Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 26: Handling Your Sailboat
the mainsail down, to provide more heeling leverage. (Make sure he or she has on a
PFD—this maneuver can wind up with taking an unexpected swim.)
If that doesn’t work, you may have to get some weight off the boat. In calm, shallow water
during the summer, the crew can simply hop overboard for a swim while the skipper stays
aboard to steer for deeper water. PFDs should be worn by the swimmers, just in case the
boat gets off quicker than expected. The crew can then swim to the edge of deeper water
to be picked up on the next pass.
In high-current areas such as passes and narrow channel (where groundings are frequent)
getting crew off the boat is not an option unless you have a dinghy. Make sure the dinghy
is secured to the boat if the flow is strong, or your crew may take a fast ride downtide
toward a nasty inlet.
It’s also possible to use the anchor to “kedge”
or pull your boat off a bar. The trick is to get
the anchor well away from the boat, the full
length of the anchor rode, so that holding
power will be maximized. (Remember, the
more scope, the better the anchor holds.) You
can then use one of the winches aboard to inch
the boat off via cranking in the anchor line.
A more elaborate strategy is to use two anchors:
one to pull the boat forward, and one to heel the
boat way over on its side to reduce draft. This
heeling anchor is attached to a halyard and set off
to one side of the boat. It pulls from the top of
the mast via a halyard winch.
An even more time-consuming but often essential
possibility is simply to sit and wait for the next
high tide, unless, of course, you went aground on
high tide. If you did, you’re going to have to flag
down a tow quickly or endure a very long wait
through an entire tidal cycle.
Heavy-Weather Sailing
Boat Bytes
The best way to prevent
your sailboat from grounding
is chart study. If you
know the waters ahead,
the tides, and your exact
draft, and keep track of where
you are at all times, you can
avoid any risky areas. Keep an
eye on your depthfinder to alert
you to shoaling water.
Although sailors love wind, there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing. But getting
caught in a squall is a part of sailing; the moderate speeds available in most sailing craft
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Look Out!
If you hit really hard on
a rock bottom, under strong
winds or rough waves, check
your bilge for leaks before trying
to get back to deep water. It’s
better to be grounded than sunk!