Pearson 26 extreme heel in a gust

[Sparx]

The Pearson 26 is a GREAT boat. Very solid construction and quite seaworthy. Many have safely delivered their crews across oceans and carried on in quite extreme conditions. So you have chosen well. As others have noted, I doubt you were in any serious danger in that boat.

What you experienced is a getting to know your boat moment. She will teach you when to shorten sail and how to trim her for best joy. There is lots to learn, but most of it will come by paying close attention to how the boat moves and responds. Don't be shy about challenging your boat just to see what you can learn.

It does not surprise me that coming around a headland or entering the river gives a different wind. You will learn to read the waves on the water to see the strength and direction of the wind and to see wind shifts before they arrive. All this is sailor craft.

Welcome aboard.

[glcalahan]

All the advice is great advice for you! However I would suggest paying attention to the surface of the water. You can read the coming gusts to be better prepared. Being proactive gives you more time to react.

I am currently restoring a 1972 Pearson 33 and anxious to get done! It has been almost a 2 year challenge. P26 is a great boat! Enjoy!

[Matsubob]

You develop a "seat of the pants" or a "something in the belly" feeling when winds are erratic. The blacker the water's surface the stronger the gusts, and when I see that I grab the "main fuse": the main sheet! And stay ready to release; it works faster than anything else. !

[Cadence]

I doubt your boat will knock down from wind alone. It is well ballasted. If you have a doubt reef. Why tease the devil?

[thomm225]

After a while when you get more experience sailing, you'll know to point up a bit just before or as the gust arrives (since you'll be looking ahead watching the wind on the water)

Racers try to keep their boats at the same angle of heel at all times regardless of the wind by good steering technique

[Cloroxbottle]

Originally Posted by Matsubob

The blacker the water's surface the stronger the gusts

For those who may not be familiar...

Cat's Paws on Water
https://www.naturalnavigator.com/new...-paws-on-water

"When a gust of wind touches the surface of calm water, it creates a localised patch of bigger ripples. These can be seen as a different colour, normally darker. The effect has the nickname 'cat's paws' as some people believe it looks like a cat's paw print or a cat scratching at the surface of the water."

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by captn_rob

Suddenly a gust hit us and heeled us over fast and hard. Felt like over 45 degrees! Passengers screamed and my wife fell off her seat. I immediately steered to windward until we were back on our feet but now I'm a bit worried about it happening again.

Reef early when easily frightened passengers or inexperienced crew are present. Really early. I mean, really really early.


You can always shake out the reef if it turns out that conditions are benign and everyone is bored.


Stay in conditions where you're confident. Telegraph your confidence to others. Have impressionable people sit on the high (weather) side of the cockpit because psychologically it's not as disturbing to lean forward as back.

Is it possible for a P26 to get knocked down in 15 knot winds?

No.


On the other hand, it is possible for a P26 in 15 knots to heel over so much that a spouse who is already somewhat uncomfortable with sailing decides not to participate ever again.

That is what it felt like we were headed for. Only thing I can think of is that I had too much belly in the main. I recently installed a topping lift and had it slacked off so the mainsail had the full weight of the boom but I forgot to tighten the vang and the cunningham was loose. In retrospect I should have tightened all these down but I'm still not sure...

Any advice for preventing this in the future would be greatly appreciated.

To the extent feasible, plan your trips so you start out upwind and then turn to downwind. Not the other way around. It is very easy to misjudge the wind while running and then get surprised at its strength when you turn.

[captn_rob]

Originally Posted by Jammer

it is possible for a P26 in 15 knots to heel over so much that a spouse who is already somewhat uncomfortable with sailing decides not to participate ever again.

Quite possible I'm afraid - and I hope to eventually convince her to make the move from full time RV to full time cruising so definitely want to keep the admiral as comfy as possible

Originally Posted by Jammer

To the extent feasible, plan your trips so you start out upwind and then turn to downwind. Not the other way around. It is very easy to misjudge the wind while running and then get surprised at its strength when you turn.

Not really feasible. As mentioned my mooring is up inside a river mouth so have little choice but to sail southwest when headed out and northeast when coming home.

That said, I am not averse to dropping sails and motoring in or out when necessary...

[captn_rob]

Here is a short video I made of the day. Didn't get footage of the actual incident because I stopped filming once we entered the river mouth so I could handle the tiller but towards the end you can see about how my sails were set when it happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ajw...&feature=share

[Jammer]

In experienced hands the ideal thing to do in that situation is run under full sail and reef before you turn. It's a tricky maneuver to get right. Safer to hoist sail to the reef point and stay that way during the run even if it means going a little slower.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by captn_rob

Here is a short video I made of the day. Didn't get footage of the actual incident because I stopped filming once we entered the river mouth so I could handle the tiller but towards the end you can see about how my sails were set when it happened.

Reviewing the video it doesn't look like conditions were especially bad. I doubt very much if you were over as far as 45 during the gust. I would imagine that at 45 you would have water coming over the toerail.


When people new to sailing join us for a sail I tell them that the boat will heel over in the wind. I point out that there is a self-bailing cockpit so that if we are heeled over so far that water is running into the cockpit that it will drain out once we turn. I don't push the boat nearly this hard, but it helps people visualize how much heel the boat can handle.

[George DuBose]

Over 15-20 kts, a P26 will sail as fast with just the working jib and have less heeling.

In light winds the traveler should be set to windward, when the wind is stronger, then set the traveler to leeward to flatten the sail and have less of a belly in the sail.

A Pearson 26 sailing with a 100% jib can easily handle 40+ kts.

I don't know about the "later" productions of a Pearson 26, but the ones from the 70s are built like a tank.

[NakedCity]

Originally Posted by captn_rob

Thanks! Rounding up was my first impulse as I already had a hand on the tiller. The mainsheet is behind the rudder post on the P26 so would have to turn around to release it. Maybe in the future in similar gusty conditions I should sail with one hand on the tiller and the mainsheet in the other...

Exactly, it's learning to anticipate and being ready to respond. FYI having your vang pulled tight actually prevents your main from dumping air as quickly when easing the sheet.

[captn_rob]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Reviewing the video it doesn't look like conditions were especially bad. I doubt very much if you were over as far as 45 during the gust. I would imagine that at 45 you would have water coming over the toerail.

They really weren't. That's why I really hadn't considered reefing at all. Until we got up into the river at a constriction point and the wind became all gusty and squirrelly. That is also why the incident took me by surprise.

It all happened so fast (as these things tend to) that I don't remember how close the leeward rail was to the water. It sure felt like we were going over.

Reminded me of the feeling I had years ago when I really did come close to capsizing. I was dragging for scallops in my 34 ft lobsterboat in February, 1997. My boat was rigged with an "A-frame" gantry on the stern and I was towing a 6 foot wide steel chain drag. I finished the tow and had just brought the drag up preparing to empty it onto the deck. It was chock full of head sized rocks and very heavy. As I turned the boat to port to come about into the wind (had about a 3 foot chop) a wave hit us abeam causing us to heel to starboard and the rock-filled drag to swing out. Water was pouring over the thigh-height starboard rail and we were seconds from going over. I cranked the helm hard to port and gave the 220 hp John Deere diesel max throttle and we came up out of it. Deck was awash but once the water stopped coming over the side and as long as we were moving it drained out the scuppers.

Just 2 weeks before a good friend had the same thing happen. His boat had a cut out transom so it was swamped much faster. Capsized in 38 degree water... Thankfully he and his crew made it to shore via a liferaft.

[Cadence]

What is the problem? Appears to be a normal sail. If you have a concern one hand on the tiller the other on the sheet. You could consider getting that 200# from the lee side to the windward side of the cockpit.