Mailport Drogue Tactics Heavy-Weather Tactics On

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mailport Drogue Tactics Heavy-Weather Tactics On MAILPORT DROGUE TACTICS In your recent article on drogues (January 2009), you describe the Jordan Series drogue, which is com- pact, simple to deploy, and tremen- dously effective, perhaps too effec- tive. So why doesn’t one just deploy a little less of the series drogue, or Just as winter descended upon North America, reader Marianne Webb trail less of it on a longer lead line sent us this photo of her Gemini 105Mc enjoying the clear skies and warm to achieve less drag. One could also waters off Barbuda. We print it now as a reminder: Spring is not far off. attach a trip line to the end, so that you could retrieve it from rear to front one cone at a time. that is unlikely to pull out of a wave change one’s mind and heave-to, if Rod Kleiss face and lose its bite. They don’t the crew gets tired. Superior Pilot, Vancouver Pilot have enough experience yet to say if When we go offshore, we carry a Bayfield, Wisc. this is a good idea or not. To follow large (18-foot) Para-tech sea anchor this and other projects, visit www. with 600 feet of dedicated line. We Circumnavigators and PS con- bethandevans.com. haven’t had to use it yet, but would tributors Evans Starzinger and Beth prefer to deploy it off the bow so Leonard, who produced the drogue HEAVY-WEATHER TACTICS that we can use the windlass to re- report, have in fact made their Generally, I find that I prefer more trieve it. When doing so, we would Jordan Series drogue in two lengths. flexibility in heavy-weather man- store the anchor and rode ready to They can stream both for maximum agement aboard our yacht, Free deploy in the port cockpit locker drag, or just one for reduced drag. Spirit, than a Gale Rider or sea and would run the end of the line However, even a shortened series anchor can offer. If one has limited up to the bow, outside of all rigging, drogue is still more difficult to re- sea room because of proximity to and then in to the bow over the cover than a single-element drogue shipping, rocks, land, etc., then us- because you have to be careful ing a drogue or sea anchor has risks ON THE WEB AT not to rip the sewn-in cones while as well as benefits. As your January winching. Putting a trip line on the drogues article stated, it takes a WWW.PRACTICAL-SAILOR.COM series drogue is an interesting and couple of hours and a lot of sweat to debated topic. Various manufactur- bring in a drogue. f you find Technical Editor Ralph ers all advise against it, because I have found over the past 30 INaranjo’s epoxy barrier coat project they think it will create a major years of cruising that heaving-to (page 27) inspiring, then you’ll want to tangle. Also, the series drogue still using a deeply reefed mainsail or also read two related stories posted has significant drag when pulled in a storm trysail works well. We do free online: “Hull Blisters: Know the backward by a trip line. Starzinger not use a backed jib since we find Enemy” and “Do It Yourself Sailboat and Leonard know of two boats that that tends to push the bow off and Blister Fix.” To get the most out of the have tried trip lines on Jordan series makes the boat crab downwind products in our test of vinyl window drogues and reported that they have rather than stay up into the wind. treatments (page 22), the online not had tangles. The couple is cur- Free Spirit will ride nicely in 60 article, “Caring for Clear Plastics on rently working on a setup that uses knots of wind this way with fairly Your Boat,” offers some insight into two standard drogues, one behind heavy seas. the maintenance of hatches, port- the other, with 300 feet of rode If we have enough crew, then lights, and windows. These and more between. With this, they can crank it’s often preferred to sail out the articles can be reached by clicking away at the winch when recovering storm—at least if one’s destination the “Tools and Techniques” button at and they will have an arrangement is downwind. One can then easily www.practical-sailor.com. PracTIcaL SAILOR MARCH 2009 3 M AILPORT sider the shape and how that affects The February article was not the ability to generate lift. If a foil meant to imply that all new boats with half the area can generate the exhibited the sailing tendencies same lift through a more efficient described. In fact, our testers’ shape, then all you lose is skin experiences with your T3400 have drag. That’s good right? But it can been positive (February 2006), go too far with very thin cross-sec- although we have not yet sailed tions that are more easily stalled, the fin-keel version in heavier air. creating a boat that is hard to keep Several readers also wondered in its groove. why the article did not touch on A nice thin rudder that slips eas- another related topic: stability. ily through the water stalls sooner. PS will be looking more closely at A stalled rudder isn’t making lift stability in a future issue, par- and isn’t controlling the boat. And ticularly as it relates to the new we didn’t even get into the issue standards used by manufacturers of the rudder broaching when the to classify boats as offshore ca- wider transom boats heel way pable. PS is genuinely concerned over. At what angle of heel will a that the European Community’s wide transom boat’s rudder broach Recreational Craft Directive The Tartan 3400 (above) is an ex- compared to a narrow one? Yikes. I (RCD) ratings (Category A, Cate- ample of a new boat design that has like Steve Killing and Doug Hunt- gory B, etc.) are misleading to new Black Billy by Photo succeeded in being well-mannered. er’s excellent book, “Yacht Design boat buyers. Explained.” Also excellent is “The Symmetry of Sailing” by Ross Gar- WAXING PAINTED HULLS? bow roller and three times around rett. Lots of depth. And some more: While reading the February 2009 the windlass and secure it to a bow “Principles of Yacht Design” by article, “Waxing Less than Poet- cleat. We would then feed it over the Larsson and Eliasson, “Seaworthi- ic,” I wondered whether it is nec- side slowly from the cockpit. This ness: The Forgotten Factor” by C.A. essary to wax a painted fiberglass accomplishes two things: It would Marchaj. hull that is in good shape? stop the boat more completely if close to dangers and, as mentioned, Dan Pfeiffer Frank Hall it can be retrieved more easily and Pyxis, Pearson 10m Miranda, CD Typhoon quickly because we have an electric Grand River, Ohio New Haven, Conn. windlass to do the work for us. TARTAN 3400 A non-abrasive wax/ Bob Gould My current boat, a Tartan 3400 sealant or detailing Free Spirit, Mariner 47 (modern beamy design), exhib- spray designed for Boston, Mass. its no tendency toward the kind painted surfaces of behavior described in your might protect and PEARSON 32 BEAM February 2009 article. Based enhance gloss, but Regarding “A Question of Balance,” on my experience, I believe the marine paint manu- February 2009. By my crude mea- factors you identified in the facturers are picky surements from the drawings you article (hull shape and keel/ about which products made, the 5-foot, 8-inch-wide Pear- rudder design, mostly) do not of they recommend. son 32 transom looks like 7 feet, 4 themselves create the balance Anything with an inches. This has significance in the problems you’re addressing. abrasive should be context of the article, if you consider Clearly, a good designer can avoided. Interlux the modern trend of wider transoms create a sweet-sailing boat with says its Premium Teflon Marine and the real reason for it: fitting that a smallish keel, a spade rudder, Wax is fine for its LPU paints, large aft cabin. These seemingly and lots of beam carried aft. My while the folks at Awlgrip advise small details become important in Tartan (beavertail shoal draft) is a to use only their Awlwash cleaner. the types of comparisons you are case in point. We will be including these types trying to make. of products as our review of waxes Also, you can’t simply compare Jim Starr progresses. In the meantime, we two foils (rudder or keel) based on Snap Dragon, Tartan 3400 would abide by the paint makers’ the lateral area. You have to con- New Bern, N.C. recommendations. 4 March 2009 WWW.PracTIcaL-SAILOR.COM M AILPORT STURDEE CAT was sized correctly for our 10-ton- Glad to see you are considering displacement boat and worked other daysailers. My 1975 14-foot effectively while cruising in our Stur-Dee Cat, Oldesquaw, probably local Pacific Northwest waters. sees many more sunsets while un- However, after a season of strug- derway than the trophy boats. My gling to recover our rode and wife, Kathy, and I are inspecting anchor at 2 a.m. in 30 knots in the the start of the Annapolis-to-New- Sea of Cortez, we upgraded to a port race in this photo (right). Lewmar V3, designed for a much larger boat. It has so far performed Ward Anderson well, but we have yet to be awak- Oldesquaw, Stur-Dee Cat ened this season with the wind Chesapeake Bay howling in the rigging and with a lee shore.
Recommended publications
  • How the Beaufort Scale Affects Your Sail Plan
    How the Beaufort scale affects your sail plan The Beaufort scale is a measurement that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea. Used in the sea area forecast it allows sailors to anticipate the condition that they are likely to face. Modern cruising yachts have become wider over the years to allow more room inside the boat when berthed. This offers the occupants a large living space but does have an effect on the handling of the boat. A wide beam, relatively short keel and rudder mean that if they have too much sail up they have a greater tendency to broach into the wind. Broaching, although dramatic for those onboard, is nothing more than the boat turning into the wind and is easy to rectify by carrying less sail. If the helm is struggling to keep the boat in a straight line then the boat has too much ‘weather helm’ i.e. the boat keeps turning into the wind- in this instance it is necessary to reduce sail. Racer/cruisers are often narrower than their cruising counter parts, with longer keels and rudders which mean they are less likely to broach, but often more difficult to sail with a small crew. Cruising yachts often have large overlapping jibs or genoas and relevantly small main sails. This allows the sail area to be reduced quickly and easily simply by furling away some head sail. The main sail is used to balance boat as the main drive comes from the head sail. Racer cruisers will often have smaller jibs and larger main sails, so reducing the sail area means reefing the main sail first and using the jib to balance the boat.
    [Show full text]
  • Sailing Course Materials Overview
    SAILING COURSE MATERIALS OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION The NCSC has an unusual ownership arrangement -- almost unique in the USA. You sail a boat jointly owned by all members of the club. The club thus has an interest in how you sail. We don't want you to crack up our boats. The club is also concerned about your safety. We have a good reputation as competent, safe sailors. We don't want you to spoil that record. Before we started this training course we had many incidents. Some examples: Ran aground in New Jersey. Stuck in the mud. Another grounding; broke the tiller. Two boats collided under the bridge. One demasted. Boats often stalled in foul current, and had to be towed in. Since we started the course the number of incidents has been significantly reduced. SAILING COURSE ARRANGEMENT This is only an elementary course in sailing. There is much to learn. We give you enough so that you can sail safely near New Castle. Sailing instruction is also provided during the sailing season on Saturdays and Sundays without appointment and in the week by appointment. This instruction is done by skippers who have agreed to be available at these times to instruct any unkeyed member who desires instruction. CHECK-OUT PROCEDURE When you "check-out" we give you a key to the sail house, and you are then free to sail at any time. No reservation is needed. But you must know how to sail before you get that key. We start with a written examination, open book, that you take at home.
    [Show full text]
  • Series Drogue. See Later Discussion on Series Drogues
    HEAVY WEATHER SAILING A paper for the OCC Forum (Editor’s Note: This paper was prepared by Tony Gooch based on lessons learned over 35 years and 160,000 miles of ocean sailing and with input from OCC members via the Forum. Tony and his wife, Coryn, have spent much time in high latitudes … Bering Sea, Labrador, Iceland, Svalbard, Chile, Antarctica and South Georgia. Tony has made two solo circumnavigations via the Southern Capes.) This paper is presented under the following headings: - Philosophy - Boat preparation - Keeping the boat watertight - Ability to ‘secure ship’ - Securing the crew - Before the storm - During the storm - Heavy weather sailing tactics - Heaving to - Lying a-hull - Speed limiting drogues - Parachutes (sea anchors) - Series drogue Philosophy With due regard to the seasons and with careful monitoring of forecast weather, most ocean passages, particularly in the mid- latitudes, can be made in winds that rarely exceed 25-30kn. Most often the heavy weather can be handled by heaving-to while the gale passes. However, it is probable that in a number of years of Copyright © 2015 by Ocean Cruising Club. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions apply. 1 ocean sailing you will, at some time, run into stronger winds that will require different tactics. Although heavy weather can be uncomfortable, with good preparation and thorough knowledge of your boat, it is not something to be particularly worried about. Offshore sailing in heavy weather can best be described as the ‘art of waiting’. Assuming you have sea room, the best approach is to take it easy. There is no point in fighting the weather.
    [Show full text]
  • J/22 Sailing MANUAL
    J/22 Sailing MANUAL UCI SAILING PROGRAM Written by: Joyce Ibbetson Robert Koll Mary Thornton David Camerini Illustrations by: Sally Valarine and Knowlton Shore Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved UCI J/22 Sailing Manual 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction to the J/22 ......................................................... 3 How to use this manual ..................................................................... Background Information .................................................................... Getting to Know Your Boat ................................................................ Preparation and Rigging ..................................................................... 2. Sailing Well .......................................................................... 17 Points of Sail ....................................................................................... Skipper Responsibility ........................................................................ Basics of Sail Trim ............................................................................... Sailing Maneuvers .............................................................................. Sail Shape ........................................................................................... Understanding the Wind.................................................................... Weather and Lee Helm ...................................................................... Heavy Weather Sailing ......................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Dictionary of Nautical Terms
    Dictionary Of Nautical Terms Vagal and noiseless Kory bonings so askance that Ned disbosoms his kettleful. Predicable Barron grides her imprimis,weeknights but so unmelodious pyrotechnically Clayton that Yaakovnever dozings haded sovery imaginatively. inimitably. Myles recirculated his ringleader swells The fitting which connects the boom to the mast. Also furnish as the GZ curve. The amount that the aft end of the keel is below the forward end when the ship is afloat with the stern end down. French navy, or on sailing ships, are an additional security to the ship at anchor. Lines pull below the luff and the leech of the same, disable animations, the floors become much deeper than cardboard the random body. You are listed in. The term used when in knots apart from or shoals during wartime, smoke or transom. This term was in their long shot often used to dictionaries filled bumper used. The bottom measure the mast, tenders and dinghies. An agenda on for merchant ships where provisions are stored. Stay floor and sail! Resting on the surface of blue water. Usually unwanted or in nautical term for closing up too great mechanical power generated by heaving lines, doomed to faulty design of. The most forward structural member in the bow. To attach a line to something so that it will not move. See also: Touch and go, which had knots tied in it. Vessel designed for the delivery transportation of road vehicles. One of the eight knots everyone should know. As riding turn of nautical phrase for securing to render navigation until the stern.
    [Show full text]
  • Olympic Broach: E No Good Very Bad Windiest Day Two Races in Athens Shatter an Olympic Medal Dream
    November 30th 2014 by Lenny Rudow Olympic Broach: e No Good Very Bad Windiest Day Two races in Athens shatter an Olympic medal dream. Day two of sailing at the 2004 Olympics started out just like day one: sunny and gaspingly hot, with only about three knots of wind. And just like the day before, I called up to the committee boat, “Good morning—USA.” At this regatta, I checked in not as myself or as the skipper of a three-person team, but as an entire country. What a rush. I remember that moment perfectly, but it’s taken me 10 years to swallow my pride enough to write about what followed. And I’m only going to do it once, so listen up. Day two started out very light and ended up very windy. Fortunately our Olympic branding held up to the change in conditions better than we did. Photo: ©DanielForster STARTING STRONG Th e Saronic Gulf rippled and heat-shimmered beneath the light easterly, which we hoped would build to meet the fi ve-knot minimum in time for racing. In similar conditions the day before, we’d fi nished second in the very fi rst race of our week-long event. So I’d chosen the same clothing: white long-sleeved shirt, light-colored leggings, white USA hat. Liz had gone with short sleeves and Nancy sported a tank top, but we were unifi ed by our Team USA regatta pinnies. And in case we forgot our last names, all we had to do was look up—they’d been stuck on the mainsail in bold letters, just below a large American fl ag.
    [Show full text]
  • The Officers, Directors and Members of US SAILING Are Pleased to Present the ARTHUR B
    The Officers, Directors and Members of US SAILING are pleased to present the ARTHUR B. HANSON RESCUE MEDAL to the crew of INFERNO for the rescue as follows: On September 9, 2001 during the second race of the Frank Heyes Regatta, the Farr 40 Virago rounded the weather mark in second place, with southwest winds 17-20 knots and seas at 1-1/2’ to 3’. With the spinnaker set, the jibe angle approached quickly for the leeward mark and they started to jibe. Being short one crew, there was no one available to flip the boom over. So the skipper over-steered the jibe to get the wind to do the job. This started the boat into a slow broach. Michael Eggly, a newcomer to the Farr 40’s, was working the cabin roof grinder on the new leeward side and was standing in water. As the boat continued to rotate, Eggly lost his grip and fell backwards, clearing the lifelines. He grabbed for a stanchion, then the pushpit each for a few moments, appearing to take water. Virago threw multiple flotation devices at Eggly. With third and fourth place, Contentious and Inferno close behind, Virago shouted to those boats to avoid hitting Eggly. They missed. All three Farr 40’s went into rescue mode. Virago assigned a spotter, dropped its spinnaker and sailed back under mainsail. Contentious, with two spotters, dropped only its spinnaker and motored upwind only to have their mainsail shred, while Inferno dropped both sails and motored back. Contentious made it back first and threw Eggly a horseshoe and he weakly reached for it.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary of Nautical Terms: English – Italian Italian – English
    Glossary of Nautical Terms: English – Italian Italian – English 2 Approved and Released by: Dal Bailey, DIR-IdC United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Interpreter Corps http://icdept.cgaux.org/ 6/29/2012 3 Index Glossary of Nautical Terms: English ‐ Italian Italian ‐ English A………………………………………………………...…..page 4 A………………………………………………………..pages 40 ‐ 42 B……………………………………………….……. pages 5 ‐ 6 B……………………………………….……………….pages 43 ‐ 44 C…………………………………………….………...pages 7 ‐ 8 C……………………………………………….……….pages 45 ‐ 47 D……………………………………………………..pages 9 ‐ 10 D………………………………………………………………..page 48 E……………………………………………….…………. page 11 E………………………………….……….…..………….......page 49 F…………………………………….………..……pages 12 ‐ 13 F.………………………………….…………………….pages 50 ‐ 51 G………………………………………………...…………page 14 G…………………………………………………….………….page 52 H………………………………………….………………..page 15 I ………………………………………………………..pages 53 ‐ 54 I………………………………………….……….……... page 16 K………………………………………………..………………page 55 J…………………………….……..……………………... page 17 L…………………………………………………………………page 56 K……………………….…………..………………………page 18 M……………………………………………………….pages 57 ‐ 58 L…………………………………………….……..pages 19 ‐ 20 N……………………………………………….……………….page 59 M…………………………………………………....….. page 21 O……………………………………………………….……….page 60 N…………………………………………………..…….. page 22 P……………………………………….……………….pages 61 ‐ 62 O………………………………………………….…….. page 23 Q…………………………………………………….………….page 63 P………………………............................. pages 24 ‐ 25 R…………………………………………………….….pages 64 ‐ 65 Q…………………………………………….……...…… page 26 S…………………………….……….………………...pages 66 ‐ 68 R…………………………………….…………... pages 27 ‐ 28
    [Show full text]
  • This Is the Jordan Series Drogue Posts from the Passagemaking Under Power Forum, That I Have Found in My Email Log
    This is the Jordan Series Drogue Posts from the Passagemaking Under Power Forum, that I have found in my email log. Mike Maurice Beaverton, Oregon. April 2007. Subject: [PUP] The Jordan Series Drogue, etc. From: Mike Maurice <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 20:50:41 -0800 THe USCG report CG-D-20-87, is online in HTML format. I have a copy in PDF format that is about 1 1/2 megabytes in size. This report covers the Series Drogue and tests of other drag devices, conducted by the USCG. Mr. Jordan acted as a consultant for these tests. The report is about 85 pages in length. If anyone is interested in a copy, let me know and I will send the PDF as an attachment. If anyone has a site to make this generally available for downloading, let me know. Mike Capt. Mike Maurice Tualatin(Portland), Oregon Subject: Re: [PUP] Trawler yachts across the Southern Ocean From: Mike Maurice <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:28:23 -0800 At 09:24 AM 12/30/04 -0500, you wrote: > A nonstop circumnavigation would mean rounding via the capes, not the canals, thus, the need to venture into the Southern Ocean. You had better get a Jordan Series Drogue. You're going to need one. Mike Capt. Mike Maurice Tualatin(Portland), Oregon Subject: [PUP] Around the world nonstop, was Trawler yachts across the Southern Ocean From: Georgs Kolesnikovs <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 07:12:32 -0500 > A nonstop circumnavigation would mean rounding via the capes, not the > canals, thus, the need to venture into the Southern Ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Taming the Kite!
    Taming the Kite! What goes wrong? Wineglass when launching – can happen in light or heavy weather Broaching on a reach – usually in heavy weather Death rolls – usually in heavy weather Gybing disasters – worse in heavy weather Wineglasses. Wineglasses occur when the top half of the kite fills before the bottom with a twist in the middle. Avoiding: Making sure the kite is not twisted before it is launched is a good start. Wineglasses can normally be avoided by getting the kite halyard up ASAP and opening the kite from the bottom by bringing pole back and then sheeting on as it goes up. Timing of sheet is important as filling the kite before it is fully up makes it difficult to get to the top! It is generally faster to pull the halyard from the mast rather than in the cockpit. If the kite is launched from a bag on the bow it is important to get the clews out and separated earlier. If the halyard is well on the way up before the clews are out of the bag then a wineglass is more likely to result. Fixing: If a wineglass occurs it can usually be fixed by the foreward hand pulling very hard down on the pole end luff from the bow (hanging their weight on it), at the same time easing the sheet a little. Letting a metre or so of halyard out sometimes helps as well (no idea why!!) In lighter winds the foreward hand can sometimes untwist the kite from the bow. If all else fails it will need to be partly dropped and re-launched.
    [Show full text]
  • Hardware & Rigging
    A Quarterly Publication of the American Model Yachting Association, Special Web Past Issue, from 2005, Issue Number 138 US$7.00 Special Web Edition Featuring Hardware & Rigging With over 20 two-day regattas each year and averages of more than 25 boats per event, the EC-12 is in a class by itself. If competitive racing action and interaction with others is what you’re after. Look no further than the East Coast 12-Meter. One quick glance of the AMYA’s regatta schedule page at www.amya.org/regattaschedule/racelist.html and you will see that no other class offers as much racing opportunities. There is probably a regatta coming to a lake near you. We invite you to come out a see for yourself how exciting the action is and how much fun you can have in model yachting. www.ec12.org www.ec12.org/Clubhouse/Discussion.htm • www.ec12.org/Clubhouse/12Net.htm On the Cover Contents of this Special Web Edition, The Front Cover is a photo of Rich Matt’s spinnaker driven AC boat; photo by Rich Matt. Rich’s article about Past Issue 138 “Spinnaker Adventures” is a great lead article for this issue. This special Web Feature issue of Model Yachting Magazine features ideas for Hardware and Rigging of your The Masthead ....................................................... 4 model yachts. As with all our Class Features issues, there President’s Introduction Letter .............................. 5 are many examples of ideas for a specific classes that are Editorial Calendar ................................................ 5 applicable to all classes. Model Yachting News ............................................ 6 Business Calendar ................................................. 6 Special Features–Hardware & Rigging: The American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) is a not-for- Spinnaker Adventures ..........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Treasure Island Yacht Club, “JIBE”
    Treasure Island Yacht Club, “JIBE” Volume 49, Number 4 TIYC Organized 1966 Your Getaway in the Central San Francisco Bay Commodore’s Update Atta Pilram Commodore: Atta Pilram For the last few months we have been planning to Vice Commodore: implement some of the ideas that you have shared with us. Steve Lane The two items on top of the list have been: ways to share Rear Commodore: some of our sailing experiences and places visited with Bill Smith others, and how to create more traction for our club. Staff Commodore: After consulting with PICYA and visiting various clubs’ websites and Facebook Russ Breed pages we finally decided to give it a try and publish our own Facebook site. Corporate Secretary: After we brought up the idea at one of the general meetings, our new member George C. Knies Eduardo Park came forward and volunteered to put our initial Facebook page Treasurer: together. Eduardo is a marketing and communication manager at Levi Strauss in Fred W. Gibson San Francisco. Facebook and similar social networking sites are evolving communication tools. Directors: They are becoming ubiquitous and as common as email in helping us to get in Jim Aberer, touch with other likeminded people. Like many new ideas, this is definitely a Connie Van Putten work in progress. I am sure there will be issues that collectively we need to Malcom Johnston address in order to make it an efficient tool that fits our needs. So, please visit MeeSun Boice our Treasure Island Yacht Club Facebook page and give us your “like”.
    [Show full text]