Tacking in high winds

[BOAT]

The other boats that were on station watching the sailboat crack up under the pier had no problems staying in position - he could have been out of that with a 3 horse no problem - that particular harbor is a nasty one because the pier creates an obstruction directly facing the mouth of the harbor so you need to make that turn to get into the marina - if you don't you end up on the jetty - in my day they had a square catch basin full of sand at the base of the pier so that a small sailboat could beach in an emergency there but I am told the catch basin has not been maintained and is lacking sand right now - but it's still supposed to be shallow enough to allow a boat to ground onto a shallow sandy bottom.

Of all the places you don't want to be without a motor THAT'S THE PLACE! To get in you need to run the pier till your almost to the beach and then make a hard left turn into the harbor.

If you guys look at the harbor mouth on google maps you will see what I mean - use the satellite photo - then tell me that YOU would ever try entering that harbor without a motor! NOT!

[Highlander]

review,s
http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/m ... ides-again

https://www387.safesecureweb.com/m242ya ... /index.asp

J

[Highlander]

Mark
Yep I see where u r coming from with a good onshore wind !

J

[BOAT]

review,s
http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/m ... ides-again

https://www387.safesecureweb.com/m242ya ... /index.asp

J

We have a similar run into Oceanside and the Harbor District maintains a beach called "Harbor Beach" as the base of the jetty just for the boats that might not make the turn in time and get swept into the surf - I don't think anyone gets hurt sailing into a sandy beach - I thought Redondo put a "sand break" (Like the truckers have on down hill grade) there at the base of the jetty - at least it was there when i was there 30 years ago - maybe it's gone now.

Yeah, those Martins are around the area of Long Beach and up on the west side - but very rare down here where there is no place to sail them in protected waters. I doubt you folks in the rest of the country have ever seen one but they are okay boats for the guys that like to race in the PHRF class - sort of a cheap version of a J hull. Super lightweight with various dagger-board options - the boat did not stand a chance against pilings but then what boat really would?

I feel sad for the poor guy at the helm - the skipper should have never abandoned the helm. He must be a dork because he did not even have enough sense about sailing to tell the skipper that he should not be on the helm. Poor guy - it's not his fault but because of that video he will go down in history as the dork that crashed the boat into the pilings.

I feel sorry for the dork, I have no sympathy at all for the skipper.

[Tomfoolery]

Riddle me this, BOAT[man] - based on this satellite view, even if turning east toward the marina, is it necessary to be near the pier to enter the harbor? It looks like there's a lot of room through the inlet, at least based on the scale of the sailboat in the shot. Not trying to pile onto the skipper, but it looks to me like you don't have to be anywhere near those pilings to get in. We have a long stone jetty on each side of the Genesee River, and since most boats come from either side, they just make a hard turn into the river.



https://www.google.com/maps/@33.840522, ... a=!3m1!1e3

[BOAT]

Riddle me this, BOAT[man] - based on this satellite view, even if turning east toward the marina, is it necessary to be near the pier to enter the harbor? It looks like there's a lot of room through the inlet, at least based on the scale of the sailboat in the shot. Not trying to pile onto the skipper, but it looks to me like you don't have to be anywhere near those pilings to get in. We have a long stone jetty on each side of the Genesee River, and since most boats come from either side, they just make a hard turn into the river.



https://www.google.com/maps/@33.840522, ... a=!3m1!1e3

Yeah, totally Tom - your right on all counts - as a sailboat NOT under power he could have barged the outer jetty - not very nice to all the other traffic but essentially he would have had the right of way -

Now, under power you can't do that - under power you are required to enter to the green buoys on the starboard side of the mouth - just like Oceanside - traffic rules force people to to stay to one side based on their arrival or departure. Because the only times I have ever entered that harbor is under power (on a different boat) the locals on the arriving leg would shoot the pier and then make a hard left turn to get in to the harbor - it's actually safer to do it that way and let the waves crash on your stern then try to take them sideways and get capsized (exactly what happened to this guy). Same deal in Oceanside - when the shoaling gets bad in the winter and the waves break in the mouth we take them on head on departing or surf them over the stern arriving - that's the safest way. Any other diagonal attempt will drive you into the rocks or capsize the boat. Many power boats try to barge the outer jetty at Oceanside hoping to allow themselves a lot of room to slide across the mouth and they often result in a pitch-pole. It's nasty stuff but if you watch the experience pilots going downhill in that stuff it's a thing of beauty.

[Tomfoolery]

- as a sailboat NOT under power he could have barged the outer jetty - not very nice to all the other traffic but essentially he would have had the right of way -

I used to have to do that when under power, leaving Irondequoit Bay, due to the severe shoaling. The only part of the channel deep enough for a keel boat was the western side of a north/south channel, so I had no choice but to go slow and hug the monster rock jetty. Got a lot of dirty looks from some skippers, but those with sailboats or large power boats knew the score, and we'd just skate the edge of the channel to allow each other to pass, then head back toward the center. Nowhere near as exciting as what you've described, but with strong winds out of the N-E and the shallow water in there, it was at least a little exciting.



This is probably an old image, as you can actually see the darker water to the west, indicating the deeper part of the channel. It was recently dredged, and is deep everywhere (I've checked it using my X, which needs almost no water with the boards up), but many folks still shy away from the east wall and run in the middle. And I would never sail into that inlet if there's any traffic around - too many folks who just stop in the middle to smell the roses, and/or don't know anything about stand-on and give-way vessels and so on, and it's real tight where the swing bridge bulkheads are. Mostly power boats there. Much safer, with any kind of traffic, to just motor in. Once in a while I'll sail in under working jib only, as I can roll it up real quick, or let a sheet go if the furler jammed (hasn't happened yet, but it could - anything could).

This is getting away from the OP's topic, so I'll leave it there.

[BOAT]

Your totally right Tom, and it's not really off topic - if you are going to sail an inlet with traffic is is better to use whatever sail you have that can be furled - in your case - a jib.

Same specs for Martin 242 in the video - that boat only has a complement of three sails: A main, a furling jib, and a Spinnaker. Because it's a ONE class that's all they get. Therefore, just like you have one furling sail so also does the Martin 24 - the skipper, (who has probably shot that pier dozens of times), was doing exactly what you explained - he was trying to barge the outer jetty under his only furling sail - but somthing went wrong and we see in the video that the skipper ended up on the deck messing around with the furling jib and that's where he was when the boat went over. I'm sure in his mind he was thinking: "If I can just get this furling jib out I will have all the power and control I need to shoot this pier and get into safe harbor.

In his case the waves were bigger than he expected.

So, TACKING IN HIGH WINDS folks - I know all you already KNOW this now with such fine examples folks have illustrated here - if the boat will NOT tack INTO the wind, turn AWAY from the wind and give the boat a chance to get some legs - DON'T HOLD THE TILLER (WHEEL) AGAINST THE WIND TRYING TO TURN WHEN YOUR IN IRONS! That will just make the boat go sideways. Children sailing flat bottomed sabots learn this at an early age. Don't fight the wind - if your in a fight, that's your first indication that something is wrong.

(P.S. sorry for not being good with nautical terms but some one on this site used the proper term for turning with the wind when in irons: it's called bearing away or "Falling Off".)

[Bertil Rafting]

They had a outboard-motor, but left it ashore to save weight as it was a race.
Bertil

[sailboatmike]

Just found this good article from the Yachting Monthly Magazine Web site on heeling and boat efficiency /inefficiency

Well worth the read

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing- ... sers-33642

[dlandersson]

This is my bible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkIUNYR8B9M

Just found this good article from the Yachting Monthly Magazine Web site on heeling and boat efficiency /inefficiency

Well worth the read

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing- ... sers-33642

[NiceAft]

Just found this good article from the Yachting Monthly Magazine Web site on heeling and boat efficiency /inefficiency

Well worth the read

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing- ... sers-33642

Mike,

A very informative article.

There are times though, when I do give a thrill ride to those who want it, by heeling in excess of forty degrees. It's fun, but your not going anywhere. The most fun you can have at 2.6 knots.

Ray