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Bad Day - Overwhelmed Novice

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Tray
Navigator

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Namibia
224 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/16/2001 : 19:03:18

I guess I should've known better. The forecast today was for 15-20 knot winds with stronger gusts. But the wind seemed calm at the dock, so the crew (wife) and I decided to venture out anyway for our 4th ever sail. Our last two sails have been nearly w

Edited by - on

Tray
Navigator

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Namibia
224 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 19:05:58

BTW...
Ben-FL,
I got your message after we got back tonight. Wish I had asked your opinion before heading out. Thanks for the response.

Tray
C-250WB #554
"Weeny Bean"

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 19:27:37

Tray – Sounds like an exciting day. Don’t let it spook you. 15-20 knots IS fun and your boat can handle it. If I can offer some advice, on a calmer day learn to reef the main. Do it over and over until its second na

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Steve Raffel
Captain

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262 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 20:32:58

It is always wise to reef before you leave the dock if possible. When in doubt reef then shake it out if you don't need it. Also remember the apparent wind on a braod reach or running is misleading because the boat wind is partially cancelling the true

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MarkTM
Navigator

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USA
178 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 21:49:47

Tray,

Don't feel too bad. The first weekend I had my new C250wb (Labor Day 1998), my boat was loaded with eight non-sailors looking to enjoy a good holiday out on the water. My impressive sailing resume was limited to a two-hour Sunfish outing 15 year

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Doug
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 22:14:51

Sounds like the learning curve we used!

I'm sure you'll get all the advice you need on when to reef, contolling heel, etc. All I want to tell you is be patient.

We had a very similar experience early on and the crew(and Captain) was terrified every

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allencl
Navigator

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USA
143 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 22:21:02

Just to reiterate what's already been said: reef early (there's no danger in having too little sail up, and you can always take out the reef if you're bored), keep mainsheet in hand, and realise that you will learn to be more comfortable as you progress

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Ben - FL
Admiral

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880 Posts

Response Posted - 12/16/2001 : 22:36:08

Hi Tray,

Wish I could have gone with you today. It will probably be after the Holidays when we can get together.

Don't feel bad about starting the motor. In fact, it is a good idea to practice getting it started in a hurry. Practice, practice, pract

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n/a
deleted

Members Avatar

163 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 12:31:15

Good advice here, especially about reefing before leaving the dock or mooring. Reef early and change down the jib until you get used to blustery conditions. Heel angles of more than 25 degrees are uncomfortable and inefficient. Also, you can ease the vang

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cathluk
Admiral

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USA
513 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 14:16:16

I don't have much more to add than has already been said. It's worth repeating that you need to get used to the reefing. We usually reef at around 15 knots (maybe less since I don't care to heel too much). We added a 2nd reef point last year & it gives

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Tray
Navigator

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Namibia
224 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 17:37:21

This place is great! The encouragement and advice have been great. I know this is silly, but I never considered reefing. JohnG said that whitecaps indicate winds of 16 knots. We noticed the whitecaps as we drove over the bridge to the island, but I di

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 17:49:08

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
This place is great! The encouragement and advice have been great. I know this is silly, but I never considered reefing. JohnG said that w

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Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3324 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 18:09:47

With all due respect to John et al - I believe that white caps start at 12k and are established at 14k (unless you are on Great Salt Lake in which case it takes a solid 18k to start them....!)When we see white caps on the lake we stick with the 155 (initi

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 18:22:31

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
With all due respect to John et al - I believe that white caps start at 12k and are established at 14k (unless you are on Great Salt Lake in

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MarkTM
Navigator

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USA
178 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 18:34:56

Now maybe a good time to mention this. Many who frequent this site know each other (to a limited extent) and know what model boat we sail (C25 or C250). But, most probably don't. When we offer specific advice as to sail controls or sail selections, etc

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 18:36:59

Derek – et al – I found this web site on the [url="http://www.stormfax.com/beaufort.htm"] Beaufort Wind Scale[/url]. And it does indicate that whitecaps appear before 16 knots. It describes what you will see at what

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Tray
Navigator

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Namibia
224 Posts

Response Posted - 12/17/2001 : 19:00:13

JohnG-I sent in my dues mid-November. The check still hasn't been cashed. It doesn't much matter to me, though. 20 bucks isn't much to pay to keep this forum and the other benefits of the website going. I realize that just about everything here is ope

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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 12/18/2001 : 00:07:25

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
As we came through the wind I pulled the main sheet tight to prevent the boom from swinging wildly.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQU

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5936 Posts

Response Posted - 12/18/2001 : 13:56:50

Tray, as you can see from the responses, every sailor has been caught in a blow with too much sail up. It's a universal part of the sailing experience.

In this case, you did exactly the right thing. When you found that you couldn't control the boat, yo

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 12/18/2001 : 16:57:19

The one thing I didn't see mentioned is letting off on the boom vang to dump more sail.

Also, regardless of what anyone elses scale tells you, learn to judge the wind on your lake. As Derrick noted, the Great Salt Lake doesn't cap until 18 knots or

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andy p
1st Mate

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55 Posts

Response Posted - 12/18/2001 : 17:04:26

Another idea: When sailing off the wind, take a glance behind you once in a while. Sometimes developing conditions are not fully appreciated until you need to go back upwind into them.

Andy P.
#5708

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rawbonz
Deckhand

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3 Posts

Response Posted - 12/18/2001 : 19:33:54

Nothing beats a little "stick time" for learning to sail. Years ago I had a navigator who talked nothing but sailing night and day. I got interested and began to read basic sailing books. After a year of listening to my nav and a good bit of reading, I de

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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 12/19/2001 : 12:59:38

Hi Tray: Well so far I have had a look at all the posts you have had on this topic. They are all good and you can learn from each one. But most of all to note is they have all been there, me included. The realy only true thing to say is learn from your mi

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2001 : 16:21:15

This is an excellent series of posts. The two things not mentioned (I think) were:

1. The more the boat heels (please, everyone, it's not HEAL, even though I experience healing whenever I'm on my boat. A clergy/sailor friend of mine calls his boat "

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 01/16/2002 : 13:28:41

I've only skimmed the above responses - but I assume that most of us don't go out in high winds single-handed. Whenever winds get to about 15 knots and above - my wife sticks me in the rear of the cockpit to man only the mainsheet while she concentrates

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n/a
deleted

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1 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2002 : 10:10:07

Hi Tray, I don't want to say that I'm glad you had such an overwhelming experience, but I've learned a lot from the feedback you've received. I am the second owner of a C250WB #44 which was my first sailboat when I bought it three years ago. It has not be

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