Where did I go wrong?

[crankysailor]

So a couple of nights ago I got myself in a bind and had to call pan pan and get towed to port. In the aftermath of what happened, I am still kind of unsure what the main error was. Sure, as you will see it was a series of compounded mistakes but I am sure there was above all one that damned me. I am just not sure which one it was.

I was sailing 3 miles or so off the south adriatic coast in Italy on the last leg of a passage from Greece. Forecast for the night was for 3-4 Bft offshore and I prepared for what I had hoped would be a fun beam reach ride overnight by putting one reef on the main. The forecasted wind arrived and we were cruising on a reach parallel to the coast. Awesome!

Then we got flattened. The autopilot alarm went off completely overpowered in seconds. I jumped and eased the main sheet to depower it and headed into the wind. It's kind of foggy now what I did next but I think I turned the engine on at this point and we tried to roll in the genoa which was fully out. My crew is a bit inexperienced and he couldn't pull in the reefing line hard enough cause it has a bit of a trick on my boat., so I opened the genoa sheets and let them go and jumped to help him. We rolled it in but ofc there was a lot of flogging and the sheets were all over the place. We then dropped the main. It was about 10pm and fairly dark by now. I did notice that the genoa sheets were not in the Cockpit but I saw they were pretty roled up on the foresail and I figured I would deal with them later. First I tried to settle down and think. I wanted to go on sailing with just the genoa but I looked at the wind meter which reported solid 30kts.. the waves started building fast and that reach turned into what it felt under motor like a beat. We had 60 miles to go. The port of Brindisi was about 5 miles back. I figured ok I am heading back to port. I turn the boat around and at this moment...bang! the engine dies. It became clear immediately what had happened. A genoa sheet got caught in the propeller!. Classic.

It was dark and this unforecasted wind really freaked me out. There was a gale foeecasted in 24 hours..so I had a whole day of buffer. Had it arrived sooner? a whole day? it can't be.. it is now 10pm I can't see the sky. The wind and waves keep building. No motor, can't raise the main, a genoa sheet caught in the propeller. Ok, I am calling pan pan and asking to be towed to port.

The rest went off as you'd expect. The italian coast guard SAR boat came out and watched over us until the tugboat arrived. Once safely in port and after a late night trip to the ATM, the ordeal was over.

So.. post mortem..

- One of the genoa sheets had no stopper knot. Fail.
- I headed into the wind flogging the head sail and making a mess of the sheets. Still... should I had tried to bear off in 30 kts with one reef only in the main and full genoa out?
- Once I noticed that the situation of the genoa sheets wasn't clear, I didn't figure that out first before deciding to turn the boat around under motor to.go back to port.
- Even though only a light offshore breeze was forecasted , I should have dropped the main completely for the night since I could have done without it in on a beam reach with offshore winds..

That's my self analysis. what do you more experienced cruisers think I could have done differently? besides the obvious ofc like making sure the stopper knots are in place!

[Knotical]

Your postmortem analysis is pretty good and I am glad you, the crew and your boat are ok.

When I am solo and want to roll in the Genoa I loosen the working sheet on a self-tailer bit by bit while taking in some of the furling line. This gives me total control as the luff is luffing but there’s still some drive from the rest of the Genoa which keeps the boat on course. I never let both sheets go as they will get entangled with each other and may damage other rigging.

As for the stopper knot I learned a lesson very early on which cost me $300 (let go of outhaul line inside the boom and I couldn’t open the end caps so asked a rigger to do it) - never again, rigger said I will never make that mistake again and he’s right.

I believe when SHTF a significantly reduced sail plan is still better than running the engine, boat stays stable that way and you would actually go faster, plus all that rolling will suck up crud from the tank and clog the lines.

When we encounter bad weather we usually run with it if there’s enough sea room, bearing off and loosening those sheets may have calmed things down, at least for the moment when you can discuss a game plan with your inexperienced crew.

Good luck.

[Franziska]

Sounds like the Bora got you. You always should calculate that one in when sailing in the Adriatic.
Close to the Croatian islands you can hide behind them to some degree. Once I dropped the anchor and spent a whole night with screaming wind but very little waves behind a tiny island.

On the Italian side you have less wind but higher waves and a rocky coast in your back. Not a nice situation.

If in doubt or with inexperienced crew reef the main before going into the night. If you do not need the main, take it away, especially with wind from behind.

If a sudden Bora hits you under genoa or jib alone you can furl or drop it in an instant.

Watch for the overall weather situation and check if Bora is forecasted or if there is a big temperature difference between the Croatian coast and the area behind the mountains east of it. If it's coldish in the mountains a Bora can happen more easily.
Also if you see small lentil shaped clouds on the mountains on an otherwise clear day be aware.

Good you made it and great that you try to learn from the situation.

[Snore]

As a delivery guy who regularly sails with owners who are fairly green a few rules.

Let me begin with your candor and after-event hot wash are perfect. It is how you get better and others hopefully read and learn.

You initial actions were spot on. But, the engine should NEVER start until all lines are accounted for. As you noted, stopper knots are essential.

I am a tad confused, the Malo is a fairly small vessel. You should have the ability to tend the sheets and roll the jib, even in a !# show. So I suggest you practice it. If there is "a trick" to rolling up your jib.... FIX IT. As you have seen, when something goes sideways those little items can bite you on the tail.

As to rigging for the night... Unless I expected a squall, or knew a region was prone to no cloud squalls, I would have run full sails. I also have standing orders that if the crew stops seeing stars to wake me (cloud cover often happens before a squall).

That's my take on it. If it wasn't for the missing stopper knots and the issue with the fuller, it would have been typical sailor's bar story.

[Chotu]

“Once I noticed that the situation of the genoa sheets wasn't clear, I didn't figure that out first before deciding to turn the boat around under motor to.go back to port.”

This is the big moment. This is the big failure. Everything else was just an issue. But this was the nail in the coffin as they say.

One thing I’m noticing however, is that area is tricky stuff. I have never sailed there in my life, however, story after story after story of boats getting absolutely destroyed by wind that comes out of nowhere usually takes place in that area.

If I sail in there eventually, I will be putting in a couple reefs at night. Just to be safe. I may not get there quickly, but the sudden bursts of wind seem rather common over there. Seems like you should almost expect them to happen occasionally.

With the furler, yes. You should definitely depower it to roll it back up. Managing sales always works better when you can depower them.

PS: Franziska’s weather tips are awesome. Clearly gained from experience in the area.

[Rumrace]

Very pleased you and your crew are safe. Was quite an adventure to read.

[Tetepare]

Well you got the stop knot and flogging.

30kts and wave is nothing to your boat. I think you over-reacted and tried to hurry the reaction to the surprise. If it was daylight you’d probably spend more time assessing the situation and tackle each job completely. You’d probably have left the main up and pointed up and sat and planned and explained to the crew what was next. You rushed it, and you did so because it was dark and unfamiliar.

[psk125]

Messing around in the dark with 30 knots of wind and building seas and no sails up can be less than fun. While sailing under autopilot were you maintaining a watch? The approaching cloud cover (you say you couldn't see the sky after it hit) might have alerted you to the changing weather. Don't understand why you couldn't re-hoist the main and continue, even without the engine. It would have steadied the boat and given you more time to think about ways to possibly untangle the jibsheet from the prop. Of course hindsight is 20/20, especially from a computer keyboard. Sounds like you managed to solve the immediate problem. Your Italian must be reasonably good for that to have happened.

[Jammer]

I am surprised that the Genoa sheets would be long enough to foul the propeller while the Genoa is rolled up. Extra length on lines is nothing but trouble.

[Eder]

Nothing wrong with cutting the fouled line,rerig a new one,fall off with just the genoa. Seriously 30kt is not that big of a deal.

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Sounds like the Bora got you.

Hi, OP states he was in Brindisi, I did not think Bora could reach that far south in the Adriatic. Perhaps some other weather condition happening?

Fair winds.

[ItDepends]

A good description, and analysis on your part. You have had many good suggestions already, and I won't rehash them. But I'll add some thoughts.

The difference between an experienced/confident sailor and a novice is that reach for the engine ignition key when things seem scary. Someone with confidence in the boat knows that a good sailboat (and you have one!) is better under sail than under power in rough conditions. ALWAYS. ALWAYS!!!

Try hard to differentiate between the dangerous, and the exciting. Rounding up in a sudden blast of wind is exciting. It is NOT dangerous.

Next suggestion:Reef the headsail first. It is a rare boat that balances well under reefed main and full genoa when the wind picks up.

And, I know that some of the katabolic winds that develop in the Med can be sudden and scary. And they can blow a LOT harder than 30 kts. But... 30 kts should not be ANYTHING like scary.

If the boat wants to round up so much you can't steer, ease off on the main, and then the genoa sheets until you can steer. You might be luffing a bit (or a lot!) but other than the noise, that's not an immediate problem. Once you get the boat sailing on her feet again, you can ease the genoa and roll it up. If your genoa is "tricky" to roll, that needs fixing.

Finally, if you are sailing close to a steep coast, and you get hit by a blast like this in the absence of other obvious causes, assume a katabolic wind. Like the famous Monty Python scene, the best strategy is to "Run Away! Run Away!" These winds are very local, and the further you get from the coast the less wind you will see. Turn and run before the wind out to sea, and it will (usually!) peter out pretty quickly. I know that it seems a bit counter intuitive that easy, safe sailing is AWAY from shore, but it is.

[Don C L]

I for one wouldn't be too hard on yourself about this. Yes, not keeping track of the sheets before engaging the engine was a big mistake, but it is not one you'll make again! I had something similar happen to me... well I shouldn't say it HAPPENED TO me because it was my fault too, but in my case I went in the water, in the dark, with a dive light and unwrapped the line from the prop shaft. Thankfully no damage to shaft or strut, or me or anyone else, and all worked out but that was seared into my memory banks. Another lesson you probably learned is to be ready to douse sails on a moment's notice if needed. But is it really possible to be completely prepared for every potential calamity at sea? I doubt it. Those who do well are flexible and adaptable, remain calm... and have made lots of mistakes already. It is great you are reviewing it all openly here to glean all the lessons from it.

[Cpt Mark]

You mentioned your crew was inexperienced, how experienced are you? I ask because people are saying 30 knots is no big deal but if you've never been in those winds, at night, with the SHTF it is a very big deal.

You eased off the main, headed up which on your boat is exactly what you should have done. At this point though, you reached for the key which suggests inexperience on your part in these conditions. You had the boat in a controllable condition.

Only one way to get experience.

As far as stopper knot. I don't use one on the sheets. If I need to let the sail go I'm not having a good day and I want it gone, now, no knives involved, just quickly, easily.

[MarkSF]

It's good to have the jib furling line routed such that you can put it on a winch. My main halyard winch is 2:1 and works well for the jib furling line.

Maybe it doesn't count as exactly best practice, but it you really need to furl the jib under circumstances like yours, my attitude is to do whatever it takes.

But usually it's best to furl the jib before dropping the main, to give the jib some shadow from the wind.