

[bkw]

ill put a tank on too

[sailingdog]

If the wind is strong enough, a mask isn't such a bad idea.

It is generally a good idea to hoist a radar reflector if you're going to be sailing in the rain, fog or snow.

[tonic]

Ski googles work great use anti fog spray.