{"id":137541,"date":"2022-03-23T08:30:44","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T08:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=137541"},"modified":"2022-03-23T08:43:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T08:43:15","slug":"how-to-handle-heavy-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/cruising\/how-to-handle-heavy-weather-137541","title":{"rendered":"How to handle heavy weather"},"content":"\"BST<\/a>Sailing with a poled out headsail on one side and your main secured on a preventer on the other is a stable and comfortable set-up for long-distance downwind sailing. You need to have a good helmsman to make sure there are no accidental gybes, but we find that if people are struggling to steer, the autopilot does very well. Or if there is enough wind and a big swell we will often lower the mainsail altogether and run with a poled out headsail.\r\n\r\nWith decent 20-25 knot tradewinds, we hardly lose any speed and we have no danger of breakages if there is an accidental gybe. This year we sailed nearly 1,000 miles from Saint Lucia to the San Blas islands with a poled out headsail only, staying ahead of bigger boats with full sails by virtue of being able to hold a straight course, dead downwind.\r\n

Pole safety<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nFirst some important points to be considered when using a pole. On some boats the pole is stowed up against the mast when not in use. This is a good system as it keeps it out of the way and makes putting it up and down safer and easier.\r\n\r\nFor poles stowed on deck, the operation of putting the pole up can be harder. Trying to handle a heavy pole with the deck swaying requires a degree of strength, balance and co-ordination, particularly until the inboard end is safely attached to the mast.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/ip0sygDjgtk?list=PL9Ch3lKZPY6JdPYLBcg9-pRObab74Udeh\r\n\r\nOne key point is to make sure that when you are handling the pole, you always keep on the inside of it, so that if it suddenly swings, it won\u2019t knock you over the side. Also try to avoid standing underneath it at any time. Pole fittings can fail and you don\u2019t want to be underneath if that happens!\r\n

Rigging the pole<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s a good idea to attach your outboard end line \u2013 \u2018pole up\u2019 \u2013 before moving the pole. Take up some slack so that the person on the bow is not having to deal with the entire weight. Once the inboard end is safely attached to the mast, you can connect all the other lines.\r\n\r\nThe \u2018pole down\u2019 stops the pole from rising and the guy controls the fore and aft movements of the pole. These lines usually both attach to a webbing strop on the bottom of the pole, or directly onto the pole itself. Finally put the headsail sheet into the jaws of the pole \u2013 these should always be facing upwards.\r\n\r\nYou are now ready to set the pole and this will also require the help of crew in the cockpit. The person at the mast hoists the inboard end \u2013 this should be level with the height of the clew of the headsail \u2013 once you are happy with the height, you could mark the mast for future reference.\r\n\r\n\"Screen<\/a>\r\n\r\nThen hoist up the outboard end of the pole; the bowman helps to launch the pole and makes sure it is clear of the pulpit, the cockpit team pull on the guy to pull the pole back away from the forestay. They also check that the pole down line is clear to allow the pole to come back.\r\n\r\nIt is important that the pole doesn\u2019t end up resting on the shrouds. Make sure the pole looks level before securing all the lines. You are now ready to bring the headsail onto the pole. Once the headsail is set, there are some checks you should make.\r\n

What to check for<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nIs the pole clear of the shrouds? On some boats the forward lower shrouds are quite a way forward so you may not be able to bring the pole all the way back to 90\u00b0.\r\n\r\nAre there clear leads for all the lines? We bring the headsail car much further aft or sheet through a spinnaker block when poled out, but depending on how your boat is set up, you may need to rig an extra block on the toerail for the headsail sheet to go through.\r\n\r\nThe guy will probably also need to be rigged through an extra block on the toerail. Make sure there are no areas where any of the lines can chafe.\r\n\r\n\"Screen<\/a>\r\n\r\nAlso check the pole down lead. On one boat I had to employ an extra subtle bit of rope which stopped the pole down from chafing on the guardwires. Remember what you can get away with on a day of racing round the cans at home you won\u2019t be able to out on the open ocean where you could be on the same gybe for days at a time.\r\n\r\nIs the outboard end pole up line clear and not tangled round anything? This should, of course, be done before you attach it to the pole. It is also worth considering beforehand how this line exits the mast. On Skyelark<\/em> we fitted an extra halyard guide below where the line came out to eliminate any chafe caused by the sheave, which is not designed for the line to be out at 90\u00b0 for long periods.\r\n\r\nIs the inboard end of the pole locked? On Skyelark<\/em> we have a winch to move the inboard end up and down. It\u2019s important to check that the winch is in the locked position once you are happy with the pole height.\r\n\r\nAre the jib sheets chafing in the end of the pole? If you are rigged with the pole in the same position for a few days, it is worth checking to make sure you are not getting any chafe on the jib sheet where it lies in the pole jaws. On some boats if you fit a snatch block on a short strop through the jaws and run the jib sheet through the block this can eliminate chafing problems.\r\n\r\n\"Screen<\/a>\r\n\r\nStitching leather round the sheets can also help, but test this first as it may stop the sheet running smoothly through the end of the pole. On Skyelark<\/em> we have stitched outer sheaths of rope round the jib sheets to protect them from the pole jaws as well as fitting stopper balls by the knots to stop the pole chafing against the knot of the bowline.\r\n

Reefing when poled out<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nWhen heading downwind in a reasonable swell with the pole out, putting a reef in can require a bit of planning. The headsail is easy; it can just be furled away, but to reef the main means coming up to the wind a little. In a swell you still need some power in the boat to keep it stable and you don\u2019t want to head straight into the wind and swell or you will be taking water over the decks, and the boom and reefing lines will be thrashing overhead.\r\n\r\nOur method is to semi-furl the headsail and gybe it over \u2013 the pole remains in place. We then trim the headsail for a close reach and bring the boat up towards a beam reach. The headsail is now powered up to drive the boat and, since it\u2019s oversheeted, this backwinds the main, allowing you to take a reef easily with the boom and lines over the side and out of the cockpit. Once the reef is completed, the main can be reset and the headsail can be brought back onto the pole.\r\n\r\n\"DSC_0979<\/a>\r\n\r\nWhen reefing the headsail, the pole position must also be moved forward to ensure that the clew is still tight onto the pole. To do this you can either furl the headsail completely and reset the pole before bringing the sail back out, or our method is to overease the sheet and reef the sail accordingly, release the pole guy and take up on the pole down to bring the pole forward to its new position and trim the headsail, adjusting the pole down as required. Resecure the pole guy.\r\n

Twin headsails<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThis is where you hoist two similar-cut headsails on the same foil, using the twin groove and usually the same halyard. Each sail has two sheets. This method allows you to furl the sails in together and reef them.\r\n\r\nBy fixing each sail with a pole \u2013 you can also use the main boom \u2013 you are able to sail up to 25\u00b0 either side of downwind so it is quite flexible. A higher angle means putting both sails on the same side, the upwind one resting on the downwind one \u2013 you can then hoist the main and sail quite conventionally.\r\n\r\nTwins are a favourite of short-handed sailors, the main advantage being that you can easily reef without leaving the cockpit; the furling line reduces both sails by an equal amount and for this it is a neat arrangement.\r\n\r\nThe main downside, in my opinion, is managing to hoist or lower them in a blow \u2013 just dealing with one heavy headsail with a full crew can be tricky. Putting up the \u2018twins\u2019 in a marina is hard, so managing them short-handed at sea would be near impossible.\r\n\r\n\"Saltwhistle<\/a>\r\n\r\nThe most likely issue to arise would be the failure of the halyard or the head shackle, which would cause both sails to fall simultaneously \u2013 this can be avoided by always leaving a couple of sail wraps around the foil. I would also perform a rig check after each passage to check the shackle is moused and the halyard is not chafed, which is more likely than usual with twice the load.\r\n\r\nFor twins to work, the sails should preferably be of identical cut and size, but it is most important that the luff length is the same \u2013 a strop can be used to make up the difference so they tension uniformly on one halyard. If different sail sizes are used then put the smaller one to windward. They can be gybed by furling the sails and releading the sheets from the winch end (taking one behind the forestay).\r\n

Do\u2019s and don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\u221a Do <\/strong>keep the pole \u2018braced\u2019 with the three control lines, so that it doesn\u2019t swing out of control at any point.\r\n\r\n\u221a Do<\/strong> check for chafe regularly and also give both pole fittings the once over when the pole is down \u2013 pole fitting failures are relatively common after prolonged downwind sailing.\r\n\r\n\"Screen<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u221a Do<\/strong> always use a preventer.\r\n\r\nx Don\u2019t <\/strong>stand on the wrong side of the pole when manoeuvring it into position.\r\n\r\nx Don\u2019t<\/strong> stand under the pole at any time.\r\n\r\nx Don\u2019t<\/strong> forget to mouse all shackles with wire or a cable tie to reduce the possibility of a halyard shackle coming undone and dropping one or two headsails in the sea.\r\n

Top tips<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n