Making Progress Upwind in Strong Conditions

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The wind just increased all day long, and was over 30 by the time we got to Utlangan. I expected that when we turned the corner, the torture would finally be over, but nooooo -- beam to the seas, we got tossed around, green water in the cockpit. At least we had a nice downwind sail into the harbor, all the way to within a cable of the dock!

Sigh! Dockhead, I'm afraid this is just about as normal as it can get. I happens to everyone. You look intensly at that corner, work on some angles re the wind and waves and think "gee, you know - when we get around that, we'll be on a broad reach, and we'll get some relief from the waves."

Dream on, my friend. It never happens. At least not there LOL



Karlskrona is ok- there are some supermarkets up near Stortorget and there's an ice cream shoppe up there that all the locals rave about.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Here's a pic from today's earth.nullschool.net for your area. Doesn't look like fun. Good luck.

Indeed. The North Sea is a tough bitch of a piece of water. This week, her gales are spilling over into the usually much more placid Baltic.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Sigh! Dockhead, I'm afraid this is just about as normal as it can get. I happens to everyone. You look intensly at that corner, work on some angles re the wind and waves and think "gee, you know - when we get around that, we'll be on a broad reach, and we'll get some relief from the waves."

Dream on, my friend. It never happens. At least not there LOL

LOL, yes, well, it's still a piece of p*** (as the locals there would say) compared to the English Channel. Even in that yesterday I don't think we saw any seas bigger than maybe 4 meters. They are just short and steep -- I can't imagine why and wish someone could explain it. Why do I get green water washing my decks and even down my dorades in such waves, when in the Channel with the mountainous seas we get sometimes, never?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

LOL, yes, well, it's still a piece of p*** (as the locals there would say) compared to the English Channel. Even in that yesterday I don't think we saw any seas bigger than maybe 4 meters. They are just short and steep -- I can't imagine why and wish someone could explain it. Why do I get green water washing my decks and even down my dorades in such waves, when in the Channel with the mountainous seas we get sometimes, never?

I wish I could give you a definitive answer. I don't know for sure, but it has a lot to do with how shallow the Baltic is. Up around Gotland it is say 130 meters deep. Most other places it is only 50-60 meters deep. So the winds whip up te waves and they come at you almost as if they are square. VEry steep and very close together. 4 meters is a big waves in here. BE happy you were'nt in th Hammerhavet near Bornholm, where you get wind over tide/current - Now that's entertaining!

Greenies on the foredeck are a fact of life up here. When the weather gets up I turn my dorades around. that helps. This summer I put the plugs in a couple of times.

carsten

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

......

Great stuff. Thank you, Evans!