I've got more time in the Gulf Stream than you have
in your boat. Anyone familiar with the Gulf Stream
knows full well that the seas there grow to stupendous
proportions when the wind is against the current.
I've sailed in waves as large as those shown in some
of those pictures and had no trouble controlling my
yacht. It's all about a balanced sail plan and the
proper square footage of sail for the wind conditions.
Your statements prove to me that you NEVER have
sailed in large seas because if you had you would
know that most of the hype about them is just hype.
You would also know that the ride in a small, properly
sailed yacht in the 27-30 foot range is very much more
comfortable than the motion on larger motor vessels
that pitch, roll and yaw in an almost uncontrollable
manner.
Pitching in a small vessel such as mine is worse in a
heavy chop in shallow water than it is in large seas
the period of which is long enough that pitching is
barely noticed. In heavy winds and seas I do not
attempt to go to weather. I'm not stupid so I go
off the wind enough to make things as comfortable as
possible.
Screaming into the trough is stupid and unnecessary.
Why do you do it? I do not. It is easy to sail across
the wind so the trough comes at your vessel at an
oblique enough angle to eliminate the danger of a
broach. Another thing, again, is that balanced sail
plan. Any time I see a monohull sloop attempting to
sail under mainsail alone like the photo that was
posted I quickly understand that the skipper of that
vessel has forgotten how to balance the helm no
matter how great a reputation he or his vessel
might enjoy. You cannot possibly look at a picture
of a vessel being tossed sideways because it
cannot be sailed because of an unbalanced
sail plan and conclude anything other than the
captain and crew is either not paying attention
or they are just plain lazy and inept.
Those are the facts. I could care less if you
agree with them or not. You are an amateur compared
to me. Anybody who uses Maxprop for a name is no
sailor.
Go motor up and down the Intracoastal with Mr. King
and the other trawler sailors.
CN
"Maxprop" wrote in message ink.net...
"Capt. NealŪ" wrote in message
Not so! Those huge waves have little effect upon a small
yacht under a reasonable press of sail to keep her stable.
This statement clearly demonstrates that you've never been in much of a
seaway in a small vessel, despite what you claim. Roll, controlled by sail
pressure, has very little to do with it. Pitch is the problem. It's like
riding a roller coaster--if one isn't belted in to a coaster, the odds of
flying out of the car are good. Same with a small vessel cresting waves and
then plummeting into the trough of steep, tall waves. And if the sea is
confused, no amount of wind pressure on the sails will stop a vessel from
rolling violently as well. Add that to the roller coaster effect and you've
got your basic Maytag dryer set on high.
Of course, in those conditions, the yacht will be sailing
off the wind so the period of the waves becomes longer.
The vessel will be sailing off the wind only if she is not attempting to
claw off and away from a lee shore. Of course then the issue of broaching
comes to the fore. Most yachts do best when running with steep waves while
towing lines or a sea anchor. Screaming into a trough on the diagonal is a
quick and dirty recipe for a broach.
The properly sailed small yacht will only be bothered
but the breakers atop those huge waves.
LOL. You really haven't been there, have you?
Those breakers
tend to slosh green water into the cockpit, I have found.
One must always keep the washboard in and battened
down.
Those idiot motorvessels seem to be pounding straight
into the waves which seems stupid to me. Why don't they
fall off a bit and take the waves diagonally. They would
have a smoother ride and might even be able to make
some headway.
Primarily because steeply-pitched waves can roll a planing craft over on its
beam ends just after cresting a steep wave, especially if the boat is either
relatively short in length or narrow of beam though longer. Of course
running with the sea or heading into it can pitchpole a small planing vessel
as well. Frankly big, steep waves are no place to be in a smallish
powerboat.
Max
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