Heavy weather sailing

[drsm]

Looking for wisdom from some of you big time Telstar sailors. The Admiral and I were discussing the recent tragedy to befall a couple of sailors during the Chicago-Mac race on Lake Michigan. They were the first fatalities to occur in the 103 year history of the race. Granted, they were in a Kiwi 35, which is most definitely not designed for heavy weather conditions, but it triggered a discussion about how to handle heavy weather in Buen Tiempo, should we be unfortunate enough to encounter same. We've managed to avoid bad weather so far, but sooner or later, it will catch us. The obvious things to do, like reefing early, taking safety precautions like PFDs and tethers and such are no-brainers, but what I'm looking for is actual commentary from folks who have had their Telstar in rough conditions. What has worked well, what hasn't? We've hove-to successfully in 20-25 knot winds, but how does the boat (and sails) do at higher wind speeds? I assume that, given sufficient offing, raising the centerboard some would decrease stresses on the boat and allow it to slide down wave faces better.

Any experiences or comments?

Thanks,

Steve

[Dan]

Steve-

I've written an article on tethers, harnesses and jacklines you may want to read on my blog. You can find it HERE.

As for heavy weather tactics, I've had my boat out in 40+ knots of wind, but I do have a third reef in the mainsail that puts the sail numbers at the boom. The boat actually handles fairly well under a triple-reefed main alone, better than I expected. For better windward performance, it would be good to have something like the GaleSail aboard, but I didn't have mine with me, so can't say how much it'd improve things. The GaleSail I have is only 60 sq. ft IIRC.

The boat itself is remarkable stable, and I sail it a lot in 25-30 knots of wind, with gusts up to 35+ knots. Upwind, it gets very, very wet. Downwind, it is an amazingly dry and soft ride, even in 9'+ seas.

I've posted some video on my Youtube page, www.youtube.com/Telstar28 that has s/v Pretty Gee out in 30 knots of wind with 7-9' seas or so... The http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7u2yLR85sY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6u9upeIB7g are probably of the most interest to you.

I would highly recommend setting it up so that you can reef the boat from the cockpit. It isn't that hard to do, and has a lot of benefits, especially if you're singlehanding the boat.

[Cathyalan]

Steve,

We have had a bit of extreme conditions in our 2 seasons on the Great Lakes. Sailing the Great Lakes, as you know, is more challenging than off-shore ocean sailing. On July 2 of this year we were coming back from Chamber's Island, Door County, Bay of Green Bay headed to Sister Bay when we got hit with first 25 then 30 then 35 then 40 knot winds and 3-5 foot waves. None of which was predicted. We were pointing about 55 degrees on a starboard tack. When the wind hit 25 knots we started to reef, by the time we had reefed we were in 35 knots so we dropped the sails and powered up in 40 knot winds. We kept the heading and that 20hp Honda pushed us along at about 5 kph for about an hour. When we got to the marina we noticed about an inch of water in the cabin...probably came in through the companion way hatch when we first started to bury the bow into those 3-5 waves. I would not power any more that 55 degrees. We did nearly head on into the wind last summer in the Bay of Green Bay simply because we had to since there is little or no shelter in lower Green Bay and we were headed south, past the point of no return. 4-6 foot waves and we took a pounding.

We had a storm hit us north east of Mackinaw Island last summer and we made a mad dash for a small, protected bay under power.

I watched Dan's videos a number of times. Heavy weather on the Great Lakes is very different from heavy weather on the ocean. With waves just a few feet apart the pounding if furious.

I think avoiding anything near 3-5 waves other than reaching is a good idea. Those waves really beat up a boat like the Telstar.

Don't know if this helps, but the Cathyalan took a licking and kept on ticking.

Here are some pics of our trip to the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior a week ago. August 20 we are trailering up to the North Channel.

Alan

[drsm]

Great info Alan, that was exactly what I was looking for, descriptions of real life experiences in the boat. I agree totally about these Lake Michigan waves--the boat really bangs on them. I was very pleased to hear the 20HP kept up in those conditions. I haven't buried the bow yet--got a feeling the Admiral wouldn't like that!

Glad you have gotten some trips in. We've mostly sailed just out of Muskegon area this year, although I'm shooting for a trip to the Manitou Islands and nearby areas in September.

Steve

[onremlop]

We had a really unique situation a couple years ago on Lake Minnetonka in MN. We were coming back from a nice sail and heading to the marina and had brought our amas in as we were just getting into the channel. My wife went below to grab the fenders when we got blasted by this wind. The boat heeled quite a bit as my wife came rushing up yelling, "What the h3ll are you doing?" I calmly said that the wind went from 3 to 4 knots to about 40 in less than 30 seconds. I couldn't turn into the wind at all as the amas were tucked away and the wind was really picking up. We managed to turn downwind where we faced the shore lined with boulders. I decided our only saving grace was to head to a dock and tie up until we could figure out what to do next. So, we grabbed a dock and the owners came rushing down to help us secure the boat and keep us away from the boulders 15 feet away. I left the motor running and kept it in reverse to keep us from moving forward and we had a nice chat with the people all the while water was pouring over the transom.

This storm lasted about 30 minutes and when it started dying down, I managed to get the port ama extended and then we pushed off, and got the other ama out. As we headed back to the marina, we were greeted by other boat owners wondering if our boat had become the newly established reef. We had one of our worst docking experiences because our centerboard was not down as it was kicked up when we were close to the shore. Plus we were a might edgy from that storm. We were told the other yacht club a mile away clocked a wind gust hitting 65 mph and their website indicated that as well.

That might not have been intense for others on this forum, but I don't think I want to experience something like that again. I have thought about what I could have done differently in that situation in that short of time and can't think of anything.