Archive for the ‘Weathercraft’ Category

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Going aground

Monday, July 5th, 2010

When I read that a yacht ran aground on shallow reefs because of lower than usual tides, I was perplexed. But perhaps that’s because I haven’t been sailing around Bermuda recently.

Meteorologists with the Bermuda Weather Service have reported that tides have been lower than expected due to the effect of cold eddies circling the island. Tides have been recorded to be 0.7 ft to one foot lower than average.

A prudent skipper would not be caught out. He would know what his yacht draws and allow a much greater amount of water between it and the sea bottom.

Fortunately for the skipper involved, nearby motor boats were able to rescue the yacht from the reef and only minor damage occurred.

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Posted in Navigation and Passage Planning, Safety and Emergencies, Weathercraft | Comments Off

20% off The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

During December 2009 you can purchase The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship for only AU$156 – a 20% discount off its advertised price. This multimedia Manual contains the five titles listed below, plus you receive a free bonus 75-minute DVD, The Joys of Sailing.

If you’d prefer, you can buy single CDs for AU$40.50 – 10% off the advertised price. These would make ideal Christmas gifts for your family or friends who share your love of sailing:
* Boat Handling 1 and 2 (not sold separately)
* Navigation and Passage Planning
* Safety and Emergencies
* Skipper and Crew, Knots and The Language of the Sea
* Weathercraft

Order The Boating Bible Manual of Seamanship now to ensure you receive in time for Christmas.

Take advantage of this special offer today before prices go back up!

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Posted in Boat Handling, Navigation and Passage Planning, Safety and Emergencies, Skipper and Crew, Knots and Ropework, The Language of the Sea, Weathercraft | Comments Off

When leaving port let the weather have the last say

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

If you’re planning an offshore voyage, you have to accept that the weather has the final word on when you set out. The following illustration shows why.

A few years ago now, taking students on an offshore passage, I chose not to leave port to complete the final leg of the voyage on the day that I’d previously planned.

My decision had nothing to do with the comfort of the crew, even though the wind was from exactly the direction we were heading, but rather that it was strengthening. That decision kept us in port for two days! But the only complaints from students were that it cost them more to stay in port than it would have at sea.

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Posted in Weathercraft | 1 Comment »

Reefing the mainsail early

Monday, June 15th, 2009

The other day I talked about practicing reefing the mainsail in light conditions so that your crew know how to do it when the wind is stronger and you really need to reef.

 

The prudent skipper should not get caught out.

 

If you get a good marine weather forecast before you set sail and listen for updates while you’re underway, you should be able to reef the main before conditions threaten to overpower your boat.

 

Keeping an eye on the weather as you go along will mean you can judge for yourself the approach of any storm or change.

 

Reefing early will make you, your crew and boat comfortable and safe.

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World Environment Day

Friday, June 5th, 2009

World Environment Day (WED), established by the United Nations Assembly in 1972, is celebrated on 5 June each year.

This year’s theme is ‘Your Planet Needs You – UNite to Combat Climate Change’. It is acting as a forerunner for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which will be held in Copenhagen from 7 December 2009.

Although this may seem far-removed from sailing and the sea, the links are obvious. If you accept that global warming is happening, you must also accept its effect on climate and, therefore, weather conditions. And watching the weather is one of the most important jobs for the skipper/navigator.

 

PS: 8 June is another United Nations endorsed day – World Oceans Day. It will be marked by a separate post on our blog. In the meantime, you can learn more about it yourself:

 

World Oceans Day - visit the website

Posted in Grab Bag or Miscellany, Weathercraft | Comments Off

Local Knowledge – Strong Wind

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

My recent post about the Frenchmen going to sea in fog reminded me of a cruise we made in the Greek Islands some years ago. Towards then end of the second week, a meltemi blew up. Ferries were cancelled and shipping stayed put in the ports.

 

We were securely moored to a dock in the south of Kos but, after 24 hours of staying put, were ready to move on. The Greek skipper of a water carrier tied up nearby, gesticulated wildly that we should extend our stay there until the conditions had settled down more.

 

As it was, the cockpit had taken on a desert-scape, with sand piled up on the leeward side. This had to be swept up before setting off, to prevent it blocking the cockpit drains. The cabin’s portholes had all been sand-blasted.

 

During the height of the meltemi, wind on the yacht had ‘put us on starboard tack’ even though only the bare mast and boom were above the dock.

 

When we prepared to leave a day later, the crew of the water carrier again tried to dissuade us but we could see that the wind had dropped considerably so we freed our mooring lines and motored out. They weren’t to know that our crew of four were all offshore sailors, with far more experience between us than the average yacht charter crew.

 

And yes, we did get wet but we reached our destination after an exhilarating day sailing without incident.

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Local Knowledge – Fog

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

I’ve just been reading about two French sailors whose yacht was hit by a merchant ship in heavy fog 15 miles off the Lizard in the English Channel earlier this year. With visibility down to 300 metres, the Channel was not a sensible place to be.

 

If the Frenchmen had talked to the Falmouth Coastguard before setting out, they would have been advised to delay their voyage and wait for better weather conditions.

 

As it happened, the merchant vessel had just three minutes to try to avoid the collision. After the impact, the French crew sent out a mayday, but later discovered that their 34 ft yacht was not sinking so the rescue was called off and they were able to return to safety of Falmouth.

 

Fortunately, no one was injured.

Posted in Weathercraft | 1 Comment »

Become a weather watcher

Friday, February 27th, 2009

If you spend time sailing, particularly racing, you should also spend some time studying the weather. Obviously getting a forecast regularly is one way but what I really mean is actually observing the conditions change as warm and cold fronts pass through. The more time you spend developing your own database of weather conditions and their effect on your ‘race track’, the better you will be able to compete in your boat.

However, not all observations carry equal weight. One fellow sailor told me several years ago that he watched the flags on the top of the Harbour Bridge to gauge the conditions he’d face out on the water. The height above sea level (134 metres) would make those flags a very unreliable source of information for a skipper.

If you learn to pick up gusts and wind shifts before the main fleet recognises them, you will do well. In addition, your observations should make you better prepared for the arrival of weather changes, which may whip up the waves and bring with them rain squalls and strong gusts. If you are sensible and reef early, you will be in control and on course while the rest of the fleet struggles to shorten sail.

Weathercraft provides much more information for both the coastal and offshore sailor.

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