Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 26: Handling Your Sailboat
It’s best to sail close-hauled into oncoming seas, letting the bow take the seas at an angle.
This prevents the boat from rolling in the troughs and stabilizes the ride. On the other
hand, sailing upwind in a blow will increase the apparent wind, while running downwind
will reduce it. Your best strategy will depend on the kind of boat, the amount of sea room
to leeward, the intensity of the wind and waves, and a dozen other factors.
Going downwind in a strong storm can make the boat go out of control because the waves
from aft may throw the stern sideways. Sailboats that venture offshore should carry a
“drogue” or sea anchor that can be trailed from the stern to keep the boat straight.
Following seas (waves coming
from astern or behind a boat)
Drogue
Righting a Capsize
351
A drogue or sea anchor
behaves like a parachute to
create drag and keep the
stern from rolling into the
trough in following seas.
Whoa! This isn’t supposed to happen, but it’s not uncommon for sailboats under 20 feet
without weighted keels to be knocked down by a blast of wind that comes so fast no corrective
action can be taken. Sailing a bit beyond the edge of your skill is also frequently to
blame—if you wait a moment too long to ease the sheets as you enjoy the foam and noise
of a boat practically on its beam ends, you may find yourself in the water.
This is a fairly predictable “emergency” in dinghy-class boats (small one-designs such as
the Sunfish) designed to be righted by their crew, and it’s one you should practice dealing
with in calm winds and seas.
The drill is basically this:
1. The skipper should confirm that the crew is okay, free to move about and floating
or swimming safely. It’s very important that all crew members keep one hand on the
boat. In bad weather, the boat will get blown away fairly quickly.
2. The skipper should work his or her way around to the bottom of the boat and make
sure the centerboard is down. The crew needs to support the mast at the gooseneck
(where the boom fits on the mast) to keep the boat from “turning turtle” or complete
turning upside down.