BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Caught Off Guard by a Squall

wrote:
Regardless of how it happened, assume it did.
1. Ease mainsheet to allow boat to begin to right itself.

Check.

2. Begin furling the jib (yes, it will furl on any point of sail).
while easing its sheets.

Important point "while easing sheets." The jib may well furl on any
point of sail, but if it is flogging wildly then it will furl badly or
not at all. Several times I have seen people roll up their jibs in hard
gusts, and the upper part of the sail will be a gnarled-up baggy bundle
instead of a neat roll. This causes a lot of drag and may still have
exposed edges flogging, which *will* damage the sail and may make the
boat much more difficult to control.

I forget that many boats do not have all sail halyards led to cockpit
and going up onto the cabin top in a broach must be frightening.

If you're smart enough to hang on, it may be safer than the cockpit.

... Sails
are cheap, life isnt, let em flog if necessary

I disagree strongly.
1- shredded sails are expensive
2- it increases the danger from the boat being out of control, and
hugely increases the risk of snagging some part of the sail or sheet on
either the rig, deck fitting, or crew.

Forget sillies who claim to eschew engine use. Boats have engines for
a reason, in danger, use it.

Except that you may get a line in the prop, or an air lock, or a slug of
crud from the tank, etc etc. It's funny how an engine that runs
perfectly under calm circumstances cannot be relied on when it's an
"emergency."

Generally, if one cannot keep one's head and *sail* the boat thru a
squall, taking proper measures and keeping the boat under control, then
relying on an engine to magically take over when the sails are too scary
& uncontrollable will not succeed.

This kind of thinking is one reason why I advocate learning to sail in
small responsive boats with no engine. One afternoon of sailing a 14
footer in 15 ~ 20 knot winds will teach you more about how to handle a
25+ footer in a squall than a decade of furling & motoring.

BTW, my old non-roller furling jib had a downhaul for just such
occasions for FL thunderstorms.
Would a downhaul led to the cockpit work for the main? With any force
on the main, it will not fall by itself but you can always muscle it
down unless it gets caught in the spreaders.

A downhaul can be a good thing. Rarely see them on mainsails but it can
certainly work. If you have properly rigged lazyjacks, they reduce the
odds of getting things caught in the spreaders, too.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King