There have been a number of good answers here but of course I must add
my 2 cents.

John wrote:
Yesterday I went out to sail my 13' boat, for what might be about the last
day this year. It is pretty narrow with big sails (a Starwing) and the wind
was rather stronger than forecast, about 15-20. That is way too strong for
me, so I didn't use the jib. In hindsight I should have reefed the main,
but that takes too long.

Why does it take too long?

Many small boats don't reef at all, in a 15-20 knot wind it should be
possible to sail the boat full sail with good practice.


Had real problems on jibes and tacks. On tacks the boat would just stall
out, and I had to wait for a wind shift to help me out.

I bet the problem here is that the increased drag from the stronger wind
is stopping the boat. The answer here is to be well practiced at making
smart tacks, and know how to get the boat around a little differently in
different conditions... for example, in light air you tack more slowly
with lots of roll.

In heavy air, there are a few keys to good tacks.
1- be close hauled, pointing high, and moving well, before the tack.
Starting a tack when going slow, or from a close reach, or when you're
unprepared to shift sides quickly, is only going to result in embarassment!

2- turn the boat quickly. As somebody else pointed out, the rudder is a
brake and it's possible to slow the boat down turning too quick, but I
think it's more likely the opposite problem unless you've slamming the
tiller hard over instantly.

3- as the boat starts to turn, pull the main sheet in to keep the sail
drawing as long as possible and to help the boat turn (this is good
tacking practice generally). Take the sheet OUT of the cleat though!

4- Shift your weight in advance, be prepared for the boat to heel over
on the new tack, and only trim in the main when it will fill properly
and drive the boat forward. Otherwise the boat will act like a
weathervane and try to turn back into the wind. This is the one
situation a jib helps.


... That never happens
with my jib up. Any tips, or is it just a problem with not using the jib.

I don't think so, a 13' boat should balance well enough under main alone
unless the main is really blown out & baggy. How old are your sails?

The jibes were much worse. The boom swung around violently, and the boat
nearly capsized twice. Again, I have never had that problem; but I have
also never had an unreefed main out in wind like that. Any tips for this
one?

Hah! If you only "nearly capsized" then you weren't trying hard enough!
Capsizing is a normal part of sailing a small boat in strong winds. You
should practice capsize drills in calm weather. Actually, it's fun as
well as good for safety.

One thing to do is practice. Learn exactly how far by the lee you can go
before the boom comes over, learn exactly how much mainsheet to pull to
get it started & keep it from snagging on anything (on many boats, the
mainsheet loves to get tangled in the middle of a gybe). Leanr how to
hold the sheet, pulled in somewhat, and then ease quickly as the boom
reaches it's limit to cushion the force. Learn how to anticipate the
boom coming over & shift weight accordingly. Sailing a small boat is
somewhat like dancing in that you need the footwork.

The S-gybe mentioned by others is good. Also for extreme situations
there's the "North River" gybe which is turning the boat very quickly
through a gybe, around to a close reach, so that the boom does not reach
it's limit but instead luffs harmlessly on the new side.



Finally, when I was just trying to sail straight, I was pretty much hiked
out as far as I could go. What do you do in that situation with an even
stronger wind gust? Without the jib, I steer a bit into the wind; with the
jib all I can think to do it let the main out to shed wind. Is there
anything better?

As others have mentioned, putting extra tension on the halyard, outhaul,
and cunningham (if you have one) is good. Also don't neglect the vang,
especially for downwind sailing. But if your sails are blown out then it
won't help much. New sails are relatively expensive but it will make a
huge difference in the way your boat sails, in speed & handling.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King