Storm Tactics: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition by Lin Pardey & Larry Pardey

Author:Lin Pardey & Larry Pardey [Pardey, Lin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781929214471
Publisher: Paradise Cay Publications
Published: 2013-07-17T22:00:00+00:00

There may be even less stress on the boat than when it is being driven to windward in lighter winds. Consider what happens as you lie hove-to correctly. If your helm is tied to leeward, the boat is pushed closer to the wind whenever a gust hits the trysail. As the boat points up into the wind, she heels less and less. This motion acts as a strain reliever, just as it does when you round up in a gust under more normal sailing conditions. When the boat moves closer to the wind, the easing of pressure on the trysail lets the windage of the forward part of the hull combine with the wave action, and the boat bears away slightly again. If you get the boat lying properly hove-to, this gentle action keeps the trysail from flogging. In our experience, once the sail was fully hoisted and sheeted in, it never even fluttered.25

But the more important question may be: Can you actually raise the sails, whether the hurdles be physical or emotional? This is why a separate storm trysail track is vital for shorthanded cruisers. For those who use a triple-reefed mainsail as a storm sail, handy pennant reefing (with each row of reefs rigged and ready to use) is necessary. If the sail is easy to triple reef, or if the trysail is already attached and bagged at the mast, all you have to do is set it. For the trysail, this is a simple procedure: Transfer the halyard from the head of the mainsail to the trysail, lead the sheets to a cockpit winch, then hoist the sail. This is a manageable task. But if you have to drag a trysail from a sail locker, then stand on the cabin top and feed it slowly into a track or mast slot on a wind-whipped deck, it becomes a formidable task.

The difficulty of setting a sail once winds are above gale force is another reason to consider heaving-to early, instead of running before the wind. But if you wish to carry on for a while, good seamanship would suggest that if the wind increases when you are broad-reaching or running wing-and-wing with a reefed mainsail and small headsail, it is best to drop the headsail first and carry on with the reefed mainsail. If further sail reduction seems in order, change down to the storm trysail. This sail can be hoisted even with the wind aft, as it has no headboard or battens to catch under shrouds or spreaders. On most boats of less than 40 feet, even small crew members can winch up this small sail in storm-force winds. Now, with the trysail set, you are ready to heave-to when you decide it’s time to stop. You already have the right sail up. Avoid ever getting into the position that sees you running too fast under bare poles. You will need the trysail set to help you round up into the wind. Climbing up onto the cabin top to set the trysail this late in the game can be a daunting task.

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