Predicting Heavy Weather

Weather is capricious. Conditions can change suddenly, rendering the forecast obsolete. So if you do get caught out on the water in a blow, what do you do? Firstly, create a plan and work out your current position and the safest course to sail. "If the present course is no longer safe, bear away onto a reach or run. Head to the alternate destinations you have established in your sail plan. Are you on a lee shore or in the lee of the shore? In the lee, one can expect less fetch and smooth seas. The best advice in this situation is to anchor and wait out the storm. But if you can't find shelter, get ready to meet the storm. If you have advance warning, prepare for heavy weather early and create a check-list with these three headings: on deck, below deck and crew.

It's easier to shake out a reef than put one in. Therefore, reef early and progressively, ahead of the weather. The longer the crew waits, the more difficult it is to reef. A rule of thumb about reefing is to shorten sail to balance the boat in the gusts and squalls, not just the average wind conditions. Better still, for safety, carry less sail than the yacht can stand. There will be little sacrifice in speed but a huge gain in comfort. The extra sail required to achieve the last quarter knot places a load on a yacht's sails, gear and crew which is out of all proportion to the gain.

"They're not essential for the coastal sailor. Instead, consider a good roller reefing/furling system. This headsail will work better in a breeze if it is equipped with a foam-luff draft regulator to flatten the sail as it is reduced in size. "As well, your mainsail should have two, and perhaps three, deep reefs - not the tiny ones found on most production boats." If you are planning a longer blue-water passage, cruisers can consider retrofitting a detachable inner forestay on a lever or pelican hook on which to hoist a hanked-on storm jib or heavy air staysail. The addition of an inner forestay is a major boat modification and requires various structural modifications to the deck, anchor bulkhead and mast, and may involve adding running backstays. But for those offshore sailors who have sailed with their storm jibs rigged on inner-forestays and with three reefs in main, this retrofit is well worth the investment and is an excellent heavy weather configuration. They key point here is that the inner stay allows you to centre-up the sail plan to the mast. This will keep the centre of effort and lateral resistance close together for balance. A balanced boat will not have excessive windward or lee helm in high winds and seas.

A well-built boat will take more punishment than its crew. In the 1979 Fastnet race the people gave up before the boats did. Many of these sailors drowned after they abandoned their yachts during a fierce storm that raked this infamous Admiral's Cup offshore race. Most of the boats were recovered still floating after the storm and during the search for survivors. Had these crews "stayed with the boat", they would still be racing today.

An alert crew is vital; but when the going gets rough fear and fatigue will often sap crew morale. And someone comatose with seasickness is of no use at all. So, prepare your crew physically and psychologically for the challenge ahead. Boat preparations, in themselves, help psychologically. Serve a hot meal beforehand and insist that everyone take sea-sickness medication well before the storm - for even seasoned sailors get queasy as wave heights increase.

Prone rest combats exhaustion almost as effectively as sleep, so encourage your crew to rest, even if sleep eludes them. On deck, dress for the weather. If anything, overdress slightly - being too warm is better than being cold. After you've addressed fatigue, what about fear? People never really overcome fear so come to terms with the fact that you will be frightened on occasion. Overcoming it is part of the challenge. That's why reefing in time is so important. Being over-canvassed is very scary - the boat will heel excessively, will become difficult to steer, and will fatigue the helmsperson quickly. Take heavy weather in a controlled way. Sail to the ability of the crew, not the skipper or boat.

Strain on the helmsperson generally determines the amount of sail to carry when close hauled. In coastal waters or lakes, you may have to sail a bit fuller and carry a little more sail to punch through short, choppy seas. Assessing wind strength on a run is more difficult as an increase in wind speed across the deck is difficult to gauge easily. But don't run with more sail than you would carry close hauled. There is a huge load on the boat and steering gear. You are being lifted and slewed all the time and take the waves on your quarter if you are off the wind. When beating, round up slightly as you approach the crest of the wave and turn away as you sail down the back side towards the trough. Bearing off at the crest prevents the stern from falling into the trough.

In a gale it may be prudent to heave to. In this state, the boat will make leeway rather than resist the wind or sea. Surprisingly, the ride when hove-to is quite comfortable compared to being underway. But perhaps more importantly, the boat is safe.

Most offshore sailors are sceptical of sea anchors. Shaped like a wind sock and made from heavy canvas and/or webbing, sea anchors are run from the bow or stern. In fact, these storm devices impose dangerous loads on the yacht. Drogues spin, twisting up the tether. If you can deploy, operate and retrieve a sea anchor you're not in trouble! But what else can you do?

When it gets really crazy, above 60 knots of wind, offshore sailors will "lie a-hull". In this state, a yacht is left to find its own position in the waves under bare poles and rides, rather than resists, the waves.

Another effective tactic is to tow warps in hurricane-force winds. Although a warp won't slow the boat much, it will provide directional stability, keeping the stern to the seas. In very bad storms, though, the most vulnerable part of the boat (ie. the stern) will be exposed to breaking waves.

Alternatively, run before the gale. Some say the following sea may break dangerously in the quarter wave. At five- to six-knots, the quarter wave is insignificant, but watch that the speed doesn't fall too low, otherwise the boat will loose steerage and will become hard to manage in the troughs. Quick helm response is lost just when it is needed most. In summary, either run fast enough for absolute control or slow down with warps to steady the stern.

gybing in heavy weather

• Only gybe when the boat is at maximum speed and not while it is accelerating. The pressure of wind on the sails will be less, making the boom easier to pull across the boat.
   

• It is easier and safer to gybe from run to run rather than from reach to reach.
   

• The centreboard should be about halfway up (or down!) which will allow the boat to slip sideways and avoid a broach. Some plate is necessary to give some grip on the water to turn and to climb up on should a capsize occur.

• Crew weight should be kept as far back as possible to prevent the bows digging in and the boat broaching.
   

• The boat should be sailed upright throughout the gybe to maintain stability and prevent the chine digging in causing a broach.
   

• Kicker, Cunningham and Outhaul should be tightened to flatten the sail to prevent a "Chinese gybe". Minimal twist and belly in the mainsail will help a great deal to get the boom over with the least drama.

• Approach the mark wide giving yourself plenty of room for manoeuvre.
   

• Crew sits in. Helm sits back.
   

• Kicker, Cunningham and Outhaul on.
   

• If sailing with spinnaker, put leeward twinning line on and let windward one off.
   

• Spinnaker guy is hauled in until pole is 90 degrees to boat.
   

• Bear away until sailing by the lee and genoa starts to back.
   

• Crew lets off genoa.
   

• Helm pulls in mainsheet until sail is just off the leeward shroud.
   

• When everything is right helm shouts "Gybe Ho!" and crew hauls the boom over using the kicker while helm simultaneously crosses the boat, sheets in and puts tiller across to new side.
   

• As boom comes across the boat the helm lets mainsheet off. The boat should now have rounded the mark and be on the new gybe.
   

• To prevent broaching at this stage the helm should pull the tiller to windward momentarily .It is important at this stage to keep the boat upright and trimmed aft as it is all too easy to screw up to windward and capsize due to centrifugal force.
   

• Genoa is then sheeted in and crew does the necessary with the spinnaker pole. Helm must keep weight right aft as crew works near the mast.
   

• Trim sails and zip off to the next mark with grins all round.