I'm just about finished with my first time through a great book on rough weather sailing. I usually read books like this twice and take down things I want to remember the second time through.

Here's a list of things that were notable my first read. Keep in mind, none of these are from personal experience but I think they are great points. If any of you have your own techniques, I'd love to see them in this thread!

• When sailing to weather in tall seas, bear off at the crest of each wave to keep the bow from slamming into the trough.


• If you need to tack in tall seas, come about shortly before you reach the crest of the oncoming wave. If you wait until after the crest, you will not have built up enough speed to climb the next wave.


• It is sometimes advised that you should avoid jibing in heavy winds, but when combined tall seas, it is sometimes preferable to jibe as tacking around a jibe puts your boat
  beam to seas twice to reach the desired course exposing you to knockdowns and capsizing.


• Do not sail under headsail alone in heavy winds. This puts uneven pressure on the rig and will cause rig failure and eventual dismasting. While not as severe avoid sailing
  under reefed main alone as this is also uneven pressure aft of the center of effort. It is recommended to balance main and headsail as evenly as possible. The best balance
  in severe winds is a trysail and storm jib.


• When jibing in severe weather, sheet in quickly and do not cleat the mainsheet as this can quickly force a broach with lateral aft pressure on the main.


• When reducing sail, it is best to do so evenly and quickly, but if each sail must be reduced independently, start with the headsail to keep uneven pressure aft of the mast.


• The best point of sail to escape an approaching or building storm is a close reach. This gives the best angle of escape, increased apparent passage of the storm, and ideal angle for piling seas. Running before the storm decreases the storm's apparent passage increasing your time in bad weather, introduces boarding seas, and adds risk of broaching.

Tip #1: if at all possible, haul ass into port just before storm breaks upon you!

Tip #2: if unable to achieve #1 above, attempt to get an island between you and the approaching T-storm; if able to achieve, deploy and 'set' several anchors, ride it out.

Tip #3: if unable to achieve either of the above... DO NOT PANIC!

OK, jokes aside, it really is judgement call, based upon what you know is about to impact you.

QUESTION TO ALL INTERESTED: Knowing that the eye of an 75-80mph T-storm is about to over run you (speed via NOAA VHF), and you cannot run, cannot hide... what would YOU do? (please provide your boat length and ballast weight)

Any takers?
Me, my vessal differs dramatically from most, being water ballasted, weight being ABOVE the hull of the vessal. I know what I'd do, which is to douse everything with winds that high and, knowing it'll have quickly sped by my position very fast at that speeds, I'd use my engine to maintain my bow into the wind. Or, simply deploy a large drogue (if I had one).

I've had my rudder ripped off my boat before attempting to sail in severe weather, as it's not the most robust of designs. Anyone know what it's like to lose a rudder in severe weather? I call it the 'flip-flop' effect, as your boat goes into uncontrolled 'donuts', mast, rigging and main slapping down to port, boat righting as it spins then, slapping down to starboard, and repeating the flip-flopping continuously until you can douse everything, and it's only cool in retrospect!

Seriously, I'm not a sailing 'Guru'. I don't know the most correct, or perfect answer, which is why I'm asking what you would do?

Gary

two or three summers ago, i was coming back from muskegon when the coast guard and noaa issued one of their “everybody off the lake” alerts. a severe thunder storm was passing southeast over port washington, 60 knots, dangerous lightning, possible tornados. i was 25 to 30 miles due east of milwaukee and stuck more or less.
my response was to drop all sails, lash everything down and then lash some more, turn on the engine and autopilot, head down below while the boat kept moving on to milwaukee. after about an hour of high winds, some scary lightning, and a little rain the storm was pretty much over, but winds continued at about 25 knots out of the north with five to six foot seas. i went back on deck, let out a little bit of headsail, took over the steering, and flew back into milwaukee, arriving just before dark.
the storm itself was kind of a nonevent, sitting on the floor of the cabin, getting knocked around, trying to avoid metal and keep a lookout, hot and humid. my tactics weren’t particularly sophisticated, but they kept me heading home and away from the direct path of the storm, and i got home safe.
my boat...an alberg 29, full keel, 9000 pounds of displacement, 4000 pounds of ballast.

Thanks for the reply, Vj... I hope others post same. Hey, 'sophisticated' or not, whatever WORKS ends up being the perfect thing to do in my book! And if it was TWO years ago that this happened... well, that was the second time I had my rudder ripped off the boat. As you, I was returning from Muskegon. Who'd have thought it, I could have radio'd you for some assistance, lol's! As was, it was a weaving course, balancing the rig to steer (via sails) in the general direction I wished to go, which underscored the point that we should all practise rudderless sailing now and then (which of course we don't).

Ha! My rudder assembly, which WAS factory OEM at 1/4" aluminum, has been retired by 1/4" plate steel, as it was the cheekplates (buttplates) that kept tearing off like ripped paper).

Next person and story, please, this is good stuff!

~Gary

I'm usually a daysailor. One high wind experience was last summer 18 miles east of Sturgeon Bay. Two lines of storms, (one coming at us, one 25 miles north) that we tried to get between. We were racing, so dropped everything but a storm trisail. Hand steered north (perpendicular to storms). We were hit for 20-30 minutes, 50 knot winds, lightning, then sat in 6 foot seas with no wind.

The skipper had the entire crew on deck to avoid flying "stuff" below.

Uncomfortable as heck, wet, cold. Wildest light show I've ever seen. Other than that, a non event.

Ha, ha, ha! OK, I know I'm tired when I start finding humor out of nothing. Point being, I am starting to crack up. What's with these "It was a non event" and "It was pretty uneventful'.

Good Lord, sounds like you guys are bummed out that nothing special/exciting/scary/thrilling happened! No pucker marks in the gelcoat! And here I thought that the uneventful WAS the actual event we hope to face in severe weather, LOL's!

This is my favorite thread right now, hope to hear some more.

~Gary