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Old 15-10-2017, 05:30   #1
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Variable wind

Wonder what other people do in this situation:

I had wind varying 10 to 40 kn and going upwind. 2 x reefs in main and jib, reefed for gusts as per boat manual. Boat did well when true wind above 25 kn but when below waves caused boat to go real slow. Shaking out reef impractical as wind variations too fast.

One option, apart from motoring, is to have more sails, say 1 reef in main and jib and steer manually. Then boat should do fine down to 15 kn true which should be good enough. But on occasions when gusts hit, boat will have too much sails on.

In this situation I increase AP sensitivity and decrease apparent wind angle or steer manually, move boom to leeward, slacken mainsheet.

Any other methods to spill extra wind power on cat when one carries too much sail ?
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Old 15-10-2017, 07:37   #2
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Re: Variable wind

You could try with one reef, but let traveller out a couple of feet, keep main cranked on. This should de-power the sail and keep it flat, going to windward. When wind drops center the traveller or bring slightly to windward in 15kn. So you should be able to do it all with just the traveller, however if wind is oscillating you will need to manual steer in such conditions as auto pilot in wind vane mode even, may not react fast enough if wind is going from 15 to 40 and veering at the same time. Not something I would do at night.
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Old 15-10-2017, 08:35   #3
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Re: Variable wind

In unstable wind conditions like you are describing, I would have a double reef in the main and a small headsail, and I would turn on one engine to help punch to windward. The engine would keep me moving in the lulls and give me additional control if needed in the gusts.

I would rather use engines to make it easier to stay in control than have to deal with being over canvassed in unstable sailing conditions. It's my way of being kind to my rigging, sails, autopilot and crew.
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Old 16-10-2017, 23:47   #4
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Re: Variable wind

gents thanks!

will test each option and see how/when to use.

always good to have extra approach ready if needed.
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Old 17-10-2017, 16:19   #5
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Re: Variable wind

They'd be pretty rare conditions, and unlikely to last for long. I'd probably just drop the sails and motor until conditions stabilized.
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Old 17-10-2017, 16:48   #6
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Re: Variable wind

Quote:
Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat View Post
They'd be pretty rare conditions, and unlikely to last for long. I'd probably just drop the sails and motor until conditions stabilized.
I agree. 10 to 40 knots multiple times seems like the winds coming off the lee of mountains. I've only had this extreme range happen once, and it only happened one time. We dropped the sails and 15 minutes later there was zero wind and it stayed that way.
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Old 17-10-2017, 17:32   #7
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Re: Variable wind

i had that once,turned out that the waves were so big that we lost the wind in the trough.... it really was blowing 40knots at the top of the waves
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Old 17-10-2017, 22:16   #8
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Re: Variable wind

With variable wind speeds and wanting to hold a particular heading and wind angle, set your pilot to TWA rather than AWA. That limits the course changes from different AWAs as the wind speed changes (assuming wind direction is relatively steady).

Regarding your original question, depower in the first instance by dropping the traveller, as mentioned earlier. Don’t ease the sheet as that makes the main fuller (ie more powerful). This is something you can learn on a Hobie 16.

But the better advice is from Maxing Out to stay reefed to the gusts and use an engine to help when the wind drops. There’s no rule against motoring, and it doesn’t make you less of a sailor. If you’re not racing (or trying to outrun weather) be kind to your gear by not over stressing it.

All that said, if an experienced crew were racing your boat, I suspect they’d ignore the reefing guide and let the hull fly. Of course, it would be a good idea to replace the standing rigging after that passage.
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