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Foul weather lesson learned

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TRogers
1st Mate

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USA
90 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/13/2006 : 21:22:07

My 11 year old son, Josh and I went out for the Wednesday night races on Lake Pend Oreille (Idaho) last night. We've done it 4 or 5 times and although we are typically last place or close to last, we are learning things and starting to at least not get left behind so much. Typically the winds have created "drifter" races with a tremendous amount of shifting winds.

Last night started out no different but we were staying reasonably close to the pack. As we zipped around the outer marker (a navy research station) at the best speed ever we noted the skies darkening back behind the finish line. We shifted into closehauled mode as the winds picked up a little (definitely below 10 knots maybe only five knots).

I mentioned to my son that we needed to keep a close eye on the weather. Neither of us really wanted to abandon the race because we were doing better than we ever had, but were still concerned about the weather. As we headed back we started noting lightening in the distance, but nothing over the lake. Winds were still very light.

Can we beat the storm to the finish line? I note that an estimated 75% of the other racers are crossing the finish line in a bunch at very low speed, apparently caught in a lull at the finish line. Never seen so many boat cross the line so bunched up.

About 200 yards out, the wind is still light and one of the earlier finishers steamed by under motor and advised that the storm headed in was packing 50-60 mph winds with hail and heavy rain. OK, I may be stupid on occassion, but I wasn't going to ignore that.

I immediately furled the genoa and fired up the motor which thankfully kicked in quickly (it's been a little finicky lately). Winds are still light. My son on the tiller with instructions to keep the bow into the wind while the main was lowered. He's done it many a time so he knew what was required.

Release the halyrard, sail about halfway down a flaking nicely. Pulled out the first sail tie to tie it down when suddenly the sail filled and pulled away from me. "Keep the boat into the wind!".

"I'm trying!" came the response. After the bow went back and forth through the wind a couple of times, I realized that the wind was starting to rise and the motor wasn't throttled up enough to keep the bow pointing in the increasing wind. The sail being halfway down wasn't exactly helping us to stay on course.

I jumped to the back of the cockpit, increased the throttle and started trying to get the boat back on course when the full force of the winds hit and the boat healed tremendously lifting the motor out of the water. No power to get the bow pointed properly again. Only out is to turn downwind in a 270 degree turn to put the motor in the water again. Luckily the mast was pulled in tight because we were trying to get the sail stowed - no dangerous booms crashing across. That sail had to come down and had to come down quickly or we were going to be in real trouble. Neatness didn't count in stowing the sail anymore, just get it down and under control so we can get control of the boat. Hail and rain is starting to fall. The hail stings and the rain has us thoroughly soaked in about 30 seconds (knew we should have put on the rain gear). I glanced over toward the race committe boat anchored at the marina half hoping that maybe they could help, but quickly realize we're on our own. Even if they could get to us quickly, no one could get on board to help in this. At least the genoa was down and the motor was running.

I advised my son to get up by the mast and hold on. The moment the sail began to luff, pull it down fast! At this point the main is still about halfway up the mast. Just get it on the deck! The waves are still little in the bay, but the tops are being blown off the whitecaps all around us. It almost looks like snow on the ground in winter. The rain is coming down so hard that I'm being blinded by it. Once more around in a circle because the motor is out of the water.

And then the sail slugs (all plastic ones) gave away in rapid succession. I have visions of it flying away, but then realize that it is held to the boat by the foot and the halyard. I called Josh back to the cockpit to try to keep us on course while I wrapped my arms around anything I could reach of the flapping sail. My glasses are knocked off by the flapping sail. Did they land in the cockpit? Nope, they went overboard. Luckily I don't really need them. I shouldn't have been wearing them at the time anyway. I slowly managed to get 1 .. 2 .. 3 sail ties on! It ain't tied down pretty, battens sticking out at odd angles, but I don't care.

The weather's still ugly, but at least we have control and head for the marina. The wind is abating slightly an we prepare for a heavy cross wind docking into the slip. "We're going in hot!" I warn Josh. But we luck out and the wind is well off it's max and unexpectedly coming in from behind us. Slow down and actually kick in reverse as we approach. Suppose we had to have something work in our favor. The sun is peeking through 5 minutes later. Appears to have been a fast moving storm.

Josh confides to me that he was terrified! I admit that I was too, but didn't let it keep me getting done what needed to be done. He came through like a trooper doing what was asked. If he hadn't been on board with me and did what I asked, I don't think we would have been able to get everything back under control.

As we got back to the marina, we were listening to a call on channel 16. Although we couldn't hear the person making the distress call we gathered that a sailboat had turned over (I assume they were back upright if they were on the radio), but the person calling was so stressed that they couldn't give a good location. I'm guessing that they got hit with full sails up. Still haven't heard any details, but we saw no less than seven emergency vehicles headed into the bay area.

Thanks to that other racer who went out of his way to warn me!

That could have been me on channel 16.

Lessons learned:
1. Safety first! Forget about the race! I let my judgement be impaired by the race.

2. With an approaching storm winds can go from almost nothing to 50-60 mph in almost no time. I estimated about two minutes from the time I started taking sails down to full force winds.

3. Prepare early. No fun trying to get the sails reefed/down once the winds hit. Just one extra minute would have made a big difference.

4. Monitor the weather channel if you think there is any hint of bad weather. If I had been monitoring it at first sign, the information would have clued me as to how severe the storm was and I would have started dropping sails much sooner. Might have even been at the dock before it hit.

4. Don't panic. Figure out what will make the biggest difference and work on it first.

Tom Rogers
Tack n Two
Spokane, WA

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 21:30:53

Wow, great report, and heads up for all of us.
Glad you were both ok, I bet Josh will remember it well, hopefully as an adventure and a lesson well learnt.

Paul

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jaclasch
Navigator

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USA
104 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 21:47:10

Tom,
Here's what it looked like a little earlier. Who would suspect what was on its way!

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 21:57:13

da calm before da blow ....

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TRogers
1st Mate

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USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 22:26:29

Cool James. That's my boat on the left with sail #2366. Josh is sitting on the cabin top. Note that we were both good and had our life jackets on even with the calm conditions. We didn't have to put them on in a hurry later.

Slow start, the Canada geese in the foreground were swimming circles around us looking for handouts.

Edited by - TRogers on 07/13/2006 22:52:06

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 22:56:29

Thanx for the report. You now have a tale to tell that involves how father and son backed each other up.

Sounds like the same hail storm that blazed a path through here. For about ten minutes it was white-out conditions, then just as quickly it was a nice clear evening.

One of the first things I do in potential storms and emergency situations is mentally prepare my emergency transmission call which in as few words as possible describes where I am and how a rescurer would identify me.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2006 : 23:05:38

A happy ending! A longtime member of the yacht club in the town I used to live in did not have such a happy ending in a similar racing situation--he was knocked overboard and died. It's hard to imagine what 50 kt winds do to sails and boats. I was in some last night (on some friends' boat), at anchor, and the bare poles were causing their C-34 to heel and dance around the anchor like crazy! Sails would have been a big problem!

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 07/14/2006 08:09:31

djn
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 07:06:45

Hi Tom, thank God you made it back to the dock without incident. I have seen this many times on the Great Lakes although not in a sail boat. YOur account is well written and kept me glued to my seat. You should send it to a couple of the rags. I was prompted by your tale to go out this morning and rig my reefing lines so I can reef from the cockpit. Cheers.

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Champipple
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 08:17:00

Glad everything worked out okay.

Get it down - then clean it up - especially with a crew of two and a dacron main. An ugly looking sail tied to the boom for 20 minutes while you proceed to the dock is better than your son trying to perform a man overboard procedure with you in the water. Which by the way, has he ever done one???

I am guessing it was pretty hot in Idaho the other day, foul weather gear would have made you more uncomfortable than the rain and hail. Keep a spare paie of skivvies and other clothes - and probably a sweater too in the car. Keep a set onboard too in case someone does go in, you have to be able to keep them warm.

Good call on quitting as well. The lessons you've learned are far more valuable than a score on the sheet.

Edited by - on

TRogers
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 10:06:28

We have done man overboard drills before, but some more practice would be good. In calm weather, I have every confidence he could handle it, but I would have had trouble myself in those conditions being suddenly singlehanded.

I was thinking about what I would have done if Josh had gone over. Any way you looked at it it would have been tough. If the sail was still flogging around I would have had seriously compromised maneuverability. Even with the sail down it would be rough. With the motor having to be revved up so much to maintain steerageway the approach would be scary. Then cut the motor so that I could get him on board. My wife suggested throwing out the life sling, but I'm afraid that in those conditions the rope would have had a high probability of fouling the prop.

Although I tend to be a fair weather sailer, I'm looking at harnesses and tethers just for the situation I encountered. However, I think I can still safely conclude that quitting sooner would have been the best safety measure. An ounce of prevention ...

Edited by - on

TRogers
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 10:39:45

Slightly off topic for the thread. But since that great picture illustrates my question (I'm the Catalina on the left) ...

I've been noticing quite a sag in my sail last season and this after stepping the mast. I've noted that I can't seem to get the sail 100% up, although I'm not exactly sure why. I think I'm about 2 inches short of where it should be. The Catalina on the right looks like the sail is slightly higher on the mast then mine.

Is that the most likely explanation of the sag, or could it be that this original sail for an 81 boat might just be getting stretched out?

Edited by - on

Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 10:42:40

Tom, What was the time line on the main sail coming down, It seems like there was alot of going back and forth from getting the sail ties, then having to help get the boat pointed back to weather?

Did the main sail get caught on something? I roll our main sail back at the dock, then put it back onto the boom then cover it up. I don't use main sail slugs, but just the bolt rope. I can release the halyard on the clutch and get the sail down pretty fast. I always just throw the sail ties down into the cabin, so a lesson has been learned to keep the sail ties handy. I am reading that you were flaking the main sail onto the boom, I think that this is where I would have done something different, but with the winds in the 50's to 60's I cant really say what I would do in this case. I applaude you on your efforts to keeping the boat safe, and that you both got back safe to the dock.

Lazy jacks and a set of Sail slugs on a main sail make a world of difference, I had these on our race boat when we bought her, and I have taken all of this gear off of the boat (ya know it's a race boat!)now, BUT I could drop the main into the lazy jacks and because of the slugs the main sail would fall in under 30 seconds.

Thanks Tom for the Great read.

Edited by - on

Champipple
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6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 12:12:29

Tom -

be sure to ease the following when hoisting (if you have them) boom vang, mainsheet, boom downhaul and cunningham. After the sail is up adjust the remainder of your controls.
Also - I can barely spot a topping lift on the boom - you are completely easing that yes? If it is not slackened it won't help you get the head up the mast, but it will impede the bottom from filling.

If you keep your reefing line in place (most do) make sure it is running free so that it isn't catching the sail

Check all the slugs are any of them getting caught?

Last thing, head dead into the wind when hoisting and put the halyard on the winch.

Of late, have you been performing better in light air conditions??????

Edited by - on

djn
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 14:51:24

Hi Tom, I would suggest the little blue pill. Cheers.

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TRogers
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 16:05:30

Capri25,

Regarding time line on getting the main down. I had dropped it about halfway and reset the clutch. I was initially trying to neatly put the sail away not expecting the wind to rise so quickly. Then the boat fell off the wind just as I was about to apply the sail tie and I lost hold of the sail. It took me a little longer (the next day) to realize that the wind had already come up quite a bit as I tried to apply the first tie. From then on as the wind rose the challenge was to get the pressure off the sail so something could be done with it. I probably wasted 30 seconds or so waiting on that and then the full force hit. At which point the force of the wind on the sail was keeping the sail from dropping easily. At one point I recall it being pushed 90 to starboard and more.

In 20/20 hindsight I should have just let it drop all the way to the deck at the beginning and then dealt with it, however at the time I didn't realize how little time I had. It might have still been a handful to get secured but at least it wouldn't still be up the mast and sail slugs wouldn't have all popped.

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TRogers
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 16:21:14

Duane

Thanks for the suggestions. I've pretty much checked all of those items. I've noticed the sail not being all the way up by reference to a slight lack of tension where the mast and boom meet.

It just dawned on me that I have a combination rope/cable halyard. I wonder if the splice between rope and cable is getting caught somewhere on the front of the mast. Can't quite figure out why it would have started happening after the mast stepping because I didn't make any changes that I'm aware of.

Also dawns on me that on occassion that splice has hung up the running light on the front of the mast when trying to drop the sail. Usually I just go forward and jiggle the halyard at the front of the mast a little and away I go. Could be that happened during my adventure.

I've heard the discussions on the pros and cons of the rope/cable vs all rope. Maybe it's time to just do it. One less thing to worry about in a tight spot.

I understand your reference to light air performance; I've been experimenting with the main outhaul. Not sure. Most of the air has been so light lately that it's hard to tell. That sag started bothering me because I figured that was disrupting the flow of what little wind there was.

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djn
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 16:24:15

Hi Tom, I have a wire rope/line main haylard and the joint gets caught up in the spreaderlight all the time. Cheers.

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Champipple
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 16:51:31

one other quick thought that a lot of people overlook.

A reefed main no headsail is sometimes much, much safer than trying to head on in. It sounded like you marina was fairly well covered in the lee of something (breakwall maybe?) so you probably made the right decision. And by the way, I'm not recommending heading into the storm either - but staying out and weathering it might be prudent in some locations.

For example, at Edgewater 6 foot seas can make passage through the cut in the breakwall very very difficult and almost impossible. The main harbor entrance is an easy fallback position, but not everyone has two ways to get home. Without the other entrance, staying out with diminished sail would be the only opportunity. In other locations, heading in could mean shallow water that becomes impassible in the swells. Keep thoughts like these in mind when your making those decisions in a crunch.

dw

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atgep
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Response Posted - 07/14/2006 : 17:56:51

I have had a few situations like you describe. I have been fortunate not to have had a sail hang up. Most people will get bit by weather a couple of times before they respect it. The MOB would be a nearly impossible task. About the best you could do would get a rope and float out and try to circle past the MOB. You would have to circle around, deploy the rope and not loose sight. Better to prevent it in the first place. I would be very carefull with any kind of harness though. IMHO it would be pretty easy to get tangled up and injured. when things get ugly, it is a good idea to head to an open area under bare pole, or anchor. I have anchored in 40+gusts and it was pretty smooth.

Tom.

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ed_spengeman
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/15/2006 : 22:54:12

Small inland lake. Out for a nite sail with my wife. Heat lightning in the background. On a beam reach with about 20 degrees of heel. All of a sudden we're at 40 degrees plus. Stayed that way for over a half hour. Started to furl the 110 but it stuck. tried to turn into the wind but unless I let the main flog, I was over 40 degrees. In about 20 seconds the figure eight on the loose jibsheet disappeared and the line went thru the blocks as the half open jib flogged. The loose sheet formed a macromae(sp) floormat on the deck with the other jib sheet. Now sail wouldn't go in or out. Heading for shore at what seemed 7 knots and only able to steer about 5 degrees either way. Looked down and found the rudder hanging by only the top pintle--new heavy duty pintles and gudgeons from cd direct. Started the motot with the long shaft. With the wave action, it only bit every third wave. Looked again and the top pintle was out. It had been ring-dinged. Took the rudder/tiller thru the cockpit and put in cabin at 40 degree heel. Hit rocks off shore and am grounded. Give tiller-on motor- to wife and crank up keel. Free ourselves. Only course is to scoutch(sp) between land and island. Increased speed but found a place to get out of wind and get sails down. Had to use anchor because when we headed up, we started backing at about 4 knots. Pulled anchor and found we were grounded again with the keel up. With wind and motor, lucked out and got free. Motored back to club with tail firmly between legs. Wind was between 50 and 60 mph.

Learned: Put stopper knots in jibsheets not figure eight. Inspect pintles. Use washers and cotter pins to control any gaps. Ring-dings can't be depended on.

Now I have trashed both sails-torn to shreds. Good side. New 135, main and cdi furler. Lowell at Catalina Direct said he loves my ineptitude.

Long story. Hope someone gets somethin out of it. It cost me about $2500.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
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Response Posted - 07/15/2006 : 23:18:28

Good lessons learned... thanks for sharing. You experienced one of the times when a swing keel is worth it's weight on gold.

"Started to furl the 110 but it stuck."

Which is the reason why I still prefer hanked-on headsails. I see a number of bluewater cruising boats come in here (Humboldt Bay) with shredded headsails... the story is always the same. Got caught out in a blow and the furler stuck.

"washers and cotter pins to control any gaps."

I use heavy-duty stainless 'hitchpins' rather than cotter pins. They look kinda like a bobby pin on steroids.

In my experience, the C25 will heel nearly 20 degrees in 50 mph of wind under bare poles. The power generated by the wind on the hull and rig alone is quite impressive.

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dlucier
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Response Posted - 07/16/2006 : 07:08:37

Nice account, Tom, of the perils that can befall sailors out on the water...Keeping a level head in tough situations, as you did, is key to getting through things like this successfully.

This has happened to me more times than I would like...One time I was coming back from a trip, 9 miles out, dead calm, slightly overcast skies, motor sailing with sails flapping side-to-side, water flat as a pancake, when something eerie looked like it was approaching in the distance. Since there was no wind anyway, I furled in the genoa, but after doing so, I saw a spooky line in the water that was heading my way. I said to myself, "That looks odd!". I decided to drop the main just in case, and as I was lashing it to the boom, that eerie line in the water passed us and the winds went from 0 to 50mph in a heartbeat!

When I jumped back in the cockpit, all hell broke loose. The water surface was like you described it, like a sheet of ice with wisping snow dancing across it. Within minutes, the waves went from 0 to 1, then 2, then 3, until they reached about 8 feet of breaking surf waves.

Needless to say, my pulse was racing, and fortunately the water spray doused me so, that my family was unaware of how much I was sweating while keeping a jovial, confidant, and relaxed front to keep them reasonably assured, while telling them, "Ahh, I've seen worse!" (Biggest lie I ever told!

)

It only lasted about 30 miuntes, seemed a lifetime, and we got through it, but whew, what a ride. Lessons learned, keep a level head and try to assure the crew everything will be all right.

Tom, you've gained some valuable experience and you are a better sailor for it.

Edited by - on

frog0911
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Response Posted - 07/16/2006 : 09:12:01

Tom, been looking at the picture and the other boats appear to have a slight tail low boom position as compared to yours which appears to be level. I am wondering if your topping lift is adjusatble or fixed. If fixed it might be just a little short causing the leach to not be fully depolyed. My sail use to look this way when I forgot to take off the topping pigtail on our C25 after raising the main.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2006 : 16:51:38

Here's another variation... In our prior boat, a 17' O'Day Daysailer, my Admiral and I were out with two "non-sailing" guests on Long Island Sound when a large, dark cloud moved overhead. There was no sign of rain, but things were getting blustery and the water was looking black from being whipped up a little. I was playing the mainsheet to keep things fairly stable, but it was getting gustier by the minute. Suddenly, I couldn't figure out where the wind was coming from--it was as if I was doing a rapid series of jibes... Apparently, we were in a "microburst" where the wind was blowing straight <i>down</i> on the boat at speeds probably at least in the high 20s if not 30s, not really driving us anywhere, and making my 50+ years of experience handling the sheets and tiller sort of useless! This, incidentally, was a boat that definitely could go over--it had a fiberglass centerboard and no ballast. Just as I was about to tell the Admiral to drop the main, the phenomenon passed, and we sailed home in what were still gusty but comparatively "normal" conditions. I don't think the guests ever realized how tense I was, trying to keep things steady and look confident dealing with something I'd never experienced before...

So, when you think you've seen it all...

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 07/16/2006 16:53:16

TRogers
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/17/2006 : 12:08:43

Figured out the mystery of my saggy sail that didn't want to go up completely.

While replacing sail slugs, I was removing the pieces still stuck in the sail track and noticed that the "stopper" in the mast track for the boom. The boom was a half to one inch higher than the stopper. On further inspection, I noticed pieces of broken off sail slugs underneath the boom. Removed those and the sail no goes all the way up (or down depending on how you look at it).

Suspect those may have been rattling around in the track for years. When I removed the boom in the prior year, they were probably sitting on top of the fitting. When I removed the boom they dropped down into the lower part of the track. Next spring I put the boom back and set it on top of them.

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