See full version: Sailing in bad weather
If you travel with anyone else who practices sailing for a longer time, ask them to take your place at the helm. It’s for the better, you’ll feel more at ease and so will the rest of the crew. Besides, this will also be a good chance to learn some useful tips from an experienced person.
Last but not the least, never feel embarrassed to ask for help. If you don’t feel ready to steer your boat during unfavorable weathers, it’s better to let a more experienced person handle it.
When you’re out there and the storm’s about to begin, your first intention will probably be to sail towards safe land. However, this might not be the best choice at that point. As the storm begins, the area you plan to sail through can become dangerous due to strong winds or big waves. Therefore, it’s often better to avoid shallow waters or channels that are not very wide. Rocks and cliffs are particularly hazardous during stormy weather because the wind can push you towards them and cause a collision. So, if this is the scenario, sometimes the open waters might be safer. more
These jibs are ideal for bad weather. Most experienced sailors who go on long distances and venture far into the open waters have these items on board. Storm jibs area a great aid during strong winds. If you have these extra storms, you might be able to continue sailing fuzz-free, without implementing other sailing techniques or extra measurements. here
A VHF marine radio is a must on board and it will keep you up to date with the weather forecast. Checking it regularly might help you avoid bad weather, but keep in mind however that no forecast can be 100% precise. more
The first thing to you should pay attention to is your safety gear. Make sure you have all the necessary items that will secure your vessel during a storm like harnesses and tethers. The safety gear will help balance your vessel’s movements during the storm. This will also keep seasickness at bay and help your crew feel better and safer during bad weather.
By providing a direct route ‘to ground’ down which the lightning may conduct you may be able to minimise damage. [links]
If planning a sailing voyage in areas where lightning could be expected, include a CAPE forecast in your daily GRIB run.
The remaining sailors were all in boats of less than ten years old and reported varying degrees of damage to electronics and 100% destruction of masthead units. [links]
Psychologically, I have always found sailing through calms to be far worse than battling any storm. Endlessly flogging sails and… more
Air terminals at least six inches higher than any antennas at the top of your mast may save your masthead units. There is also considerable debate over the need for dedicated grounding plates – this appears to be more relevant to older boats as none of my interviewees suffered ill effects through grounding to the keel bolts.
Another tactic is to lie ahull. This entails you to fold down all the sails and lie and wait it out. It is a less reliable tactic but one that does not require a lot of work or strain. Your main concern is losing control of the boat and end up with the side of the boat facing the waves. here
I certainly wouldn’t have my crew sitting along the rail like a load of Hooray Henry’s racing around the buoys! All but the helmsman and one other on deck, the rest below avoiding hypothermia and being washed overboard. The skipper in that photo was obviously an amateur. [links]
Should folding of the sail not reduce enough speed, you should use the trysail and storm jib (storm sails). Storm sails are small, but the sails are perfectly proportioned for high winds. Newer boats have the trysail attached to the boom, with the storm jib set forward of the mast – this keeps the boat balanced.
Ultimately, the best tactic or way to sail through a storm is to avoid it entirely… Storms are cold, wet, miserable and highly dangerous out at sea. It is a truly unforgettable experience but does not confuse a sense of adventure out on the seas with a dangerous situation. Never comprise on the safety of your crew, passengers and yourself. here
Hi.. i had to endure a 3 day cyclone of new caledoni in a 25 foot wooden boat….it was hell….i tried sea anchor off the bow…no good.. i would have lost my rudder… i hove too…. i could see i would get rolled… i then tried bernard moitesieur (joshua) method… running before….with drogues…. it was the answer…. bare boat… no sails. It slowed me down…i had stearage… and was a lot more comfortable… it took alot of concentration……you hsd to keep the stern dead square to oncoming huge seas… we did surfed…. luckily i had sea room….. how i survived…. only my FATHER in heaven knows… quit a few boats went missing….. [links]
It is an undoubted fact that seafaring is also the source of more false etymology than any other sphere. This can be attributed to the attractiveness of the romantic image of horny-handed sailors singing shanties and living a hearty and rough life at sea. After all, it sounds plausible that ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’ comes from brass ship’s fittings and that POSH means ‘Port out, starboard home’, but neither of these is correct. CANOE, the Committee to Ascribe a Naval Origin to Everything, doesn’t really exist, but the number of these folk myths makes it seem as though they do… here
Many phrases that have been adopted into everyday use originate from seafaring – in particular from the days of sail. [links]
It is lucky for us, in our endeavours to distinguish truth from falsehood, that activities at sea have been scrupulously recorded over the centuries, in insurance records, newspaper accounts and, not least, in ships’ log books. The term log-book has an interesting derivation in itself. An early form of measuring a ship’s progress was by casting overboard a wooden board (the log) with a string attached. The rate at which the string was paid out as the ship moved away from the stationary log was measured by counting how long it took between knots n the string. These measurements were later transcribed into a book. Hence we get the term ‘log-book’ and also the name ‘knot’ as the unit of speed at sea.
[links]