[Rhodes22-list] Sailing with waves

[Bill Effros]

Andrew,

I've sailed in the same place under the same conditions.

I find I can control the boat up into 20-25 mph wind conditions.

I sail with far less than 50% of both sails, and can maintain sustained 
over ground speeds between 7 and 11 kts--exceeding theoretical hull 
speed by planing on the waves.  I try not to heel at all, and roll up my 
175 to storm sail size--tiny just for balance.

The main drives the boat, and I set it at any size that will not cause 
heeling.

It is almost impossible to come about under these conditions factoring 
in the waves.  I always jibe...carefully, with a very small main, and 
just a small "pop" when I change tacks.  I generally sail with the boom 
up so I don't have to worry about getting killed by a small mistake.  My 
main is so small, the higher boom does not create heeling.

Heaving to under these conditions is a kick, and definitely what I would 
do if I found myself in a storm not on purpose. If you didn't try it 
when you were out there, you should next time.  You bob like a cork in 
complete calm.  I had lunch, then released the jib in such a way that I 
headed on the opposite tack and came home.

Bill Effros



Andrew Collins wrote:
> Question for blue water and Great Lakes (maybe) sailors:
>
> The day before Hanna, the one before Ike, was due to roll in, I took a sail
> to try the boat out in unusual conditions. The wind was steady out of the
> east at about 15-20 mph with rolling 5-6' swells 20' apart once out of port.
> On LI Sound waves are uncommon, as it is usually only choppy. So going out
> the tack was port on a reach and crossing the swells at less than 90 deg.
> This was sailing into, up and over the swells, which was controllable, the
> sails reefed to 50% area. Boom down, life jacket on, pulse up. The boat
> behaved well. Upon approaching Payee Reach which gets more air and having to
> cross a more shallow area the swells got larger as the bottom pushed them
> up. So this got a little too exciting sooo, it was time to tack and turn
> back. The wind was too stiff and the the swells enough so she wouldn't come
> around, and I fell off to the former port tack.
>
> Keeping a weather eye on the swells a quick jibe got me on a starboard tack
> headed back towards port. So now we are sailing across and with 'down' the
> swells, where before we were sailing 'up'. The boat is heeling to port and
> when sailing down, the heeling is being accentuated by going downhill on an
> angle across the swell, a new experience. This I did not like, so whenever
> the boat started to head down a wave I fell off to brad reach and headed
> straighter down the wave (closer to the fall line) and headed up again,
> describing a zig-zag course. This I liked as there was a bit of surfing
> involved. Having had my fun I headed home, where the first mate observed
> that I looked a mite piqued.
>
> What have other R22 sailors done in these circumstances, besides avoiding
> them? In how much wind are you able to tack? My boat will tack up to about
> 20 mph, depending on the seas.
>
> Andrew
> s/v Carmen
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