Sailing (especially singlehanded) in significant waves

[N.A.]

This weekend I found myself sailing (E34) in 27 kts (no problem -- 90% jib and double reefed main) with 6-8 ft waves (went ok, but with the wind they were growing and starting to crest at the tops. Seemed to threaten to come aboard (in a "would fill cockpit but not really scare me" sort of way, though they never came in). Made it tricky to handle the boat both up- and down-wind. Also short-period -- swell was supposedly 14 sec, but the waves were mostly wind driven and seemed closer to 6 second apart, give or take. Per NBDC data, thery were "Steep" or "Very Steep", hence maybe trickier to handle than mor egradual ones. Also sort of bumpy, maybe because wind, and espeically the primary and secondary swells did not align.

I have not sailed in waves like that before; almost all my sailing has been in protected waters: wind may get pretty high, but the fetch (and thus wave heights) is low. Thus sailing in these wave conditions was new to me.

--> Any advice appreciated on sailing in decent-sized waves (e.g. 6 ft +, and short-ish period). [I assume long enough period and this gets to be less of an issue, but if not then advice there, too.]

Things I specifically wondered about:

Upwind (waves mainly coming from about 30-50 deg. off my bow):

--> Do you steer into the tops of the scarier ones (I did, but it took a lot of wheel to turn fast enough, and the period was so short that I only did it for the biggest ones.) Are there tricks / best practices?

Downwind: probably from about 30-60 deg off my stern):
Singlehanded it was hard to keep lookout behind while dealing with the wheel. As a result, bigger waves were close to already under me before I could react. Sometimes they pushed the boat around enough to almost be a broach (thankfully I never rounded down, just up.) I tended to let the broach happen if it wanted, to keep the heel angle from getting too high, then dealt with recovery. Also, I could have headed alternately way up for a while, then way down for a while, so I always had the waves either more astern or more on the bow, and zig-zagged home. I did not do that, but thought about it if things got worse.

--> Is that (zig-zagging) what people do as the conditions worsen, assuming you need to get back home / stay on the same overall course? (Aside: I was off a lee shore (the Golden Gate), so just running downwind would never have been an answer -- had to get in via the right gap / heading.)

Anyway, I was doing OK but was at that point where one starts to contemplate what one does if this keeps getting more serious. I would like to not have to make it up as I go along next time : )

PS: My Raymarine EV100 wheel pilot was barely up to the task (for short periods) when I needed to leave the wheel to fix this or that. Since I know some of you have them, and have surely sailed in much worse conditions, what do you do when it doesn't have what is necessary (the clutch only holds against so much force before it starts to slip, and anyway the motor is not that strong.) Do you just lock the wheel?

 

[Pete the Cat]

I have sailed on SF Bay for 50 years. Frankly, I plan my day so that I am not going into the common 6 ft+ square waves (with a short period when the tide is against them) powered by 27+ knot winds that are standard in the Summer afternoons on the Bay. I plan on leaving in the am before the wind comes up and complete my windward work before 1 pm in summer conditions Those winds seem to be starting earlier than summer these days, perhaps another thing about global warming and weather patterns.
Yes I agree that it is a lot of wheel action (would be a bit easier with a tiller) to go to windward--and steer toward the tops is OK if you have enough speed--you don't want to hit the top of a wave, beam to, and be out of hull speed in those conditions because you will be at mercy of current and waves until you gain hull speed again. Hull speed is the thing. That is why I avoid the conditions--they used to have no YRA races in July on SF Bay because the winds are barely manageable going to weather in that month because of the wind and wavesI am not sure if that still stands. Waves and swells outside the Golden Gate are treacherous and I have written about them before on this site--it is very easy to get into a swell off a lee shore that a boat of your size will be incapable of escaping--I have had a couple of near misses myself off Ocean Beach and narrowly was able to miss the South Tower of the GG Bridge in a 38kt sustained gust coming in on a swell through the funneling that occurs there. The conditions outside the Gate and inside the Bay are frequently the opposite of each other--so I suggest that you consult Predict Wind or some other forecasting system before each sailing outing even though I have been profoundly disappointed in the accuracy of their predictions of late.
On a boat your size, an EV100 is not going to hold your course in these conditions, you need an underdeck pilot for that, and, even then, I am not sure that even the gyro computers will anticipate the kind of chop SF Bay can dish out on a Summer afternoon. As you note, the period is so short and the waves are so square--the computer is just not going to be able to cope even if the drive was powered adequately. On 40'+ boats the displacement makes them a much more stable platform than boats like yours or mine. My Tartan with an below deck autopilot was much better at managing the power needed for the helm, but the computer can still be overwhelmed by a confused sea. I accept the limitations of both of my boats and work around them.
Not sure I said anything here you did not already know. But sometimes I am reviewing things I thought I had learned in the past. I am of the age where I am experiencing "relearning" of stuff I should have remembered.

 

[Christian Williams]

Shorten sail. Alter course. Endure. Wind is easy, a big sea state is a challenge, especially if you're trying to get somewhere upwind. The Ericson hull form actually does very well to windward in big cresting waves (to windward being a close reach, you can't really point in such conditions). It's just really, really uncomfortable and slow.

A wheel pilot will absolutely turn itself off in any real waves. It can handle a lot of wind on a flat sea surface, with reefing. But waves toss the boat off course, and the little motor can't begin to keep up. They're just not designed for that. Hand steering is exhausting but necessary.

Heeling and rolling make the course erratic by virtue of the hull form, so I do whatever is necessary in such conditions to reduce and control heel.

 

[N.A.]

Many thanks, Pete!

Just for context for anyone else reading this, I am asking about "outside the bay" sized waves. SF Bay (at east the central bay) never gets anything like what I saw yesterday -- not even half the size, just due to the low fetch, even far on the downwind/East Bay side. Definitely nothing that ever makes one feel even the remote possibility of being unsafe (due to waves) in a 36 ft boat, or ever makes you think the wave might be about to come aboard into the cockpit. I agree the inside-the-bay waves can be uncomfortable on certain points of sail, usually in the late afternoon when the wind's been high for a while, and wet, but never worrisome even in just a J24.

Outside the bay was qualitatively different, at least yesterday. Wave size was new to me, but probably not to many on this board -- everyone in SoCal is automatically on the ocean the minute they go out, I assume -- there must be big waves down there too. And I assume all the Hawaii-trippers see lots of stuff like this. It's only new to me, which is why I am posting.

These days both the YRA and Singlehanded Sailing Society have a number of out-the-gate races, with a gap in August that seems more about typical vacation month than about conditions. I am trying to learn enough to do these -- I don't care if I place well (and have no chance of doing so anyway), but I would like to be comfortable in the conditions. Plus I don't want to go farther offshore without being comfortable in waves like this, just as I didn't go out the Gate until I was already comfortable in 25 kts plus / reefing / etc.

PS:
- I did keep my speed up -- 5.5 kts usually (upwind), dropping to maybe 5 when I turned up into a crest -- mainly due to the high (to me -- 27-ish) wind which made for plenty of power and speed, rather than a great plan ahead of time.

- I avoided Ocean Beach like the plague, though I saw other boats way in there. I stuck to the 'if you can see the backs of breakers you are way too close' school of thought and kept myself far off Ocean Beach and mainly far upwind near Pt Bonita and the N side of the shipping channel. I think I will always do that in the future, because coming back, being on the N side allowed me to tuck in behind Pt Bointa and get out of the waves far sooner than would have been true farther downwind on the S side of the channel.

But I still want to know how to handle those waves better : )

---------------
Just saw Christian's post:

Christian: Thanks also! What do you do in waves like this, e.g. when you need to leave the wheel to go adjust sail trim and the EV100 can't handle it? Or does your windane do well enough that that isn't a problem for you?

 

[Christian Williams]

I put on the wheel brake, which gives a few seconds.

The wind vane can handle almost anything offshore--unless a gust knocks the boat on its side, in which case nothing will keep it from heading up, including a human helmsman. Shorten sail.

By the way, SoCal has hardly any waves to speak of, except big long-period swells which are delightful to sail over. You have big winds and strong currents, it's another world of expertise compared to here.

 

[N.A.]

Thanks again, Christian -- I had been wondering about that out while out there. I have a windvane, but its rudder (Hydrovane) was not on because... it was a race. Maybe in the future for these singlehanded ones I'll put it on there anyway... nice if you don't care how you place, which I don't, and (since I already have the vane) much cheaper than adding a new, fancier autopilot.

Separately, re: shortening sail, I was fine in 27 kts, with gusts to probably 30, with two reefs and the 90%. Not overpowered, and probably would have been good to 30 kts I think. I have a 3rd reef, but do not have it rigged. I think (downwind, which is headed home for me) I'd be more tempted to just take the main down entirely if feeling overpowered -- does that sound right, or if there some reason for using a 3rd reef downwind?

 

[Christian Williams]

IN recent years I have taken to lowering the mainsail downwind--sometimes upwind, too.

A scrap of genoa winged out, even without a mainsail, gives 6 knots in 30 knots plus. I aim for 6 knots with as little sail up as necessary. But I'm not racing. Racing singlehanded is an athletic event, no way around that, and you carry everything you can without broaching too much.

I asked Brian Boschma (Olson 34) about pushing it in the singlehanded transpacs. Spinnaker up all night, etc. How often did he broach?

"I usually put the spreaders in the water once or twice. " Steve Hodges, who won it that year, nodded.

So not everybody does it my way.

 

[Rick R.]

It is a challenge singlehanding in rough weather. The Gulf is known for confused seas with steep drops. I’ve found that the EV100 is best suited to calm days or motoring.

 

[N.A.]

Thanks again, folks!

Christian: Two follow-ups:

- Speed: Do you pick 6 kts (and is that in your E38?) downwind because it's easier to control the boat at slightly lower speeds (or just that loads on lines/rig go up so fast near hull speed)? I thought the prevailing wisdom was "faster downwind is better, since it reduces the relative speed between you and the waves", and I also assumed more speed gave more steering control. Maybe one wants to be some fraction below hull speed for ease of control (and to make allowance for accelerating down a wave?), so 6kts for your E38 might be a bit less for my E34? I'm more interested in the 'why' of it than the precise number though.

- No jib upwind: I do that inside the bay a lot, too, mainly out of laziness (the desire for a mellower day that doesn't require raising and later furling the main.) I feel like maybe I don't point as well, though, and I seem to remember Ignacio from this board (who is near me on my dock) saying that in high enough winds it's the main that gives you upwind mobility. I may have misunderstood him, but regardless I have been under the impression that in nastier conditions, if needing to go upwind, one would have a small bit of main (2nd or 3rd reef) but maybe no jib. Was your "sometimes upwind too" comment more general, as in, "on a nice day, when I too am feeling lazy", or is there a deeper reasoning and should I be rethinking upwind in a less smooth sea?

PS: Spreaders in the water: I will be perfectly content if this never, ever happens to me. I also expect to generally place dead last by far, in any singlehanded race : )

 

[Christian Williams]

Well, six knots is fast in my book, over 24 hours it's 150 nm. I guess you can push an E38 to 7.4 or some theoretical hull speed, but except for surfing down waves that's about it. Planing hulls, or even semi-planing sleds, do stabilize at high speeds, but the Ericson hull downwind transforms excess energy into rolling as it tries to push the water out of the way.

Yes, if you want to point, a mainsail is necessary, but my boat goes to windward pretty well under genoa alone, often furled halfway in strong breeze. It tacks slower without the main up, but it still tacks. It would not do well under mainsail alone, I don't think, a;though I haven't tried it.

I generally have both sails up--it looks better and the boat feels balanced. Our mainsails are relatively small and high aspect, and since any genoa is larger, I find I use the roller furler as an easy first reduction, and next I let the traveler down so there's a bubble in the main. I reef early and often. I like reefing, and anyhow, faster is always more uncomfortable.

It may well appear lazy, but doesn't feel that way to me, in the sense of things not done that ought to be done. I no longer find it entertaining to be thrown around the cockpit while sailing on my ear, or to struggle to steer on a broad reach with maximum sail up. I used to feel that was what sailing is all about, and for many folks it is.

For that, get a Pogo or some other bare-toothed exclamation point. An Ericson is a cruising boat. It has a wine rack, and so do I.

 

[Bolo]

I still consider myself still to be sort of a ”novice” at sailing even with about 25 years under my belt, on the Chesapeake Bay mostly (with a charter elsewhere thrown in now and then) but I wasn’t sailing all that frequently during all of those years. Now, retired, I sail much more. Still I’ve learned from ”doing”, reading about sailing and learning from this web site. But the best thing I have learned is to reef, early and often…and not be lazy about it. To that end the best reconfigurations I’ve done to my E32-3 has been to run ALL the reefing lines aft to the cockpit, both reef 1 and 2. I never leave the cockpit when it come to reefing out on the waters or even dock side which I do even if I suspect the winds and waves to be high. This simple change to the reefing lines makes it so easy to reef or shake one out. So I have no excuses for not reefing or being ”lazy” about it and with both sails up or partially deployed runs with a more balanced and controlled boat, IMO. Like Christian said, I’d rather not be sailing on my ear all the time, although once in a while it is fun to do for the experience.

 

[southofvictor]

Ray, I wondered about your use of “hull speed” and it sounds like there’s some discussion above about how much sail to carry to drive the boat. Do you mean you carry enough sail to get your boat up to theoretical hull speed? Or were you just talking about boat speed through the water more generally. I feel like trying to carry enough sail to get my 38 up over 7 knots would put a lot of strain on things. I tend to reef early and try and keep between 5 and 6 knots boat speed through the water. When would it make sense to push for more speed? Downwind? Upwind if we’re stalling at the crests?

As for the wheel pilot, I find it really helpful for the short stretches I need it. My engage eccentric wheel broke yesterday and I didn’t realize how much I use it until I didn’t have it! I use the auto-tack a lot. I’m curious - how do folks tack singlehanded without it? I can see locking the wheel to adjust things reef or fix something, but tacking is another story. Do you just turn the wheel, lock it, tack the jib, then get back to the wheel before you turn too far downwind?

 

[Pete the Cat]

I should not have incorrectly used the term "hull speed". Yes I meant maximizing speed through the water generally. I have made the mistake of reducing sail too much or sailing badly and losing speed in high wave situations. To me,in most snotty conditions, general boat speed is my friend until I have to heave to. For control reasons.
I don't use the auto tack. My boats have the winches close enough to the helm that I have been able tack without a lot of sloppiness most of the time historically. Though you have given me something to try with the auto tack feature. I have recently noticed that I am getting sloppier with tacks in my old age. I was attributing it to my declining physical strength (to man handle the sheets quickly), but it might be just plain inattentiveness (mental decline?) on my part. My memory is that I was a bit more precise a few years ago, but I might be making that up.

 

[Pete the Cat]

Now that I think of it, there may be another dimension to this tacking single handed: the characteristics of your boat. My Tartan 37 weighs much more than what my Ericson 32-200 and seems to be very different in a single handed tack. The Ericson is a sort of dinghy and squirrelly when tacking (which would be very nice around the buoys racing with a crew), but the Tartan's mass and stability maintains her speed and direction better so the tacks come off much better. I would guess that those of with the longer, heavier Ericsons might have a different experience. The mass and design of your particular boat might matter in choosing your technique.

 

[Christian Williams]

I don't usually use auto tack to windward, the 38 genoa winches are close and the traveler can wait till I get around to adjusting it.

But I do like to use it for, say, a 140-degree course change, tack or jibe. I push the "10 degrees" button 14 times, and that gives me leisure time to let out the genoa accurately and stroll to the cabin house to feed out the mainsheet. Very good with a crowded cockpit, as conversation is not interrupted.

 

[Vtonian]

Great, informative conversation, thanks folks.

Just an anecdote, in high school I occasionally crewed on a 60ft fishing party boat out of Sausalito and one day coming back in, in a dense fog and very little wind, there were swells stacking up in that channel steep and large enough to surf the 60 footer. A good-sized sailboat that got too close to the north shore was reportedly lost that day. Treacherous waters, even when there isn't much wind.

The safe way to navigate running in large waves in a power boat, to avoid broaching, is apparently to ride the backside, assuming you have the speed to keep up. I marvel at the sailboats that go in and out of Cape Breton on this guy's channel but it's pretty educational, in a cautionary way:

 

[southofvictor]

That’s a great video! Cool to see how different boats respond to different sets of waves. Pretty scary that some of the commercial fishing boats had a tough time - I imagine those guys know their way in and out very well.

 

[N.A.]

@Bolo -- I agree completely; running the reefing lines back was last year's project (I did it after seeing how great it was on @Kalia 's E34 (name not showing up as a link... maybe Kalia is gone from this board? Great guy.) Anyway, it's fantastic -- even when things are tricky, there I am comfy in the cockpit reefing easily. I do reef (and unreef) more with this system, which is good.

Separately, to my sorrow, my E34 doesn't have the wine rack, despite the advertising copy. Pacific Seacraft (who built mine) may have improved some things, but not that : )

Re heaving-to, my boat does it OK in wave sunder 3 ft anyway, which is where I have tried it. I was taught to bring the jib in hard, tack so it's backwinded (and ideally you are now on Starboard : ) , and then adjust main trim to get your bow pointed where you want with respect to the waves and minimal flogging. I don;t feel like I go very far or fast, but I'm usually eating lunch and not paying attention to CMG so maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, back to the waves topic, I am pretty comfortable with the sail handling, though I'd like my roller furling to be easier to do (next project). Keeping boat speed up, and boat balanced, in wind 25-ish kts is no problem. It's the waves that seem tricky and I need to get more comfortable handling... hence the post for advice, which I have very much appreciated.

 

[Bolo]

@Bolo -- I agree completely; running the reefing lines back was last year's project (I did it after seeing how great it was on @Kalia 's E34 (name not showing up as a link... maybe Kalia is gone from this board? Great guy.) Anyway, it's fantastic -- even when things are tricky, there I am comfy in the cockpit reefing easily. I do reef (and unreef) more with this system, which is good.

Separately, to my sorrow, my E34 doesn't have the wine rack, despite the advertising copy. Pacific Seacraft (who built mine) may have improved some things, but not that : )

Re heaving-to, my boat does it OK in wave sunder 3 ft anyway, which is where I have tried it. I was taught to bring the jib in hard, tack so it's backwinded (and ideally you are now on Starboard : ) , and then adjust main trim to get your bow pointed where you want with respect to the waves and minimal flogging. I don;t feel like I go very far or fast, but I'm usually eating lunch and not paying attention to CMG so maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, back to the waves topic, I am pretty comfortable with the sail handling, though I'd like my roller furling to be easier to do (next project). Keeping boat speed up, and boat balanced, in wind 25-ish kts is no problem. It's the waves that seem tricky and I need to get more comfortable handling... hence the post for advice, which I have very much appreciated.

My E32-3 came with TWO wine racks. Those Irvine, CA folks must of sure liked wine! One is built in and located in the galley. Too small of a space to rip out and install a microwave or anything else for that matter so we just stores other things there, sponges, galley towels, etc. The other was a removable insert for holding wine bottles that fit in the cabinet to the left of the galley. That insert is now in my garage storage. I’ve a vodka drinker (I’m 100% Polish and so it’s required) and I keep a bottle of Belvedere in the freezer section of the ice box at all times, for medicinal purposes mind you.

 

[G Kiba]

Now that I think of it, there may be another dimension to this tacking single handed: the characteristics of your boat. My Tartan 37 weighs much more than what my Ericson 32-200 and seems to be very different in a single handed tack. The Ericson is a sort of dinghy and squirrelly when tacking (which would be very nice around the buoys racing with a crew), but the Tartan's mass and stability maintains her speed and direction better so the tacks come off much better. I would guess that those of with the longer, heavier Ericsons might have a different experience. The mass and design of your particular boat might matter in choosing your technique.

Ray, a few years ago I had the pleasure of single handing a Cal 40 for an afternoon. Tacking it was amazing. The boat tracked so well through the turn. Made tacking my Olson fell like a strange series of steps.