[Rhodes22-list] What Should I Have Done Differently?

[Hank]

The video looked like it stopped a minute or two too soon.  It didn't show
what to do with the main after you lash the tiller.

Hank


On 2/20/08, Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:
>
> For anyone who didn't have the "light bulb go on", here are two very
> good links on the subject. The first is a video, and second is a more
> detailed description of the procedure, and what it does (really geared
> to open water sailing). On the second link, you have to scroll about 2/3
> the way down for the specifics on heaving-to.
>
> One interesting side note on heaving-to under heavy weather conditions -
> and please note, this is just what I was told, I've not had the
> opporunity to try this in a storm. Supposedly, heaving-to in a storm not
> only gives you a break from sailing the weather, it also is calms the
> waves hitting the boat. The theory is that because a hove-to boat is
> actually going downwind "sideways", the waterflow under the hull lessens
> the impact of the waves on the windward side of the hull.
>
> I waited two years before I actually tried heaving-to because I 1)
> didn't believe it would work and 2) figured if it DID work, every sailor
> I knew would know how to do it (only one that knew actually did). It was
> when I saw the video below that I finally believed it would actually
> work. I've made up my mind that the next time a decent storm blows
> through, even if I'm just on the lake, I'm going to test out the
> "calming the waters" idea.
>
> http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/heaving_to_wmv1.htm
>
> http://www.boats.com/news-reviews/articledetail.html?lid=1284
>
> Caesar Paul wrote:
> > Jack,
> >
> > I felt the same way about Slim's explanation of the "heave to"
> procedure.
> > The light bulb did go on Slim, thats an accomplishment.
> >
> > Caesar
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Jack Chirch <jchirch at hughes.net>
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 4:31:58 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] What Should I Have Done Differently?
> >
> > Slim -
> >
> > Thanks for the clear explanation.  I've passed a couple of dinghy
> sailing
> > courses, and spent a few days on friends' boats--even sailed my Rhodes
> once,
> > and had a vague idea how to accomplish this, but your step-through makes
> it
> > much clearer.  Think I may paste it under the bill of my cap!
> >
> > Jack
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> > [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Steven Alm
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 4:37 AM
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] What Should I Have Done Differently?
> >
> > Jack,
> >
> > Re heaving to:  It's considered one of the points of sail even though
> the
> > idea is to stop sailing and drift, but without dropping your sails and
> > without the chaos of luffing.  It's very easy to do and I use it all the
> > time whenever I need to use the head or go below for any reason like
> making
> > a snack, making a repair or just taking a break.  And in context of this
> > thread, it's a great way to make changes in your sail plan--especially
> if
> > your single-handing.
> >
> > Get yourself on a close reach and then plan to come about.  Come about
> > through the wind like usual but don't let the jib sheet go after you
> come
> > about.  Let the main tack across like usual.  Now ease the main sheet
> and
> > ease the jib sheet some but don't release it.  This is called
> "back-winding
> > the main."  So now your jib is full and very baggy and your main is
> luffing
> > a little for a moment then stops.  You put the helm to the lee.  In
> other
> > words the tiller and the boom are approximately perpendicular.  Lock the
> > tiller in place and now you are hands free.  The boat will yaw back and
> > forth some but mostly beam to the wind and slowly drifting downwind.
> > Centerboard down will slow the drift.
> >
> > To reef in the jib, you first ease out its (windward) sheet and then
> take in
> > the reefing line.  If you need to reef in the main, you should heave to
> on a
> > port tack so the boom is off to starboard.  To get going all you have to
> do
> > is release the windward sheet and take it in on the other side just like
> > completing your tack.  Adjust both sheets as desired and you're under
> way
> > immediately.
> >
> > About those four horn cleats on the boom; I always tie the inhaul line
> on
> > the first cleat, most forward and the outhaul line on the second cleat.
> > That way both lines are close together and I don't have to lean way out
> to
> > get to the out haul and have the same problem with that as Mark
> describes.
> > The slack tails of those two lines are easily dealt with in many
> ways.  Get
> > creative.
> >
> > Heaving to is also how I reroute my jib sheets to the inboard position
> > should I need to do that.  First, heave to in the way described
> above.  Once
> > you're hoven (hiven? heaved? Having hove?)  reroute the lee sheet (the
> slack
> > one.)  Now cut loose the windward sheet and get under way.  Pick up a
> little
> > speed and tack across and heave to on the other side and reroute the
> other
> > sheet.  With some practice, this double heave to is sort of like ballet
> or
> > skiing royal christies.
> >
> > Heaving to is also one of the tactics of storm survival but since I'm a
> lake
> > sailor, that'd put me up on the lee shore in no time.  Best git on home.
> >
> > Slim
> >
> >
> >
> > On Feb 18, 2008 11:49 PM, David Bradley <dwbrad at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Mark, you've probably gotten your fill of advice by now.  One thing I
> >> would add...  once I'm clear of my slip I disconnect the steering
> >> mechanism from tiller to motor while still motoring.  Does your
> >> outboard have a pin to lock it in position?  The tiller will be 300%
> >> lighter in your hand, and you can then unfurl the sails, kill the
> >> motor and be underway, raising the motor when you're ready.  I use the
> >> steering mechanism only when I'm in a tight area.
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> >>
> >> On Feb 18, 2008 12:55 PM,  <mputnam1 at aol.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hello everyone,
> >>>
> >>> I am hoping you can help me learn from my sailing experience today.
> >>> I
> >>>
> >> know I must have done some things wrong, but maybe I did a few things
> >> right because I was able to get back to the harbor safely in the end.
> >> Let me describe what happened and then ask a few questions.  And let
> >> me apologize in advance for not getting all my nautical terms right …
> >> I'll do the best I can.
> >>
> >>> My R-22 is kept at the Washington Sailing Marina on the Potomac
> >>> River,
> >>>
> >> just across the river from DC.  The weather this morning was
> >> unseasonably warm with winds in the 15-20 knot range with gusts up to
> >> 29, according to the coast guard weather report.  I knew a cold front
> >> was approaching and that it would get windier as the day went on, but
> >> it was around 11am and while I was a little uncertain about going out,
> >> it was one of those rare weekdays when my lack of work intersected
> >> with wind on the water.  So I decided to try and see if I could handle
> >> it and learn something at the same time.  I had thought I'd read
> >> enough on this group about how to handle the boat in windier
> >> conditions – I wanted to put some of that knowledge to the test.
> >>
> >>> I was single-handing the boat and motored out of the marina and down
> >>> the
> >>>
> >> Potomac to where I usually head for the center of the river before
> >> killing the engine, hauling it up and unfurling the main.  Before I
> >> killed the engine, I noted that the water was choppy, but there were
> >> no white caps.  I resolved to myself that if I began to see white
> >> caps, I'd head home.  I pointed into the wind, killed the engine,
> >> hauled the engine up and only let out a little less than half of the
> >> main (having read so many posts on this group about being conservative
> >> in windier weather) and it almost immediately got out of my control.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> The boat swerved into a beam reach and began tipping over, so I let
> >>> out
> >>>
> >> the main sheet to try and keep the mainsail from tipping me over.
> >> Right then I noticed that white caps had appeared (great timing on my
> >> part).  The clew and the foot of the main sail was thrashing around,
> >> with a good amount of airspace between the clew and the boom.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> As an aside, I've never quite understood what is supposed to keep
> >>> the
> >>>
> >> foot of the sail close to the boom besides just securing the sheet.
> >> In these stronger winds, the main was actively pulling away from the
> >> boom.  Am I perhaps missing some key component to keep the bottom/foot
> >> of the main sail in tighter proximity to the boom?
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Because I had let out the main sheet to try and control the heeling,
> >>> I
> >>>
> >> could not reach the line to furl the mainsail back into the mast.  The
> >> line was out over the water.  So I was having to try and pull the boom
> >> back into the cockpit to get a grip on the furling sheet … which, of
> >> course, led to more heeling.  And when I pulled on the line to furl
> >> the main, it wouldn't furl.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> And, most disturbingly, with so much wind filling the small amount
> >>> of
> >>>
> >> the main that was out, I just couldn't furl the sail.  It wouldn't
> >> budge.  I also noticed that more of the main seemed to be inching out.
> >> I thought I had secured the main so it wouldn't further unfurl, but I
> >> don't remember if I had and I don't remember checking it in all the
> >> hullabaloo.  It never fully unfurled, thank goodness, so maybe I had
> >>
> > secured it to some degree.
> >
> >>>
> >>> Anyway, every time I tried to point the boat into the wind, it
> >>> didn't
> >>>
> >> help give me more slack to furl the main.  It was noisy as hell, of
> >> course, which I expected.  But I didn't get the slackness necessary to
> >> furl the main.  And the boat didn't want to stay pointed into the
> >> wind, which I found a little surprising.  I thought sailboats, when
> >> pointed into the wind, stayed there.  But I guess I learned otherwise
> >>
> > today!
> >
> >>>
> >>> I eventually put the motor back in the water, cranked it up and
> >>> powered
> >>>
> >> into the wind.  The swells had increased to the point that the engine
> >> was coming up out of the water on every swell, but at least I was
> >> seeming to make progress.  I then somehow pulled hard enough on the
> >> furling line to be able to furl the main.  I don't know how I did it,
> >> but I did.  At this point, I noticed that my tiller to engine linkage
> >> was not working.  The 8hp Mercury motor I have only has one latch to
> >> hold the cowling onto the engine and it was failing with the severe
> >> pressure on the cowling, and the cowling was being ripped off the
> >> engine.  I had to use the engine tiller to point the motor.  I tried
> >> to disengage the linkage, but in the frenzy of the moment, I wasn't
> >> able to do that.  So I just continued steering by using both the boat's
> >>
> > tiller and the engine's tiller.
> >
> >>>
> >>> I eventually made it closer to the shore where the wind wasn't as
> >>>
> >> severe, and was able to disengage the tiller linkage and made it back
> >> to the dock.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> So here are my questions:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> 1) First, the most basic question -- whenever I go out on 5 knot
> >>> days, I
> >>>
> >> make little progress on the water.  And if 15-20 knot days are too
> >> much, it seems a narrow window indeed that I am able to sail in.  Is
> this
> >>
> > the case?
> >
> >>  Is the R-22 a boat that should only go out in 10-12 knot winds in
> >> order to best enjoy it?
> >>
> >>>
> >>> 2) What should I have done differently when the half unfurled main
> >>>
> >> immediately got out of my control?  Should I have steered the boat
> >>
> > DOWNwind?
> >
> >>  Would it have been easier to furl the main if I had done that?  Or is
> >> steering the boat INTO the wind and the chop the right thing to do?
> >>
> >>>
> >>> 3) Is there something I should be doing differently so that the clew
> >>> of
> >>>
> >> the mainsail doesn't get pulled so far away from the boom in windy
> >>
> > weather?
> >
> >>  It seemed very loose and uncontrollable.  This was one of the two
> >> most disconcerting parts of the experience (the other being the
> >> inability to furl the main).
> >>
> >>>
> >>> 4) In a worst case scenario where I can't furl the main (especially
> >>> if
> >>>
> >> it's fully unfurled) in strong winds, should I just try to motor to
> >> shore with the main flapping away and catching wind?  I didn't know in
> >> the situation I was in if the imperative is to a) try and furl the
> >> main first or
> >> b) to just get myself out of the windy area of the river even if it
> >> means motoring with the main unfurled.  I was afraid that if I tried
> >> to do option b, that the boat could tip over if I was going in a
> >> direction that was putting the main into a position to be able to tip
> >> the boat.  In retrospect, I'm now thinking that it's possible to motor
> >> with the main unfurled, as long as the main sheet is fully out and
> >> allowing the main to go wherever it wants to go.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> 5) Has anyone else with the tiller/engine linkage had a similar
> >>> problem
> >>>
> >> in strong wind situations?  The cowling only has the one latch on the
> >> back of the engine (furthest astern) and this one latch was clearly a
> >> weak point in situations of stress on the linkage.  If I'm going to be
> >> relying on this linkage in bad weather conditions, do any of you have
> >> any advice on where and how I can get more latches put on my cowling?
> >> OR should I not attempt to use the linkage in stronger winds?
> >>
> >>>
> >>> 6) What should be the role of the motor in these situations?  Is it
> >>> the
> >>>
> >> first thing to engage to get the boat pointed in a particular
> >> direction?  Or is it the last thing to resort to?  Should I be able to
> >> furl the main without using the engine?
> >>
> >>>
> >>> I have to tell you, it was very disconcerting to have trouble
> >>> furling
> >>>
> >> the mainsail.  I have loved the innermast furling main up until this
> >> point … but pulling with all my might on the line was doing nothing.
> >> It just refused to budge.  I still don't know quite how I was able to
> >> get it finally furled.  It must have had something to do with engaging
> >> the motor in the process, but I don't know for sure.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> For anyone out there who is reading this and considering purchasing
> >>> the
> >>>
> >> R-22, please know that I think this is a marvelous boat.  The
> >> inner-furling mast is something that I've been very happy with up
> >> until today and perhaps it's all a function of this being too much
> >> wind for the boat.  Or too much wind for me, a relatively inexperienced
> >>
> > sailor.
> >
> >>>
> >>> I don't know for sure the best way to learn how to sail in weather
> >>> like
> >>>
> >> this … especially if I feel I have to go back to the dock as soon as
> >> there are white caps.  Maybe there is someone out there who is
> >> experienced in this sort of weather AND knows the R-22 who can tutor
> >> me on-board in just this sort of weather, but finding that person
> >> would not be easy.  But I am ready for any and all suggestions.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for reading this very long email and I look forward to any
> >>> and
> >>>
> >> all advice … including "stay the hell out of 20 knot wind weather."
> >> Maybe that's the root of the problem, but it seems easy to imagine
> >> that going out in a 10 knot day could easily turn into a 20 knot day
> >> with gusts in no time at all.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Thanks everyone,
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> - Mark P.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ____________________________________________________________________
> >>> ____ More new features than ever.  Check out the new AOL Mail ! -
> >>>
> >> http://webmail.aol.com
> >>
> >>> __________________________________________________
> >>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>>
> >>
> >> --
> >> David Bradley
> >> +1.206.234.3977
> >> dwbrad at gmail.com
> >> __________________________________________________
> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >>
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
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> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Herb Parsons
> S/V O'Jure - O'Day 25
> S/V Reve de Pappa - Coronado 35
>
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>