Lee Helm Scare

[Foolish]

I was in this exact situation about 15 years ago when I was still a rookie and a big thunderhead drifted by. I learned a lot.

Learn to twist off the top of your sails. Both the jib and the main. You do this by easing the sheets and dumping wind out the top of the sails. You should easily be able to sail on a beat or tight reach in 20 knot winds with this method, at least in the short term.


I would suggest that you do not drop the jib. If you only have the main up then you won't be able to tack through the wind and you will have the lee helm that you experienced. If you must drop a sail then drop the main. With just the jib you can probably tack. It was exactly because I dropped the jib that I needed rescue by the local fire department in the above situation 15 years ago (and is the reason why I've gone to such an extent to learn how to avoid it.)

With both sails up, if you are pinching up so much that you can not tack, then you are pinching too much. You have to keep the boat sailing under your control, not the wind's control. Ease the sheets and head down.

When you want to tack, ease both the main and the jib sheets by a foot, then head down slightly to pick up speed, and then tack.

In my book I write about "emotional inertia". This is where you are too nervous to make a necessary maneuver (like a gybe in high winds) and instead end up in a worse situation. (see fire department rescue above). Some times you just have to make the decision to take the risk.

Keep practicing. Like anything worthwhile you will get comfort with experience and by asking here. You should try something "outside your skill level" every time you go sailing. In a couple of years you will be laughing at 20 knots.

Have fun.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

What no one suggested was to watch the water around you as you can often see the wind approaching as a disturbance on the surface.

Like I said before, this is why its good to have racing experience.

As a racer, you always want to keep your boat sailing at the same angle so you have to watch the water ahead (or behind if sailing downwind especially under spinnaker) so you can adjust just Before that wind hits for maximum power

[Jim Cate]

I would suggest that you do not drop the jib. If you only have the main up then you won't be able to tack through the wind and you will have the lee helm that you experienced. If you must drop a sail then drop the main. With just the jib you can probably tack. It was exactly because I dropped the jib that I needed rescue by the local fire department in the above situation 15 years ago (and is the reason why I've gone to such an extent to learn how to avoid it.)

With respect, this is just wrong! When in a lee helm situation, dropping the main will only exacerbate the lee helm, and will hinder getting the bow through the eye of the wind when tacking. Most boats, if able to generate any speed to windward on main alone, will tack just fine... not so true for jib alone.

I'm not sure what your situation was when you needed rescue by the fire department, but you advice here is misleading for the OP.

Jim

[belizesailor]

Assuming it was just lee helm then think about cause and effect (and read about/review Center of Effort (CE) vs Center of Lateral Resistance (CLR)).

Lee Helm is cuaused by CE being forward of CLR. Basically the primary force of the sails being forward of the mid point keel. Enough power was forward in your case that it over powered the rudder.

To fix that you need to move the CE aft. In your case that could have been accomplished by easing the jib and sheeting in the main (depowering the jib and powering the main up). Then the boat should have been more balanced...and thus more controlable.

That done you could have gotten closer to the wind and handled lowering the jib more easily.

(Caveat: I wasnt there, so just my hypothesis, but sure sounds like powerful lee helm).

Alternatively, go with it, the boat wants to turn down wind, so make a slow controlled turn down wind...like to a beam or shallow broad reach...and ease the sails appropriately as you do. This will do several things, it will shift the CE, it will reduce heeling moment (leveling out the boat) and it will reduce apparent wind speed (further depowering the sails). Now, you are sailing flat and more controlled...and can more easily get the situation under control.

The pro of the last tactic is that you can execute it very quickly and easily with no drama on the foredeck. Head down far enough to blanket or at least significantly depower the jib and dropping it is much easier and the foredeck is level and drier.

[Foolish]

What I'm thinking is that the OP wasn't experiencing true lee helm. 20 knots of wind is not so strong as to cause any type of problems on a 22 foot boat if she just had the jib and main up. My own boat at the time was a Tanzer 22. Yes 20 knots is scary the first time but any 22 foot boat can handle it with ease.

What I'm thinking is that the OP was pinching up to avoid the worst of the wind. In pinching she was giving away all of her boat speed and thus losing any sense of helm control, leading to a feeling of lee helm. "Why won't the boat turn up!" The answer is because a boat needs speed to turn up.

After dropping the jib and with just the main up, and still pinching, it would be impossible to get up enough boat speed to head up into the wind, or to tack. My own experience on my Tanzer 22 confirms this exactly. The boat just wants to fall off. However, if the main is dropped (which in reality is nothing more than putting a 4th reef in the main) then the boat will sail happily under jib alone and she would have regained control easily.

The key to all sailing in uncomfortable situations is to keep the boat sailing at speed as it was built to do. The moment you attempt to put the boat into irons, then everything will stop working and all control will be lost.

The one caveat is that it is perfectly fine to heave to. This keeps the boat under perfect control. But of course in order to heave to you must have sufficient speed to tack through the wind.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Foolish

What I'm thinking is that the OP wasn't experiencing true lee helm. 20 knots of wind is not so strong as to cause any type of problems on a 22 foot boat

Actually 20 knots on a lake near St Louis is big wind and not what most folks there normally sail in

Here on the lower Chesapeake Bay and many places like this along the coast, it's not that big of a deal but on an inland lake, twenty knots can be a big deal especially since they don't see winds like that a lot on the lake when sailing

I used to race Beach cats in Tennessee, Mississippi, and South Carolina...........on the lakes there where 10 knots or so was something to get excited about!

[Foolish]

Actually 20 knots on a lake near St Louis is big wind

Yes I'm sure it was more than the OP was familiar with. But it is certainly not more than the boat can easily handle. She is just gaining the experience and confidence to do so. Like we have all gone through. Once she has gained that confidence she'll wait for spinnaker runs on 20 knot days for extra fun!

[thinwater]

Lots of good advise. We've all been there. You can't pull the main in, because it is a CB boat and will knock down. You have a big jib and can't easily depower it.

First and foremost, it must NOT be dangerous to go forward. Crawl, don't stand, and the sail will be over your head, making noise but harmless. Keep some tension on the sheets until you are in position by the forestay to reduce the flogging. You will not fall off if you crawl, because the lifelines are higher than you. Consider lacing in netting. Consider a harness and tether. But there can always be a reason you must go forward and you must have a means to do this safely in ALL weather. Even with a roller furler, they can jam, and that can be even worse.

A downhaul is a good idea, but they can snarl, so you still need a way to get to the bow safely.

Clawling forward to haul down a jib should be almost routine. Notice that it did solve the problem.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Foolish

Yes I'm sure it was more than the OP was familiar with. But it is certainly not more than the boat can easily handle. She is just gaining the experience and confidence to do so. Like we have all gone through. Once she has gained that confidence she'll wait for spinnaker runs on 20 knot days for extra fun!

Yes, spinnaker runs are fun especially on a 300 lb Beach Cat sailing singlehanded......just don't forget to turn down on a gust instead of up.

Sometimes during later races, folks used to start turning the wrong way and they/we would pitchpole. Not sure if this was caused by the lack of energy after racing all day or too many beers between races