HEAVING TO IN STRONG WINDS

[KJD13]

I have just been reading Lin and Larry Pardeys' book titled "Storm Tactics" and note that they advocate dousing the headsail whilst heaving to in heavy winds (storm) conditions, whilst leaving a Trysail or heavily reefed main up. This advice is also consistent with that cited by Nigel Ridgway (CH 11/6/2012) who implemented the advice given by Jon Sanders, descibed as being WA's most famous solo triple circumnavigator. Sanders advocates heaving to under triple reefed main with no furler. I was wondering if any member of the site has had experience in a Top Hat under strong wind conditions and if so, what sails did they employ?
Also, Pardey advocates the boat making a square drift, i.e. at 90 degrees to the waves in order to create a slick that protects the boat from the crashing waves. I would like to know if this has been tried in a Toppie, and how it coped? In the Mitchell's book "Two in a Top Hat", the heaving-to practice is used with great success, demonstrating that the Toppie can deploy this tactic favourably - is this your experience?
Kevin
Wayward Lady, Mk111
Williamstown, Vic

[Phillip]

Kevin,

Not really an option for most of us as we normally travel up and down our coast line and
don't have the sea room or reason to stay out in a storm.

In this situation I wait out the bad weather before sailing on.
Shaun and I did get caught out in a black NE'er last Janurary and our answer to that
situation was to reduce sail and run for the nearest calm water which was in Port Stephens.

Now if you were going to New Zealand or any other port overseas it's a totally diferent matter of course!
The advice you have quoted may need some reworking. In the case above I had removed my jib and double reefed the main sail
but found I was going nowhere, I couldn't even point up enough to tack away southwest.
The reason is Top Hats are a foreward sail driven yacht and in the right conditions don't even need a mainsail to go fast.

When [going into Port Stephens] I put up my very small storm jib SEAKA took off,
so I think you may need that headsail to heave too in a stable manner.
I have certainly heaved too with all standing in calm conditions while trying to fish!

From reading between the lines in your post, are you going to circumnavigate Kevin?

[KJD13]

No Phillip, just trying to get a good grasp of the theory and how it applies to my Toppie.
Kevin
Wayward Lady, Mk 111
Williamstown, Vic

[storm petrel]

I agree with Phillip on this one. When I have been caught out in silly conditions I have found that I cannot make steering headway with heavily reefed main alone. A tiny headsail may well be required to heave to and keep the boat pointed in the one direction. If you intend to cross oceans, It might be worth considering a series drogue as advocated by Roger Taylor ( The simple sailor).

Cheers,
Mark

[Tales]

Kevin,
We use the heaving to method quite a bit in Port Phillip when we have lunch.
Although the TH has a cutaway keel it still behaves ok.
The rule is to use the same sails which you use when sailing (on the wind) in that wind strength.
The jib is needed to balance the main.
Cheers,
Tom

[KJD13]

Thanks Tom, I also heave-to when I want a break in Port Phillip Bay, but I was wondering if heavier winds would necessitate different sail set-ups.
Cheers,
Kevin

[Tales]

Kevin,
Perhaps I did not explain myself very well.
There is a limit to how much wind a boat will stand using the heaving to method.
Even though I have sailed in 25 to 30 knots with a storm jib and 3rd reef it is doubtful if one could heave to for very long in these circumstances.
Laying ahull is the next stage but as you can see below one is likely to capsize before long.
Running off works for a while as long as you can retain control and the Jordan drogue from the stern is a proven performer but do you really want to be out there?
Cheers,
Tom

http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_servi ... apsize.php

"Tests carried out at Southampton University in England have shown that almost any boat can be turned turtle by a breaking wave with a height equal to 55 percent of the boat's overall length. Even if you don't like to think about it, you know in your heart that it's a reasonable finding. It means your 35-footer could be capsized through 180 degrees by a 20-foot wave. Even a 12-foot breaking wave would roll her 130 degrees from upright - from which position she may turn turtle anyhow.

And if you imagine you're never going to encounter a 20-foot wave, think again. Waves of that size can be generated in open water by a 40-knot wind blowing for 40 hours. And a 12-foot wave is the result of a 24-knot wind blowing for 24 hours. Plenty of those around."

[KJD13]

Thanks Tom, I agree that I do not ever want to be out in these conditions, but nevertheless, it warrants consideration of "what if.....".
Pardey states that his research has shown that all boats can survive heaving-to, with the aid of a parachute anchor, according to him, it is the slick that is generated that tames the wild waves. Thanks for your input.
Cheers,
Kevin
Wayward Lady, a Mk 111
Williamstown, Vic

[Swift]

My recollection of reading Jan Mitchell's account of her circumnavigation with Ian was that their standard practice for storm conditions was to lay a hull. Although there was one time when they hove too under trisail for a couple of days, but this was more for comfort than safety (they say). Now, these days laying a hull is regarded as being unsafe and therefore it may be presumed that the Mitchell's were generally lucky and the storms they were in were not that bad, however, in the account of one of the storms on the journey to Lord Howe Jan says that they were going downwind under bare poles fighting for control of the boat with BOTH FEET on the tiller, I have had similar control problems, but not in a storm just with under full sail downwind in a strong winds, way too much sail for the conditions, the boat was doing over 10 knots down the wave faces, almost impossible to control. To get that sort of speed under bare poles would require winds possibly around 50 knots or more, so I would say that the Mitchell's did indeed see some heavy weather. Jan goes on to say in the account of their Lord Howe voyage that to get control of the boat they "lay to" and it "it worked just like in the books" and "the boat rode the waves like a duck"

As this was in 1970's I imagine that one of the books Jan was referring to was Adlard Coles classic Heavy Weather sailing, he was a great proponent of laying a hull (but did not necessarily recommend it). It is probably a very bad idea to let a modern wide hull, deep fin keeled boat get sideways on a wave but Top Hats are old fashioned boats that tend to give way a bit to waves and just maybe old fashioned (and out of fashion) techniques like laying a hull might be worth considering. Or as I remember that great pioneer inventor and surf photographer George Greenough saying about his journey from the USA to Australia in his home built ferro yacht that his technique for storms was to pull all sail down, go below where it was safe, let the boat look after itself, put on some headphones and play the rolling stones real loud.

When it comes to heaving too there's an apparent contradiction, it's generally agreed that Top Hats need some sail forward to get them going to windward, and that to heave too it is best to use the same sail plan that you have been already sailing to windward with without being overpowered, so that begs the question that if it's true that best balance is obtained with some headsail how can you heave to effectively under reefed main or trisail alone? My limited experience in high winds is that only a scrap of the rolled up headsail is required for good balance and that a standard storm jib would be too large once the wind gets up over maybe 35 knots. I guess that this is because as the main is reefed the centre of effort not only comes down but goes forward. Maybe you could keep a storm jib up longer if it was further back on an inner forestay. So once the wind gets up to over 40 knots you aren't going to have normal size storm jib up and you aren't going to be going to windward much under triple reefed main, particularly if you have a genoa rolled up on a furler contributing to forward windage. Maybe with playing with the sheeting angle of the main you will be able to heave too, maybe even over sheeting the main to windward (something I have never tried because my boat does not have a traveler) Or maybe this is when you need a trisail which although it might be of similar size to a triple reefed main has the centre of effort further aft.

With regard to survival storms - whatever they may be - apart from the good advise provided by contributors on this site I don't think that what is perhaps the biggest debate which is between Series drogues and Parachute anchors will ever be resolved. Partly this is the fault of the main proponents of each technique. Drogues are are a good idea but there's some misleading information on the Jordan web site, also a series drogue is difficult to store and recover, factors that could be improved with a simple change to the design. Despite what Jordan says Parachute anchors also have their place but as much as I admire the Pardeys, in their book on Storm Tactics they are not above distorting facts to suit their argument. I don't think either Don Jordan or the Pardeys are maliciously misleading, they are just clever people justifiably in love with their own ideas and inventions and they have trouble keeping an open mind.

Cheers
Keith

[storm petrel]

Nice summary Keith. Just to add another anecdote. When Jack Earl died his last boat a 23ft LOA, long keel, timber yawl (Smokey Cape) was sold to a couple who sailed her to Tahiti and back to Sydney. They battled a horrendous storm on the way and eventually deployed a parachute anchor that they claimed worked brilliantly. I think I would take a series drogue or a parachute anchor if I was going to cross an ocean in a Top Hat.

Cheers,
Mark