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I hate wind......

5K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  wind_magic 
#1 ·
Well not really, but I had a "frustrating" day today.

Weather called for 10-15 kt winds with winds gusts to 20, For my Pearson 10M Tall Rig, 10 to 15 is sweet with 135%. Wind over 20kts, for my boat, can be very overpowering. My typical set up is main and 135% RF Genny.

So we head out and wind is 0 kt, but then picks up to 5kt 50 yds from the mooring. Shutdown the iron genny and trim the main. Going 3 kts, so out comes the genny. Speed just shy of 5 kts, and wind has picked up to 6 to 8. Point-of-sail is reach/broad reach. Settle in and enjoy the ride. Once out of the harbor, we pass "hurricane alley", a spot where the wind is often very strong due to the land mass formation. Once pass the Alley, wind is between 5 and 10 kts and generally in the same direction. We are now on a broad run. Then the wind dies to around 2 kts and then 0 kts.

Well within a matter of two minutes the wind went from 0 to 25 kts (30 kt gusts) and the direction went almost 90 deg. With almost 700 ft of sail up, we were SOOOOO overpowered. On some of the gusts, we were lifted almost 90 deg. There were only two of us and I was sail trimmer. I thought we just went through a little wind burst area and things would return to calm. We it got worse and I couldn't get the RF Genny reefed quick enough. Even when I got reduced by 35%, it seemed like there was little effect. I finally decided to bring it all the way in but it was very hard (even down wind and blanketed by the main).

Once in, we had much better control just sailing under the main, but had enough after a half of hour getting pounded with delta 25+ wind gusts and multiple wind direction changes.

Since May and Oct in New England seems to be full of these No Wind - Gusty Wind days, I think I am changing my sail configuration to a very small 95-100% RF Jib and a main during these months. This will reduce my sail area from roughly 700 ft2 to about 520 ft. I will sacrifice speed/performance in low wind times for safety during the high wind times. I could go with the main only, but upwind pointability suffers. A Genny only makes controlling the boat somewhat difficult as there is a little less weather helm and is more difficult to trim. I think a balanced sail plan is best. Worst case scenario, main reefed and jib reefed to about 80% of fore triangle.

What do others do in these constantly variable wind speed and direction situations with re: sail plan management.

DrB
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like exactly the kind of May sailing day we had last year here in Boston harbor. Except in our case, the roller furler jammed, and there was no way to furl the foresail, while the wind was howling in the rigging, the jib flapping, and the aux motor (outboard) barely able to keep the boat headed into the wind. Finally had to crawl forward and pull the jib down out of the furler track (losing the internal halyard up the mast in the process).

Very scary start to the season, and lesson learned that it's not possible to be too careful about these No Wind - Gusty wind days.

Sounds to me, that your sail plan management is a prudent approach.
 
#3 ·
May I ask...Should you have reefed the main before you left the mooring? You did know what to expect but you didn't reef the main. Easier to shake out the reef if the wind pipes down later. You may be surprised to find out you don't loose as much speed and more importantly control, with less sail in that situation. I know I was amazed how little sail I can get by with in wind 15-20. It's really not necessary put all that stress on your rigging and steering unless that's what you really want to do! Others with more experience may have better advice then me but I know what works on my boat, which isn't too much diff from yours.
 
#6 ·
Forecast was wrong



I don't normally reef in conditions at 15kts or below. So when the wind is about 5 on the mooring and then a little stronger in the "fairway", then we don't reef. Two reasons, 1) wind in the harbor is 90+ % of the time stronger, wind is often different (direction and gusts) than outside the harbor. Yesterday was a rare anomaly.

Outside of the harbor, the wind did as predicted dropped some and changed direction. For 1/2 hour or so we had a pleasant sail until the "hurricane" rolled in and started putting 30 kt gusts and wide wind direction shifts.

The weather forecast called for 10-15 kt winds, gusts to 20, then quickly dropping off to 5-10 kt winds in the afternoon. We had the appropriate sail plan for the wind conditions predicted, not the wind conditions actual. Once we got the genny rolled in we were fine, but it was not fun until then.

It seems that May and October have a lot of these days up here, so I probably am going to get a 100% jib and lose the 135 until the more tamer summer months. This is only my third full season, so I am still learn the wind patterns around here for the various months.

DrB
 
#4 ·
Either too much or too little!
Either right on the nose or right on the tail.
It never changes...

The prudent thing is to balance your sails for the gust and sail slow in the lows. But what fun is that?
 
#5 ·
I have a 34' sabre so with that forecast, typically we single reef the main and run a full 135% genny. Gusts to 20 with higher puffs gets a little pushy and creates a weathered helm. If we are working to hard at the helm, we then reef the genny. Winds over 25 we double reef and run half of the head sail, unless we are on a downwind run then full genny. The boat operates better. At times in stronger winds 20+ we just run a full genny which is surprisingly a very smooth controllable sail because I do enjoy good winds but do not want to beat up my boat, crew or myself.
 
#10 ·
My ankles and arches hurt when the boat is heeled 15 degrees or so. When it's 80 degrees I just stand on the sides of the cockpit (on another boat!)
 
#11 ·
What do others do in these constantly variable wind speed and direction situations with re: sail plan management.

DrB
Motor.

In Lake Texoma, the winds rush and gust down the cliffs, always clocking different directions. At some point you ask yourself if you are sailing to sail, or sailing to relax? It is days like that where I love the smell of diesel!!!!

Brian
 
#12 · (Edited)
Well............................no comment

The harder it blows the better I like it...Seems like my middle daughter feels the same way...YMMV
 
#13 ·
In the Midwest, we have lots of days like that. Some days is is steady out of the same direction, and sometimes it shifts and gusts.

I think sail management would depend on if you want to err on the side of avoiding hair-raising-out-of-control moments, or risk adding more mind numbing slow days.
 
#15 ·
I sail in a location with variable winds and a boat is powered by the foresail.

...for a quick response to increasing wind (if your caught with too much sail up):

flatten (depower) main ...go for small changes
spill main ...quick release
reef main ...easier than a head sail change
drop, reef or change head sail

I have a great heavy cloth number 4 that reefs... in medium winds allows for a close sheet using tracks inside the shrouds for great pointing ability
 
#16 ·
We it got worse and I couldn't get the RF Genny reefed quick enough.
Reefed? What's that?:laugher

Just kidding, your plan is sound- figure ypur sailplan for the highest expect wind speed- or be a cowboy and occasionally sail on your ear.
 
#18 · (Edited)
If the wind conditions are changing back and forth so fast that I can't keep up with the necessary sail changes, then I consider it a good time to heave-to, or take the sails down and motor, or take a break for lunch. In most places, if you'll wait 20-30 minutes, it'll settle down and stop changing so rapidly, and you can go back to sailing.

If I sailed in an area like CD described at Lake Texoma, I think I would tuck a reef in the mainsail, and be ready to roll up as much of the jib as needed, to keep the boat under control in the gusts.
 
#19 ·
Code 0?

Dr B

Put a 100 or 90 blade on that roller, and leave it there. Then look into a Code 0 sail for the light wind days. These thing can be configured to roll up on a flexible line, and pack into a bag like a big snake.

If you get caught with the Code 0 up, you can roll it in and roll out the blade, or vice versa. Of course since the 2 rollers are right up next too each other, you cannot tack the Code 0, but you can't have everything.

If this can be made to work on your rig, you won't have to drop the blade to switch, which can big a bigger job, particularly in a blow.

Yea, we all hate/love wind:)
 
#20 ·
Good Advice from All - Follow Up

I put up a request looking for a small sail on the Pearson Yahoo groups and Bingo another 10M owner (my boat) had a 95% Jib that he had no need for. While it was a little smaller than I was hoping, for $350, it was worth it. It is a Neal Pryde sail and in good shape. Bonus, he lived less than an hour from me

Before I got this sail, I only had a storm jib, 130, 135, and 150%, so this made a good addition to the sail inventory. Hoisted it on my boat and tried it this weekend. Not a lot of wind (16 kts max) to give it a thorough workout, but I was really, and pleasantly, surprised on how efficeiently the sail plan made the boat move. Closehauled, we averaged the following SOG's (GPS):
  • 7 kts apparent 3.8 kt SOG
  • 8 kts apparent 4.3 SOG
  • 9 kts apparent 4.9 SOG
  • 10 kts apparent 5.3 kt SOG
  • 13 Kts aaparent 5.8 kts SOG
  • 16 kts Apparent 6.2 SOG

We never were over 15 deg heel and my wife really enjoyed that. Had I had the 135 up, we would have been in the 6 kt SOG range at 10 kts apparent and 6.3 kts at 13 apparent. By 16 kts, we would have been heeled over around 25 to 30 deg and staring to experience moderate helm but only doing about 6.7 kts.

Yes, weren't as fast and could have easily have used the 135 today, but the 95 was easier to tack and the sail was more pleasurable with less heel. Had we had some bodies on the boat, the 135 would have been sweet, but for being 40% smaller in area, the 95 was decent for two of us for a lazy relaxing sail even in light winds.

DrB
 
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