More About Heavy Weather Sailing

More Heavy Weather Sailing

Heavy weather does not necessarily mean hurricane force winds… although a hurricane would be heavy weather in anyone’s description.  Heavy weather though has more to do with experience and seamanship skills than simply the state of the wind and water.  Inexperienced sailors and their crew might describe a day with breezes in the ten to fifteen knot range to be extreme; while more experienced skippers and crews would relish in this same wind.  Heavy weather occurs when the skipper and crew cannot control the boat any more and it seems like the wind and waves are making the boat do unexpected and unpleasant things.

One of the first unexpected and unpleasant things is when the boat suddenly heels over - - accompanied by the sound of lots of stuff inside the cabin crashing off of shelves, tables, counters, etc.  This first unexpected and unpleasant happening makes a big mess inside the boat.  It also reinforces the old sailor’s adage that everything should have its place and be in its place.  Securing the interior of the boat is one of the first things to do when heavy weather conditions are expected.  John Rousmaniere once expressed the opinion that a pound of butter or a carton of cottage cheese could become dangerous missiles if left unattended during rough weather.  I’ve never been hit by a carton of cottage cheese, but don’t want to either.  Hence, my intent to stow everything below decks when strong wind and waves are on the way.

Likewise, equipment on deck should be made ready for heavy weather too.  The jacklines should be rigged.  These are strong lines that are secured along both side decks.  The jacklines extend from the cockpit to the bow pulpit.  On Snickerdoodle, I use a length of one-inch nylon strap.  There is an eight-inch loop sewn into both ends of the strap.  I secure one end of the jackline to the port aft mooring cleat; then lead the other end forward on the port side deck and through the hole in both bow mooring cleats; then aft along the starboard side deck to the starboard aft mooring cleat – where that end is secured.  I secure each end with a mountain climbing carabiner.    The reason I like to use the one-inch nylon strap is that it lies flat on the deck and will not roll if stepped on.  Spare sheets or even stainless steel cable can also be used for jacklines… but being round, these will both roll underfoot leading to a possible swim… just what you don’t want in heavy weather conditions.

With the jacklines ready, it is easy to snap your safety harness’ tether to the jackline.  When you do this, you are effectively tethered to your boat.  This makes going forward much safer.  BTW:  My safety harness has a built-in inflatable PFD.  So, if I should go swimming, I’ll already have my life jacket on.  If you see me out sailing, you will notice that I have this safety harness/PFD on just about anytime except when the wind is very light.

The next thing to get ready is the reefing lines for the mainsail - - if these are not already rigged and ready for use.  If the reefing lines are ready (Snickerdoodle is always rigged with the mainsail reefing lines ready), inspect them to insure that you know which line to engage, and in what sequence while reefing.   Now is probably an opportune time to get the storm jib or small working jib ready to rig.  You might not need these, but it’s always good to have them close at hand just in case.  I often hoist my 135% jib sail for winds in the teens.  This sail has a fifteen-inch pendant on the tack corner to get the sail’s foot up and off the deck.  The sail won’t catch and hold water that might come aboard over the bow and offers much better visibility forward.  My 135% jib also has reef points about thirty-inches up from its foot.  Reefing this sail reduces it to about 100%... so, a nice intermediate size prior to changing down to a really smaller jib sail.  There is a block and downhaul line secured to the stem fitting that I use to pull the reef tack down to its correct height above the stem fitting.   This tack downhaul line leads back to the cockpit so that no one has to go forward to reef the jib.  A second set of jib sheets are secured to the reef clew point and run through the jib lead blocks on both sides of the boat.  I generally don’t move the lead block when I reef this sail.  The reason is that the position that is best for the sail when it is fully raised will put additional horizontal tension on the foot of the sail when it is reefed.  This horizontal tension will allow the upper third of the sail to twist off in the gusts and spill wind (reducing heeling and rounding up).

 

 

The above picture of Snickerdoodle clearly shows the two sets of reef points in the mainsail AND the reef points in my 135% jib sail.  It looks like it’s just about time to engage one or the other.

If you don’t have a roller furling jib, you might consider sending a working jib (110% to 135%) to your favorite sail loft this winter and asking them to add reef points in that sail for you.  This should cost around $100 to $150.  It’s cheap insurance for breezy days.

What are the signs that it’s time to reef the main and/or change down the jib?  Of course the old sailor’s saying, “If you think it might be time to reef, it is.” is a pretty good saying.  Some people say, “If you think it might be time to reef, it WAS - - thirty minutes ago.”  But what are the things that should clew you in that it’s time to reef the main and/or shorten the jib?  One sure sign is if you see other sailboats with their mainsails already reefed and/or they are flying small jibs.  Another sign is if there are a lot of whitecap waves… especially to windward (take another look at the first photo).  A third sign is that you and/OR your crew are uncomfortable with the angle of heel… especially in the gusts.  Also, if you and/or your crew are getting fatigued, cold, or sick.  Along with this, it seems like the gusts are coming more frequently.  Of course, if the boat is uncontrollable or difficult to steer, it’s time to reef the main and/or shorten the jib.  Certainly, if you are digging in the lee rail and washing the windows, it was time a while ago.  A really effective clew is to watch the sailboats upwind from you.  If you see them with their rails down and at extreme angles of heel, it’s time NOW to reef your boat and/or shorten the jib… before the strong winds reach your boat.

As you reef the main and/or shorten the jib, remember that it is best if you can keep a balance between the mainsail and the jib.  It is important to keep the sail's center of effort at about the same place relative to the boat's center of lateral plane (effectively the keel).  Keeping things balanced between the mainsail and jib will give the tiller the right feel and make the boat much easier to steer - - even in the gusts.

What’s the question of the day?  When was the last time that you practiced reefing the mainsail and practiced changing down to a smaller jib sail on a nice day with breezes in the five to ten range?  This exercise will train you and your crew to know what to do, how to do it, and to be ready when the wind pipes up.

What is the second question of the day?  When was the last time you jumped in the water wearing your inflatable PFD to make sure that the life jacket actually inflated?  Those little CO2 cartages are pretty inexpensive.  So, once a year or so, make sure that the PFD will really work......

Torqeedo Update

Torqeedo Update

Snickerdoodle is winterized and I’m officially “on-the-beach” till next spring.  Oh, my……  One of the really nice things with this year’s winterizing was simply moving the Torqeedo from the outboard bracket to inside the main cabin.  At about forty pounds, this was easily done.  I didn’t have to worry about such things as “fogging oil”, lubing the lower unit, changing crankcase oil, “Stabil” in the gasoline tank, et al……  I put the starboard side settee cushion on edge in the V-berth, and moved the Torqeedo’s two twelve-volt batteries inside the main cabin to the starboard side settee.  With shore power keeping the cabin temperature above freezing, this is ideal for both the motor and the batteries.

After a season with the Torqeedo, how do I feel about the whole “adventure”?  For a lot of reasons, this was the right decision for Snickerdoodle.   While the Torqeedo is a bit less powerful than the previous engine -  Mercury 8hp outboard, it is more than adequate for 95% of the motor usage for this past season.  And, electrical consumption for day sailing, and short trips of say 20 miles round-trip, was easily handled by the two twelve-volt deep-cycle batteries.  The dedicated “smart” charger can recharge the batteries in just a couple hours.

Everyone loves the quiet of the Torqeedo.  Some folks have started calling the motor “stealth”.  Even at high rpms, the motor only makes a humming sound.

What was the biggest problem with the Torqeedo?  My choice of motors was the Torqeedo 2.0 long shaft, tiller version.  The long shaft is in keeping with outboard engines needs on a Catalina 25.  Propellers on short shaft engines don’t allow for the prop to be deep enough in the water on “choppy” days.  I chose the tiller version because I like to be able to set the propeller angle (relative to the boat’s centerline).  This helps balance the rudder’s tiller when in forward and still allows me to angle the motor when I’m backing up while getting out of the slip.  The Torqeedo 2.0 tiller version has an LED which shows available battery voltage as soon as the battery master switch is closed.  A 100% charge will show about 26 volts.  As the motor is used, the battery charge is depleted.  The LED shows 24 volts, 23.5 volts, etc. as the charge is used.  So, this LED is sort of like the fuel gauge on the fuel tank.  The LED shows what’s left.  The problem is that (just like a gasoline engine) the higher the motor rpms, the faster the battery charge is used up.  Unlike a gasoline engine though, the usage curve is not a straight line.  Rather, the curve accelerates as the rpms increase.  This makes it difficult to estimate how much longer the batteries will last and provide enough voltage to run the motor.  BTW: the owner’s manual says that 18 volts is minimum voltage to run the motor.

Interestingly, the Torqeedo 2.0 cruise model has a remote throttle instead of having the throttle as part of the tiller (like mine).  The remote throttle can be placed anywhere in the boat up to ten feet away from the motor.  The remote throttle also has an LED.  But this LED is four times larger and has much more information.  The remote throttle has a built-in GPS receiver.  So, the remote throttle’s LED shows: battery charge (volts); remaining range at current speed; speed; and input power consumption in watts.  This remote LED gives all of the critical information needed to determine whether the batteries can get the boat to the intended destination at the present speed.  Just what I would really like to have.  AND, HORRAY…… I just learned that this remote throttle can be linked to my motor.  Guess what’s already on my “Santa” list???????

When we went on our “sail-around-the-lake” in August, there was a mix of no-wind motoring and plenty of wind sailing.  The longest no-wind day was on Saturday when we motored all the way from Hope at the north end of Lake Pend Oreille to Button Hook Cove at the extreme southwest end of the lake.  The total distance traveled that day was 23.8 nautical miles.  I kept the boat’s speed at 3 knots.  The LED read the following:

0930  25.0 volts   as we left Hope;  1130   24.0 volts  (1 volt used in two hours); 

1230   23.7 volts  (.3 volts used in an hour);  1330   23.5 volts  (.2 volts used in an hour);  1430   23.3 volts  (.2 volts used in an hour);  1530   23.0 volts  (.3 volts used in an hour);  1430   22.7 volts  (.3 volts used in an hour);  1730   22.4 volts  (.3 volts used in an hour)

The boat speed during this day varied with any light breeze.  If the breeze was from ahead, the speed would diminish to as slow as 2.7 knots.  If the breeze was from behind, the speed might increase to 3.2 knots.

Using a Klein multi-meter to measure amperage though, things get interesting.  Here’s what I found at different speeds:

1.5 knots speed  =  1.5 amps usage;  2.0 knots speed  =  3 amps usage;  2.5 knots speed = 8 amps usage;  3.0 knots speed  =  10 amps usage;  then the rpms start using more and more amps……  3.5 knots speed  =  18 amps usage;  4.0 knots  =  36 amps usage;  4.5 knots speed  =  41.5 amps usage;  and at 5 knots speed  =  68 amps usage.

The total amp hour rating on the batteries is 110 amps.  So, at 5 knots – using 68 amps /hour – there is about a 1.5 hour charge - - equaling about  7.5 nautical miles.  I don’t plan on many days or very many miles at 5 knots……

In addition to the dedicated deep-cycle battery bank for the Torqeedo, Snickerdoodle also has two 12-volt deep-cycle batteries for the “house” batteries - - to power the VHF radio, depth sounder, interior and running lights, etc.  I purchased the extra-long power cord in addition to the power cord that came with the motor.  With this extra-long power cord, I can connect the “house” batteries in a series to power the Torqeedo in a pinch.  At 85 amp/hour rating – these two “house” batteries should be able to get us home from just about any place on the lake.

All-in-all, was this a good purchase?  And, more importantly, would I make the same purchase decision again knowing what I know now?  The answer is a resounding YES to both.  And, I’d have purchased the 2.0 cruise remote throttle too…… right from the start.