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Nov 2003: Dear Mr Frog, "What is your advice about reefing in heavy weather" (from Geoff Bradford).

This question raises a number of issues all requiring responses.

Much of what I have to say may not be new to you, but for the wider readership I will deal with the question reasonably fully under 3 headings: Preparation, Mainsail and Headsail. Before I start it should be said that the best way of handling heavy weather is to be in a sheltered anchorage, and of course means being tuned in to what the weather God has in store.

Preparation has a number of aspects:

Your Boat
1. Slab reefing points are essential on the mains'l. One reef is enough on a U18 at about 750mm up from the tack, so you have 2 cringles, one on the luff and one on the leech, and a single eyelet in between for a tidy up cord. Two reefs might be desirable on a U23 but you should be advised by a sailmaker. Remember the importance of keep things as simple as possible so you can act quickly and safely when the pressure is on.
2. Reefing Lines and cleats etc. must be set up so that the mains'l can be reefed from the cockpit. If necessary, this might be the subject of a future article.
3. Preventer. This is simply a line which runs from the boom to an anchor point somewhere to prevent an accidental gybe in a lumpy sea. On a U18 a length of 5 or 6 mm cord is ok, attached at one end to the vang point on the boom and at the other end a plastic clip can be attached which can be connected to an aft shroud.
4. Netting or Lacing between the pulpit and 1st staunchion is effective in containing the dropped headsail and keeping it out of the drink.
5. Storm Jib. This pocket handkerchief sail can be a boon in high wind and I regard it as essential equipment.
6. Radios. Both 27 Mhz and AM/FM which might enable you to be watching the gale from a snug cove rather than being in it.

Your Crew
Often when cruising, ones' crew is ones wife, and unless the said crew is competent on the helm all that I have said so far and still plan to write on this page is not much use at all. It is essential that the crew is able to steer the boat in two situations in particular: close hauled to pinching and running square in a stiff breeze. These basic helming skills must be acquired by practicing at quieter times.
When the wind is rising (say 20 - 25 knots) and it's time to shorten sail, different skippers might employ different procedures that can vary depending on the particular conditions at the time but the following are in general my preferred procedures.

Mainsail
To reef the main: first winch in the heads'l pretty hard and flatten it as much as possible to depower it and to enable you to sail the boat close hauled to pinching. Now with the main halliard in one hand and the luff reef line in the other, lower the sail until the reef cringle is about 10cm from the boom before cleating both. Now when you tension the reef line, its angle to the boom will be about 45 degrees to the boom. I have my reef line cleats on the boom.
Make sure you are on the best tack to have easy access to lines and cleats, haul in the aft reef line, which will probably require temporary easing of the mainsheet. All of this, if properly set up can be done easily and quickly from the cockpit.

Headsail
The heads'l has to be dropped and ultimately changed (pardon the pun) for a smaller sail, unless you can head for shelter with the main alone.
Dealing with he heads'l can be done in two ways:
1. If the waves have not become too big and you are confident and agile on the foredeck, you can sneak up front (and having previously ascertained that your crew can release the halliard while steering) you rip the sail down and secure it to the rail.
2. An alternative and probably safer method is to bear away and run almost square to drop the heads'l, but before bearing away don't ease the sheet very much because in this relatively sheeted position, the sail will be considerably depowered which is what you want. You might also attach the preventer as a precaution against an accidental gybe. Sailing downwind in this way the apparent wind will be less, the boat will be flatter, waves will not come over the bow and of course the main (now reefed) will be blanketing the heads'l making the operation more manageable.

If you can sail without headsail to protected water that's fine, but if you have to sail to an upwind destination there's nothing like a storm job if the wind is over 25 knots. We have sailed comfortably across Lake King in 35 knots plus rigged this way (in a U18).

I hope this helps, but I suspect it will raise other questions; Let me know.

Cap’n Frog
 

Feb 2004: Dear Mr Frog, "How can I reduce weather helm" (from David Pink).

A tiny amount of weather helm is actually desirable to give the helm some feel. Neutral helm by contrast has no feel and makes good steering more difficult , however too much weather helm is certainly not pleasant and makes hard work of sailing.

The factors that can contribute to weather helm are both above and below the water.

Above Water

Above the water the main forces that are relevant to understanding the problem are :

Now if you are sailing close hauled in a lightish breeze and the CE add CLE happen to be on the same vertical line there will be no tendency for the boat to turn and you will have a neutral helm. However with increasing wind strength , changing sail shape and changing angle of sailing to the wind the CE can move aft of the CLR producing “yaw” or “rounding up” which will require you to pull on the tiller. This is weather helm.

Of course it’s quite likely that your CE was aft of the CLR before the wind came up.

So the question is how can the CE be prevented from being too far aft or moving aft.

But how ?

1. Tensioning the luff of the main (with the Cunningham) will help but the luff of the heads’l can be tensioned too (either from the top or the bottom ).
2. Tensioning the backstay will help flatten the heads’l.
3. Tensioning the foot of the main with the outhaul will reduce draft in the lower main section. If the foot of the heads’l needs flattening you will probably have to move the fairlead aft.

As you can see the whole rig is progressively tensioned as the wind rises but you might experiment by tensioning one thing at a time and trying to notice the effect.

Other measures that will decrease the lateral force on the main and therefore reduce weather helm are :

1. Easing the traveller to leeward.
2. Taking in a reef if the breeze is strong enough.

Under Water

The rudder acts as kind of lever.
In the diagram the force required at (F) will be greater when the load is at (B). The forces in a rudder are similar to this so if the load or resistance on the rudder is farther aft than it should be , greater effort will be required on the tiller which will feel like weather helm. Clearly then it’s important that the rudder is not tilted aft even slightly.

If your rudder is a swing type make quite sure that the cleat action is positive and you are using non stretch cord to prevent any tilt back.

With a dagger or drop rudder you can find if the rudder is not a good fit in the box it can tilt aft slightly. You can either pad the box permanently to eliminate any aft movement or make a small timber wedge which you can insert in the gap between the rudder and the front /top edge of the rudder box.

I hope a combination of these measures will reduce your weather helm.

Cap’n Frog

August 2004:  Hankering for safe Anchoring ?

It's nice to feel confident that when you wake up in the morning, your boat, with you inside, will be in the same place as when you went to bed. I have to admit to one occasion when this was not the case and we woke up in unfamiliar surroundings.

It's nice to feel confident that when you wake up in the morning, your boat, with you inside, will still be in the same place, as when you went to bed. I have to admit to one occasion when this was not the case and we woke up in unfamiliar surroundings.

Some of the things to consider in this "stay put" aspect of boating are:

Boat size , anchor type , water depth , wind direction , sea bottom , neighbours and technique.

Anchor type

Here are the 4 main types of anchors.

For trailerable yachts, such as ours, where practically all of our anchoring is in protected waters, it's sufficient to carry 2 anchors. For practical considerations of weight and stowage the Danforth and CQR are best. Some like to carry 2 Danforths while some prefer one of each. Regulations about the right size for your boat are set out in the AYF blue book.

The CQR (plow anchor) has a hinged shank to keep it from breaking out if the boat swings to one side. It holds well in most conditions though not too reliable in weed. The Danforth is a burying anchor with good holding strength, as long as it can bury; so it's not so reliable in weed or clay.

The use of nylon warp, because it is springy, lessens the likelihood of shock loadings breaking out either type of anchor.

Anchor language

Some language might not be printable here but there are "terms" that every boatie should know. You'll notice how some maritime terms and expressions have crept into everyday English: bitter end , ship shape, know the ropes etc., but back to anchors.

In this illustration where the water is 3m deep and the total line length is 9m, the ratio is 1:3 and this is called the “scope”.

Bottom

Clearly, from the above diagram it is important to know about and ideally see the bottom so you can drop anchor in a good holding area or at least a good sandy patch if the area is weedy.

Water depth

The depth of the water determines the amount of line you let out to achieve satisfactory scope. A scope of between 1:3 to 1:5 should cover the range of conditions encountered. The common sense requirement is that the pull on the anchor be parallel to the sea floor. The main purpose of the chain section is to weigh down the line to help create a parallel pull. With this in mind it is wise to let out a bit more line if there are waves and you are swinging on your anchor , and don't forget to consider the possible rise in tide level in estimating your scope. The AYF regulation for us re anchor line is 5m chain and 45m warp. Specifications for chain and rope size are given in the "blue book."

Neighbours

If you intend spending the night on a swing mooring (ie: your boat is free to swing as the wind changes) it's best to assume that you will swing through 360° and that your neighbour if you have one will do the same and allow sufficient space. Make doubly sure that you holding is good and you should avoid being woken by unwelcome bumps in the night.

Technique

Don't just chuck the anchor overboard and hope for the best.

Do get the boat moving slowly in reverse then drop the anchor on your selected spot and lay out the line behind it; a few tugs on the rope to test the holding and bury the flukes and you should be right.

Do a preliminary bottom inspection if possible!!

Do set sufficient line for appropriate scope.

Don't anchor in rivers if you don't have to. There's a very good chance of snagging your anchor under a sunken branch or log.

Do attach a trip line to the anchor head to pull it out backwards if you suspect that you might be in "snaggy" water and have no alternative : a rare situation.

Cap’n Frog

February 2006:  Put Some Colour in Your Life

I t seems that spinnakers are a double edged sword – they look great when flying and presumably make a significant contribution to boat speed but seem also to have the potential for disaster in the hands of the inexperienced. Can Mr Frog provide a foolproof recipe for Ultimate kite flying.”

Dear Kite enquirer

Yes I can provide a fail safe, fool proof method to avoid kite disaster in just two words. “Don’t try”. You will also ensure that you never enjoy the fun of flying a kite. On the other hand by learning and practicing the techniques and skills in graded stages there should be lots of joy ahead without too many tears.

For any reader who is already using a spinnaker you will learn nothing new from the following paragraphs, but if you’re one who is still thinking that it looks fun but a bit too hard, then this is for you. Everything is difficult before it’s easy, but if you give it a go you should put some colour in your life, not to mention some fun and performance. Remember too that there are some experienced salts in the UYA who would be happy to come aboard for the usual fee.

What you need to start:

• One spinnaker, colour optional but I’ll assume it’s symmetrical.
• One spinnaker pole with cockys beak clips at each end and a trip cord to open the clips.
• 5 ropes with suitable cleats
• 1 halyard to hoist the kite to the masthead
• 2 sheets with swivel snap shackle at one end
• 1 topping lift (topper) to hold the pole up
• 1 kicker to hold the pole down
• 1 person who is happy either to dance around the foredeck (or take the tiller, while you do it!)

Ready to Hoist

Choose a time when the breeze is steady and less than about 8 knots.

Sailing with main alone steer your boat almost onto a run (but not quite) so it’s clear which side the boom must be on because the pole will have to be on the opposite side. Clip your 2 sheets and halyard to the 3 corners of your spinnaker. Set up the pole horizontally, supported by topper and kicker and attach the sheet on the windward side to run through the cocky’s beak. From now on the rope on the pole side will be called the” brace.”

Trimming

Running square (or almost) Pull the pole aft until the luff just starts to fold and then pull on the sheet so the kite fills nicely. Adjust the height of the pole if necessary so that the foot of the kite is horizontal and the centre of the foot is almost above the bow.

Bearing away and sailing “shy”

Do this only in a light breeze at first. As you bear away it will be necessary to ease the pole (brace) progressively forward and of course trim in the sheet accordingly. Now you are sailing under shy spinnaker. If or when the boat seems to be falling over a bit too much to leeward, this is because the wind is coming too much from the side, so to correct this quickly and get the wind more behind you again you must pull on the tiller to bear away. Note that this is the opposite reaction to what you would do if you were sailing upwind with main and jib.

Gybing

The only way to gybe the spinnaker on an Ultimate is to end for end the pole.

Have the helmsperson steer almost square (on a run) if you are not already. Ease the topper a couple of inches to make it easy to to get the pole off the mast ring. Stand at the mast facing forward and firmly brace yourself with a shoulder against the mast and feet with good grip.

With the trip cord unclip the pole from the mast and reclip that end to the sheet (which is about to become the new brace). Unclip the brace and attach that end of the pole to the mast ring and call “Gybe”. The helmsman must immediately steer to gybe the main. If you do this correctly the kite will move from one side to the other without deflating.

Retrieving the Spinnaker

Preferrably steer back to square. Stand ready to stow the kite in the bag and indicate (yell) to your crew to uncleat firstly the sheet and brace quickly followed by halyard. while you like an octopus having a fit,quickly stuff the kite into the bag.

Now hasn’t that put some colour in you life (and your cheeks)!

Have fun,

Cap’n Frog
 

August 2006:  Prevention Is Better than Cure

I have just finished reading a delightful book by Reese Palley entitled "Call of the Ancient Mariner".  In it, Mr Palley (writing for ancients (60+)  strongly recommends use of a "preventer" when sailing down-wind.

Is this something all down-wind Ultimates should consider, or is it something that really applies to larger boats?

Anon. 

Dear Anon, 

For our readers who might be unsure what a preventer is, it is a device which not surprisingly prevents something.  To be more specific, it prevents your head being knocked off or in a milder case just being knocked unconscious, by a flying boom as a result of an accidental gybe. 

Of course the bigger the boom, and the faster it travels, the more serious it will be, but any dong on the head can be unwelcome and is definitely something to avoid. 

The most likely situation for an accidental gybe will be when sailing square down wind in a big rolling sea especially when sailing at night.  If the wind gets behind the main, even a little bit, this can be enough to set the boom flying which can take you by surprise with disastrous consequences. 

While this possibility is a particular concern in open sea sailing, accidental gybe can happen in protected waters when the wind is brisk and changeable.  Bear in mind too, that it’s also pretty easy when sailing square downwind to err even briefly on a course of “sailing by the lee”.  This means that the wind is coming slightly from the “lee” side which is the side that the main is on and naturally this will make you a bit more vulnerable to accidental gybe. 

Typically a preventer  is a piece of suitable rope attached at one end to the boom (usually near the vang attachment) and at the other end somewhere forward on the deck.  It doesn’t have to have much tension on it.  On smaller boats like ours, you might vary the deck attachment.  I have a quite small length of 6 mm cord permanently attached to the vang (boom end) with a clip that allows me to attach the other end to a shroud if necessary. 

I seldom use it, but it’s there if I need to use it in a hurry.  The preventer never actually takes a lot of load, as it simply prevents the boom from keeping going when you don’t want it to.  It gives you a little warning if you have drifted off course so you can promptly make a steering correction. 

I hope this very small investment will help you avoid a big headache in future. 

Cap’n  Frog