What are your worst fear sailing events

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Any surfer will tell you that slowing the boat down in big or breaking seas is a way to get into trouble. The faster you surf, the more water moving past the rudder and the more control you have. Things get a bit hairy with a spinnaker up when you slow down and load up. If you have a quick light boat with no drogue, you don't get on the steepest part of the wave and pitchpole, and don't get seriously pooped by a breaking face. Why do you think the extreme wave surfers are towed into the wave by jetskis?

Except that a heavy boat and a surfboard are hardly compatible. A surfboard is infinitely more controllable than a heavy sail boat.

Most, if not all cruising boats will not be turned to surf along a wave face, rather it will race straight into the trough where it will keep going down until the stern overtakes the bow, commonly called pitch-poling. Quick light boats are not commonly found in the cruising environment and a heavy cruiser surfing will not respond to the rudder to a point where it can be called “control”, no matter how fast it goes. I know this because I’ve had that never-to-be-repeated experience.

Sorry, I’m not trying to be deliberately contradictory but recommending that sailors should actively seek to make their boats surf in a large breaking sea is IMO irresponsible.

But then, perhaps we’re talking different scenarios. I know beyond any doubt that when seas get big enough for my boat to start surfing, there is definitely not going to a spinnaker in the mix.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

As usual, the internet comes up with some strange ideas.

First of all, losing your keel, mast or rudder are things that you have some control over. Start with a decent boat, then inspect to make sure that your keel fastenings and rudder post/ bearings/cables support structure haven't deteriorated. Then replace the standing rigging every 12 years.

Any surfer will tell you that slowing the boat down in big or breaking seas is a way to get into trouble. The faster you surf, the more water moving past the rudder and the more control you have. Things get a bit hairy with a spinnaker up when you slow down and load up. If you have a quick light boat with no drogue, you don't get on the steepest part of the wave and pitchpole, and don't get seriously pooped by a breaking face. Why do you think the extreme wave surfers are towed into the wave by jetskis?

This is incorrect info.
As Your surfing down a wave Your Moving the Same speed, or very close to, as the waves speed, therefore you'll have very little water moving past the rudder, and therefore Very little steerage. Sailboats don't carve a board side to side to steer, very different than sailing.
Slowing the vessel allows water to move past the Rudder and you get steering back.

If I'm incorrect please some one Chime in here.
Don't think we're talking 50 Ft waves here. Or breaking waves.
Surfers, aren't sailing 30 or 40 Ft. Boats.
SV Cloud Duster

[nicholson31]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

Worst fear - becoming to feeble to sail.

true dat !!

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

This is incorrect info.
As Your surfing down a wave Your Moving the Same speed, or very close to, as the waves speed, therefore you'll have very little water moving past the rudder, and therefore Very little steerage. Sailboats don't carve a board side to side to steer, very different than sailing.
Slowing the vessel allows water to move past the Rudder and you get steering back.

If I'm incorrect please some one Chime in here.
Don't think we're talking 50 Ft waves here. Or breaking waves.
Surfers, aren't sailing 30 or 40 Ft. Boats.
SV Cloud Duster

my personal top speed is 29.6k and i can tell you we had heaps of water moving past the rudder as we went down the wave (and up the next one & down the...etc). steering becomes very light at these sort of speeds and you can be incredibly precise

of course you need a good boat and a good crew to do this, and your comment is likely pretty correct for most cruising boats that don't accelerate up on to the plane.

cheers,

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

This is incorrect info.
steerage. Sailboats don't carve a board side to side to steer, very different than sailing.
Slowing the vessel allows water to move past the Rudder and you get steering back.

SV Cloud Duster

doesn't make much sense that slowing the boat would make more water move past the rudder. You are moving the same speed as the wave maybe but not the water.

Certain hull shapes will round up or otherwise be difficult to steer once they start surfing but this is hull shape and not lack of water moving past the rudder.

[geoleo]

..going to sleep and not waking up.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by geoleo

..going to sleep and not waking up.

Only live people worry about dying, hahahahaha

[barnakiel]

My new find:


"... being confined to the boat for a month or longer, without even leaving the dock ..."


See the covid situation for any cruiser in Spain now.


;-(


Cheers,

b.