Heavy wind wave sailing

Hi, it was pretty heavy here today, maybe 20 mph with some bigger gusts, but enough that I was sailing with a 17, a kite and a windsurfer and that was it on the lake. Anyway, the Wave is pretty friggin' fun in huge air. I did learn that Hiking out (like on a scow or mono) is different than trapping out. I got the boat hauling ass on a broad reach and was hiking out as far as I could go,as far back on the boat as I could go and she'd pitch deep, right up to the crossbar and beyone then the rear end would pop out of the water and then crash back down and off I go again. Not like my 14. I am usually dead when that happens, but this boat won't wipe out.
Fun fun fun. Hope to get the opportunity to race it again in the near future.

Yeah yeah yeah !!!

The Wave rocks in good wind !! Sounds like you had a blast.

I want to go out, but we're having 15-20 foot waves at the beach at the moment.

I'll do 8 foot, but I think ten and beyond crosses over into death wish territory!

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

So how did you get on a Wave?

We were out sailing around storm clouds and got caught by some incredible bursts today. Turned it into the wind once and rode out the biggest gust of all for thirty or so seconds. I like having the traveler on this boat. Great for spilling wind in these types of conditions. But we flew. The Wave is a heavy air boat.

If there were a way to put a dollar in the wind machine and have it stay at the 15-20 mph levels...

BTW, Corey. Changed the way the bridles were attached to the hulls and by mistake did not rake the mast back as usually do. Really changed the way the bows rode the water and wasn't as good as usual.

And while the heavy air subject is up...

Had the fascinating experience of centering the traveler and pulling the mainsheet in to flatten the sail during consistent heavy air and the Wave slowed to manageable speeds fairly well. Ever done that?

When the traveler is 3-4 inches out and mainsheet is loosened so the sail is nicely cupped, the Wave hauls like a spooked horse or scalded dog or ______________ (choose your own comparison).

Still talking about heavy wind sailing I would ask for advice. Can someone describe the safest way (avoid capsizing) to turn the wave from close hauled to downwind in havy air (20 mph). I still need some practice in heavy wind sailing and would like to know if I am doing things right. How much do you guys rake the mast back? To the farmost position? Thanks.

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Jernej

Close hauled to downwind is nearly 180 degrees around, yes?

If you are doing that as fast as possible without practice, that could lead to unhappy new experiences.

IMO, I would practice going through the cycle of close haul, close reach, medium reach, broad reach until you are comfortably downwind. In different types of wind. Especially since the water surface at 20 mph can choppy.

The rake: This is an interesting topic.

Personally, I like the top hole of the seven adjuster now with fairly loose shrouds. Some say get the 10-hole adjuster and rake back as far as possible. I tried that and it changed handling of the boat quite a bit for me. It was annoying.

That said, raking back is supposed to offset effects of heavy air. Further back in heavy air. But I think rake depends on a combination of weight on the boat and wind and personal preferences.

I know this is a complete turn. I was asking more about how to manage the mainsail during the turn. I have a feeling it's better to sheet in the main when going downwind to avoid pitchpoling. In this case the main has less power to push the boat downwind.

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Jernej

Hey Bart,

I have this condition pretty frequently, coming out of a tack or reach into a jibe (some bozo has cut me off, is the usual reason). The WAVE will pitch sometimes if sail shape is incorrect.

Depending on how strong the wind is... in 10-15 knots, simply releasing the mainsheet so there is tons of luff and leaning way way back will do.

In winds over 20, the sail tends to get propped against the stays (giving it shape) and will still contain too much torque and power so I use a two stage approach... I let out the sail just to start my turn (and keep from capsizing in a reach position) and as the wind starts to dig the bow of my boat into the water I pull the mainsheet back in so the sail is tighter and not catching as much wind.

I am typically dealing with pretty heavy chop and good sized waves at the same time, so pitching is common if I don't do the above.

But it works for me and keeps me from pitching.

_________________

"HOBIE....
Say it LOUD and there's music playing...
Say it SOFT and it's almost like praying.....
I just sailed my WAVE out the Marina !"
West Coast Story

Corey, thank you for your reply. I sailed in the north Adriatic over the weekend. Winds up to 20 knots, waves 3 ft, measured by an oceanographic buoy, ( http://buoy.mbss.org/portal/index.php?o ... 27&lang=en). I was sailing with a friend (total weight of 160 kg), mainly downwind and closehauled. I consider myself stil a beginer so the main focus was to stay upright and come back to the starting point before sunset. Next time I am going to practice the maneuver you described.

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Jernej

Nice technique! I wish we had more over 20 winds here in which to practice. Everything changes when you are sailing in that kind of air. It's a whole different gear and set of dynamics.

In heavy air depowering is the trick and it is hard to learn. I have not got many of the fine points yet.

The sail does get propped on the stays and it does make for way too much power. Plus, the waves as well as the wind are usually going to drive the nose around fast as you spin the bow around.

Even with the traveler, I have found that you cannot spill enough wind to depower when on a reach because of the shrouds. Additionally, I was tripping the traveler cleat by accident so I have put it on a separate line now.

Also, I was using a smaller salsa line for the mainsheet and in heavy air, it is a pain to grip. I switched back to the stock line and it is much easier to handle. Plus, I needed gloves.

Also, I moved the mainsheet cleat into the upper angled position so it was easier to uncleat the mainsheet faster. There are three settings. I may move it back to the middle position as I experiment...

Recently in 15 mph wind, I flipped the boat on a jibe because I couldn't release the cleat and then stopped moving to the other side of the boat to unhook it. The sail flipped over and I was suddenly sitting on the downwind side looking up at the sky. Sad feeling as it went all the way over.

One thing I will add is a short line with a loop tied off the front crossbar to put my foot into and make the hike back up onto the tramp easier. Jumping back onto the boat is like being at the side of a swimming pool and then using both arms only to boost up out of the pool. Takes good upper body strength. The loop would be like a ladder...