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Big Air Sailing Day!

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/23/2006 : 16:24:26

Sunday we had here a weather condition known as Santa Ana. It is a strong, hot, gusty, NE wind. This wind usually meets the onshore afternoon NW wind and cancels out along the coast, leaving the beach calm, hot, and smoggy.

I had a novice first time sailor on board. Sunday was indeed warm (above 80 degrees), but the NE wind was very strong - I was considering my storm jib in the slip but elected to go with 110 and single reefed main.

We sailed out, heeling to 40 degrees but not over powered or with excessive weather helm. He was asking me questions about "Have I ever capsized, ever put the mast in the water, ever put the rail under?" His only experience was in Lasers. I guess he thought we would be in the water soon.

As we tried to bash North in 4 foot seas at short period, taking showers of spray aft, I gave him the helm while I trimmed sails. He was very much overwhelmed. I put the traveller down. We had to tack for offshore and he lost control of the boat when he pushed the tiller the wrong way so we gybed all the way around 270 degrees. Then I decided to give up on making La Jolla in these conditions (wind easily to 20 gusting higher, rough seas). Mostly because I didn't want him to take such a beating and soaking. I was enjoying it. I have not seen winds like this all year. I should have gone up with the storm jib. The seas were all white caps as far as you could see. Time to bring down to the boat my #2 main which has 2 reefs (my winter main sail).

We put the boat on a beam reach, which in these conditions was straight offshore. To make the strange weather even worse, we soon sailed into an offshore fog bank, losing sight of land. Fog during a hot, dry Santa Ana??? The heeling and bashing stopped.

After a while I decided to beam reach back to shore. It was 3 PM. The wind dropped to around 10 and I shook out the reef. I set the autopilot in the fog bank with nothing in sight, saying we would be back in the slip by 4 and I would never touch the AP heading - confident in my offshore navigation in fog with no GPS! (I had a GPS just in case).

Soon, we could see land again. The fog was gone. We were under autopilot with a setting sun. I got out the late lunches. My friend, who did very well when we were trying to beat to the north, was now rather pale and not much in the mood for eating. 4' Seas on the stern quarter and winds just aft the beam were setting up some pretty good rolling and yawing. I did have to tweak the AP a few degrees in the last 1/4 mile, but we sailed right in between the jetties, up the channel, down sails, into the slip at 3:57 PM. I pride myself on always knowing the course and distance home!

It was quite a first day sailing a keelboat in the ocean for my friend. He is telling people today at the office he had fun. He is saying he will crew for me in races. I'll believe that when he asks to go sailing again.

My wife, upon hearing this, asked why I didn't just keep him in the bay?

I guess to be honest I wanted to show off a little. This fellow is into mountain biking, hiking the sierras, adventure sports. I wanted to give him a little taste of my world.

Indiscipline 1978 FK SR #398

Edited by - on

Carl B.
1st Mate

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USA
83 Posts

Response Posted - 10/23/2006 : 22:37:11

Jim,
Sounds like a good time to me. Wish I were there to enjoy the moment. I really envy you when I read your posts. I only get to sail on a small inland lake, and reading your articles keep my dreams going so one day I might get to sail on Blue Water with Big Air.

Edited by - on

bbriner
Captain

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349 Posts

Response Posted - 10/23/2006 : 23:17:17

Jim - Sounds like a good sail - especially since you obviously had everything under control! A for your buddy, since he is so into those adrenaline sports, he'll be back I bet. Imagine him on a calm day in the bay... he'd be bored to death probably.

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2006 : 01:15:58

Sounds like a fun trip. Over a couple of weeks I took several people from the office out at Avila this summer. Each trip was interesting in how the people new to sailing handled the motion of the boat. I warned everyone when I made the invitation and then again before we left the mooring but when the boat starts to heel and pitch many of my guests were quite uncomfortable.

Funny how different the weather is just 300 miles North. It was warm to hot in San Luis Obispo on Sunday. Morro bay was dripping wet fog in the morning burning off after lunch and filling in to about 8 to 10. Perfect day for the yacht club juniors in the lasers and optis. They got to tour the tall ship Lynx before the wind arrived.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2006 : 10:01:44

A month or so ago, a friend of mine came with me for an afternoon of sailing. He had only been on a sailboat twice before a few years ago(with me), so he was still a newbie to sailing.

The winds that day were around 10-15 with clear blue skies. We had a nice 3 hour close hauled sail out into open water. On the tack back to port, we were on a beam reach with winds building a bit and the seas becoming more white cappy. We were hauling butt under full genoa with the knot meter getting into the low 7 knots range, but the apparent wind angle didn't cause us too heel much.

As we got closer to port, he commented on how perfect the day was and I casually said that with the current winds and whitecaps, most sailors I know would stay in port which he couldn't really understand. So to further his understanding and while still beam reaching, I set the genoa and main sheets for a close hauled course then I had him bring the bow closer to the wind. As soon as the boat came up to the wind and caught the sails, the boat tipped waaaaayyy over while crashing through the waves. Needless to say, my newbie friend thought the world was coming to an end and was yelling for me to take the tiller, but I let him ride it out and, after a minute or so, his panic subsided. He now understood why other sailors may not want to come out on what looked like a perfect sailing day. After we docked, he immediately asked me to call him every time I went out.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3485 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2006 : 11:57:29

It is so deceiving when on a beam reach and then going close hauled. I have to always consider the tacks/wind direction & speed when bringing newbies onboard. A lot of times the conditions will decide where we sail so that they will have a good experience. I also have to remind many that a sailboat is sort of like a working boat. It is oftentimes not like a pleasure cruise on a large motorboat where you sit in cushy seats and do not have to be concerned about lines, etc being pulled and getting into your way.

Over the summer, I had one couple onboard with my wife and I. I could tell that my friend's spouse could not wait to get back to calm water/finger slip and back on land. While we are out there, the whipping on one of the jib sheets gave way. That did not exactly calm them down. I simply furled up the jib and we continued to sail but basically were on the return route by then anyway. I then tied up the sheet with a bowline knot to the jib and a half hour later after dropping them off, my sister and her family showed up and we were back out again. We had a good time but ny brother-in-law was having a heck of a time figuring out which way to wrap the jib sheet around the winch. So goes the experiences on this otherwise beautiful day with perhaps just 10 knot breeze. Does not exactly compare to your offshore experiences !

Edited by - on

SEAN
Admiral

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USA
772 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2006 : 08:28:14

Hey Jim ,

What do you use for a storm jib ?
Do you have the ANT storm jib ?
if you do did you get there small size or
give them the size you want .
I think the small is for a 27 foot boat.

I have a 250 with a 110 with a furler .

thanks Sean

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2006 : 11:47:41

I bought a slightly used 60% storm jib from one of our members.

Very nice sail in big air. It also only goes up the forestay about 3/4 of the way. I have it on about a 5 foot pennant.

With that and the double reefed main you can sail in just about anything.

Edited by - on

SEAN
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
772 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2006 : 16:17:42

thanks jim ,

the one from A.N.T. is pretty expensive and I
keep putting it off .Or even calling to get info.
it would be nice to sail in
or hang out longer if the wind kicks up .

thanks Sean

Edited by - on

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