It is called experience. This is how you become an experienced yachtsman. Experienced yachtsmen never mentioned their learning. experience. Thank you for an honest portrayal of the learning curve.
To get down your genoa you could have sailed downwind and let your main sail way out to blanket the Genoa and then there would be far less wind in it and it will furl easily.
@@spaceoddity2485 I would have gone down wind like said above and set the autohelm with the engine on full throttle to keep it going downwind with less stress on the sails.
From video I can say is bit panic mode. 1. Put engine. 2. Find best course to minimise wind presure. 3. Set your autopilot. 4. Go get life jacket and lines. 5. Lower your sails, don't steer use your autopilot. Single handed is imposible to steer and work with sails in the same time. So autopilot is the key in situations like this.
I think you did well, but yes the life jacket and life lines is a must! The best ever advice i got from a very experienced sailor was: The first time you have the slightest thought that maybe i should minimize the sails, DO IT DONT WAIT!
Hi Peter, thank-you. Yes life jacket for me now always even if we’re sailing in flat calm. I also need to teach the wife how to start and use the engine if something happened. I usually wear a life jacket when going off shore but being so close to home I felt it wasn’t necessary but a small lesson. And yes I should have reduced the sails earlier but there was an issue with the furling mechanism which I did a video after. Thanks for your comment and watching ! 🫡👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ Lifejacket alone is not good enough, at those conditions it will only prolong your death if you got nobody on the boat who can signal for help EFFICIENTLY. Aka coordinates and how to operate the radio. Unless of course youre really close to shore and can swim. But then again mind the rocks, if its stormy out there you will be bashed to death on the rocks. And remember, half a mile is already way more than most can handle swimming, especially if you have to fight the waves. Definitely get a proper PFD, with a sprayhood and enough lift. Dont cheap out on it. Attach an EPIRB and a PFD light. Both are must especially if you dont got a competent crew on the boat who could actually rescue you. Otherwise youre just going to prolong your demise. Something to also consider is a dry suit, start putting it on when you catch yourself thinking "should I reef?" then reef the main. Youre not a racer so you are never in a hurry to play with death. A dry rescue suit will give many extra hours of survival.
I'm a newbe in sailing, just finished a DIY small sailboat last summer. The water where I sail in Summer is a reservoir and it doesn't seem massive but nevertheless we have storms there. I've read somewhere recently that if you aren't sure about the weather - it's always better to go back or not even start sailing. And if the weather changes like here - kill the main sail immediately, start the engine and head to safety.
My sailing instructor told me the first time you have the slightest thought that maybe you should lay a reef is already too late and you should have done it before setting out.
I'm sorry but the truth is he's a beginner. I do not believe that he learned something. He didn't understand the situation as well as what to do. The wind was not so strong... It was a very simple situation... for those who are able to sail. Again... I'm sorry but people have to understand.
@@mukymuk3 Whatever you and he say, he hasn't learned anything. Sailing isn't learned by jumping in like that. It's about safety, responsibility, and intelligence. If you don't understand that, that's okay.
He will learn ,some negative comments forget that the ( not to mention some errors made by inexperience) main cause was a stuck furler!! A stuck furler,even with “ only “ 20 kn of wind can bring you real quick in oncomfortabele situations,specially singlehanded! Yhe only way is start the motor,tight the mainboom linel,steer 20 degrees in the wind,engage aut pilot,try to at the bow to lose the furler,if remain stuck ,steer 0 degrees let down mainsail,cut the lines from the genoa,start maken turns,the sail will roll that way on the forestay,although not perfect ,it will save your sail.
For those new to sailing here are some tips to prevent what you saw. 1) start engine and always have on a PFD with a tether. 2) drop sails early, you could see the storm coming in. 2A) if you don’t have time, turn down wind, lowers the apparent wind and blankets the Genoa. Roll up the head sail. The dump main, they had jack lines. Two sail ties and it’s secure. 3) if 2 doesn’t work heave to, don’t flog the sails. Get them to a reduced efficiency, access is it better to get main or roll up head sail. 4) use a good weather app. If thunderstorms are a possibility, have a plan. Then if the signs happen, execute the plan
You have lots of good advice here, but I would reverse 2 and 4, because there is ample evidence that heaving to will be safer in extreme conditions than dropping sails. Also, it can keep you pointed in a direction with a minimum of made way, which can help keep you off that leeward shore. The effectiveness of heaving to was really demonstrated in the '79 fastnet race.
I also agree with this - after being in some shitty scenarios crewing on 40ft cruiser / race boat. When shit happens it happens fast. A jammed head furl is the worst. But it feels like lotto win when you get it under control in situation like that.
@@victor-charlesscafati I'm a new sailor and luckily had chances to practice maneuvers in progressively higher conditions. I do love to heave to to catch a break and/or reef the main. I'm just wondering would heave to work well with a fully unfurled genoa in these conditions or is it mandatory to reef that one first? One thing i have not seen mentioned also is that furlers normally furl counter clockwise which make it much easier to furl the genoa while on port tack while i find it almost impossible to furl on starboard tack like in the video with as "little" as 20kn of wind, even when bearing away
It can be difficult to furl the headsail in high winds. What I usually do is fall away, steer downwind for a broad reach and then you can shadow the head sail with your main sail making it far easier to furl in higher winds. Sometimes you need to put the line around a winch just pay attention and don’t force it. Hope this helps !
You did very well. Lots of advice. Some good. Take it all in and balance it carefully with your own experience from this situation. You are always the skipper of your own boat. Hope your son decompressed well.
@@johnmartlew5897 hi John, I think he was totally oblivious, he was down below with the wife while the old man got hammered with wind and rain. Had to bleep out a few expletives from the wife. New boat and a big jump in the worst conditions imaginable which weren’t forecasted. Thanks for watching 🌊⛵️🫡
0k, well that was difficult to watch. Thank you for uploading this and showing how quickly things can go wrong. Sailing since 1976 here and still learning. I think there are some very basic things that you need to understand and control before going out on a sailboat like this. All the safety stuff I think is self explanatory and hoping you have learned that for good. Single handling with young children on a boat you do not understand should be a no-no. Roller furling do jam and when I saw you releasing the sheet (and why was it sheeted on a winch on the windward side?)I knew you were in trouble. To be able to furl you need "some" tension on the sheet, if the sail is flogging the retrieving line will jam in the drum due to shock loads, 100% sure. I would have crack-off the wind to have the sails fill steadying the boat and manage the situation (drop the traveler to leeward, sort-out the the genoa sheets and trim the genoa a bit. But. Once all was out of control, I guess centering the boom would have been first then dropping the main altogether and securing to the boom, at that point if nothing can be done with the genoa from the cockpit I would have trim it a bit so it is useful and not shredding itself, also if the engine quit and you have no sails up you are basically done for. I think going forward was extremely foolish (especially with children on-board). You appear to have the auxiliary at full throttle, that is a sure way to have it fail and, passed its useful RMP the prop is only cavitating and not propelling the vessel forward. You standing rigging should be able to handle this kind of wind if the sails are filled, shaking the rig like that will all sails lose is very hard on the rigging. Remember a squall usually does not last very long you only need to manage the situation for a limited amount of time. In the end you managed to bring the boat to safe harbour and that is the main thing. As we say with planes "any landing that you walk out of is a good landing". I understand that "in the moment" it is not that easy, that is why it is wise to practice these situations in 5-10 knots of wind so in heavy situation the mechanics of it are second nature. Cheers, a.
If you couldn't turn downwind to blanket the jib with main, you might have tried heaving to, backing the jib if you had enough sea room? Given that the high winds from a storm like that only last a limited period of time hence not as much room needed - you would be making way at only a knot or so? It's actually a very nice/peaceful way to go even in relatively high winds, but you have to practice it a bit.
Hi, I'm 71 now & been sailing since age of 19 and messing about in boats from age 5, had many many yachts over the years, just down sized to a Corribee 21 as I could nolonger afford the mooring fees for the Sea Dog 30 that I had had for 20 years, the Sea Dog was a Ketch, with many sail options when the wind picked up and depending on your course. Have had the Corribee for two summers now, and although it is small it almost seems more sea kindly than the Sea Dog. Anyway I got caught in a squall in the first few weeks of sailing last summer, and my head sail furler jammed, I already had two reefs in the main and was able to go forward to haul it in, As of this year I have learned that if I leave one role or even half a role of sail left of fruler the rope does not snag. Every boat is different, and you learn by trial and error. Sorry to say this but I enjoyed your video reminded me of some of my lesser moments!
71 and still sailing, good effort. I bet it keeps you young 😉. Where’s your home sailing ground? If I could have kept my 22 foot boat I would have. Great fun crawling up creeks, taking shortcuts over sand banks and shallower water and not having to worry about the cost over everything. Going up a 3rd in length seems to costs 3 times more for everything 😎 make sure you subscribe and hopefully see you out on the water. Thanks for watching
@@EastCoastSailing_Hi Rob, I'm a Bob only Robert when its official, My home ground is the north sea off Whitby. I have probably been in every port from Portsmouth to Hartlepool, and a few on the other side, but had never been passed Hartlepool untill last year when I did a delivery trip up the coast of Scotland though the Caledonian Canal and down the other side to a little place called Portavady, on a Beneteau 43. Still prefer going south, its very cold up there even in summer. If you look at almost any of the photos or videos of Whitby you might possibly see my little boat, it is moored in the lower harbour next to a cobble called Sea Salt, directly under the Duke of York pub and the 199 steps up to the Abbey.
Much respect for you my friend, it takes a lot of humility to show your down and falls. You learned something new that day which makes you a better sailor. Thanks for sharing 🙏
@@Hermes-t6z Hopefully others will learn. No one shows the bad side of sailing when things go wrong and they do. Was a new boat and a big jump up from my last one so I have no shame. Thanks for watching ⛵️😎
Good thing you were able to catch everything on video. You are now able to review and see exactly everything that went wrong. It's a hard and stress full way to learn but everybody seems ok. Thank you for sharing.
@@tostaky111 It was a new boat at the time and to be thrown in the deep end in these conditions wasn’t ideal. Had I been on my other boat things would have been under control a lot quicker. This was over a year ago and loads of great adventures and off shore passages sailing in 30knots. Great boat and nothing had happened like this since I have sorted out all the rigging and clutter on the deck. Also invested in a very decent life jacket and life lines. Check the follow up vid what caused the jam and the adventures to the Channel Islands. Thanks for watching 👌🏼
Been there done that, even on a slightly bigger boat squalls can be a nasty surprise. All the advice about heading down wind rather than up is sound, makes maybe 10knots difference to the apparent wind speed. In a similar situation (15kn ^ 45kn) part of my rig broke while reefing and I ended up with a torn main sail despite going downwind so you're really not alone in experiencing the best of British sailing weather!
@@petershone1533 The UK weather is unpredictable but the rewards are worth it. Thanks for watching. Only reason why I didn’t run down wind as it would have taken us away from the Mariana and would have missed the tide to get back in as it dries out. Thanks for watching 👌🏼😎
Super easy to comment from the comfort of an armchair in the warm. Going forwards with no lifeline and no life jacket is just a huge risk. If you had gone overboard what would have happened to your passengers? What surprises me is that you've sailed before, you had put a reef in, but still didn't put a life jacket/harness on from the start. Those water temperatures are no joke! Still every mistake is a chance to learn. Looking forward to more content. Cheers!
Hi, I do feel a bit foolish. I guess we all become complacent being on the water and nothing ever happening. I even had my life jacket below. Having gone from a 22 foot to 34 I felt a bit invincible especially only being a stones throw from my home port. I never usually take risks like that when going off shore. Hopefully the content & editing will keep betting better. Thanks for watching. Regards Rob
Heaving to is a great storm tactic. You were on Starboard tack at the beginning of the video. To get to a hove to position you would sheet the head sail in most or all the way and sheet in the main as you turn more and more down wind to jibe, then ease the main just as you stern crosses the eye of the wind. Tie the tiller or wheel off so the rudder is set to turn up wind on the new (port) tack. Don't touch the head sail, just let remain back winded which will prevent you from tacking and slow you down, sheet the main in enough that it is not luffing. Adjust the main to get the wind on the beam or a little forward the the beam, you will be amazed at how calm it becomes one you are hove to. You can also get in a hove to position by sheeting the jib in most or all the way and tacking, but don't release the jib, just let it stay back winded once your bow crosses the eye of the wind. In the high wind you were in, jibing into the hove to position would have been the better choice. Your main sail was reefed but you had more reef points to further shorten the main sail. You can add additional reefs in the main sail when hove to. When hove to the more you sheet in the main the more the wind will be forward of the beam which will make reefing while hove to more easy. When the storm calms down, jibe and sail off. -- David "Rick" Upson - Owner of Rick's Small Sailboats LLC, Tallahassee, Florida
Thanks for watching David and excellent advise. Really was the perfect storm given all the issues and unpredicted weather from the forecast. Lots of valuable lessons and luckily it was only an old sail that needed to be replaced which was old anyway 🫡⛵️🌊
Yes, thanks for the video. This is how we learn. Next time this happens, turn down wind to put the jib in the wind shadow or lee of the main. Now the jib EASILY rolls right in, in apparent light air. Now come up, sheet in the main so the boom is under control and furl. I am a US Sailing instructor and taught a lot on very windy San Francisco Bay and offshore. Also used this a lot in the tropics due to sudden violent squalls.
Awesome of you to post your experience! Furlers in big winds are known to be problematic, most jibs/Genoas can be dropped the traditional way however. Buckled sails are fine, flogging bad, not only is it a sail killer, the tracks on mast are trying to be ripped out, battens broken etc. The initial high pinch course you had seemed most settled, boat in control, main backed a little but not flogging etc. If short lived, go down wind (be extremely careful not to go dead downwind and risk gybing, there is alot of power in the boat!) Otherwise, set the autopilot to about 20TWA (but by heading), bring traveller up if needed to keep main driving and use engine to assist. You can drop the jib on deck and as you are shy to wind, the jib will drop mostly on deck inside lifeline, go forward and pull it down, elastic/sail tie it and then its just the main. Lazy jacks make this easier, have main halyard ready and flaked, tell autopilot come up 10 or so and smoke halyard, go forward and help it down, lazy jacks keep it contained, sail tie and then motor home.
Wise words! Yes it was settled initially. Screaming wife below took precedence 😂 year on and lots of amazing adventures and experience on this boat. Big jump up from a 22 foot boat 🙏 thanks for watching 👌🏼
I wasn't there.... but I would offer a tip. Once you had de-powered the main and released the main halyard to drop the sail, bringing in the mainsheet and securing the boom would have been a safe thing to do, rather than the boom flailing around with associated lines prior to going forward to retrieve the situation with the headsail. Well done for coping with a difficult situation. It most have been quite stressful.Hope all on board were ok after the event?
Hi yes we’re all good thanks! Hugo was unaware of the situation watching his cartoons down below while dad got a rough ride 😂 . Tightening up the main would have been a good idea but everything happened so quickly. I loosened it off to stop the heeling but should have jumped on it after the main was half down. It was stressful but everything you mentioned has been addressed and lots of new safety gear. I’m a fair weather sailor and have been in some bad situations before but this just took me off guard as the weather report didn’t mention anything of the sort. Thanks for watching !
So glad you and the family are ok. A ripped jib sheet can be replaced. Im sorry to ask. How have you not seen squall lines of an east coast afternoon thunderstorm in 9 years of sailing. We get hit with those every afternoon in summer around 2pm. You can see the squall line at 0:29 building before sails were hoisted and again getting far closer at 0:38 before wind hit. So glad a jib was all you lost in this. Keep a barometer where you can see if to indicate pressure drop and keep an eye on the sky. Great job getting everyone home safely.
Thankyou for your kind words. I have been hit by squalls a few times but never been hit as quickly, as hard and as sustained as this. If the furling head sail came in this situation wouldn't have been as dramatic with a reef in the main. I could have pulled the sails in quickly. I think there were other factors which lead to this which are all my fault: sailing a new boat and enjoying it so much I wasn't looking at the sky's, also I'm not familiar with the boat as it was the 1st time being out. A bit of confirmation bias having read the forecast and not expecting anything like what happened & generally being unprepared with safety equipment. I have since read on a few forums people do winch the head sail in on bigger boats which is new to me having moved from a 22 foot boat. I'm not proud but hopefully people see how quickly things can change and we never stop learning and ill invest in a barometer. However the boat is fantastic and I felt very safe during the ordeal and everyone has recovered. I watched the Hobart race disaster yesterday (1998) and can only imagine how they felt with 90 Knot winds.
Hi Toby, yes it all ended well. Was a quick learning curve on a new boat. You will be pleased to know I have done a full refit over the last 4 months and she's back in the water. I'll be leaving to do a. 1000nm to the Channel Islands so keep your eyes peeled in the next few a weeks 🚢😉 thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. All the best Rob
Great video, thanks for sharing some honest sailing! Lots of good advice and thoughts, after the fact. And easier to comment from an admchair. I think you did great and learned a few good lessons. We've done the same. We now keep some sails up at all times, just in case the motor doesn't like the stress. And it will be stressed with the turbulence and possible dirty fuel getting shaken off. We also head down wind. It will drop your apparent wind speed a but and with headsail somewhat shaddowed behind main it "should" be easier to furl. Also have hoven to in some nasty wind and waves with success. Try it out in moderate winds before trying for the first time in conditions like this. Great video, thanks again for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, this is helpful for everyone, specially for beginner sailors like myself. I went through a very similar experience, including the difficulty of rolling the genoa, with the consequence of the sail torning apart, and also having to go to the bow of the boat without protection. It didn't feel good afterwards… I carried a guilty feeling with me for a while, for I exposed my family to risks and anxiety. But with time I've processed the episode as learning experience, and indeed I took note of several lessons, and I think today I'm a better sailor due this and other not-so-excellent sailing experiences.
@@santiagomoebio Everyone makes mistakes as long as you learn from them. I was extremely complacent. I was sailing in an area I know like the back of my hand, I never take the risks off shore but being so close to home lulled me into a sense of false safety. Make sure you check the follow up video I did on the incident of what caused the jam. Safe to say, it didn’t put me off sailing and I love the new boat 🫡👌🏼 thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a comment.
I’ve been there recently. Weather forecast was great and calm gentle winds of ~15 knots surged to 25-30 then over 35 in less than a few minutes. My big lesson was to never rely on weather forecasts and get better at reading the signs of bad weather squalls to reef well before it’s too late! It’s actually a relief to see I’m not alone in these hard learned lessons. Wishing you safe and happy sailing!
Hi Brad, yes it’s very unpredictable. Where’s your home sailing ground. Sailings been great this year. Really got to know the boat and explored the Channel Islands. All it took was a bigger boat 😎👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ I’m currently sailing out of south western Lake Ontario, though hoping to make my way out west to BC in next year or 2. I’ll be upgrading from my Aloha 28 to something bit larger..
Had a similar incident about a month ago. Second time taking my little 18 foot trailer sailer out and the wind went from 4 or 5 knots to over 20 in about 10 seconds. I learnt more in the several minutes after, than I did in years of reading and watching TH-cam ha ha. Brilliant video thanks, even though it did trigger the PTSD from my own experience 😅
Hi Michael, glad you enjoyed the video. To be fair I have never had anything like this happen before, I suppose it’s learning a new boat and sorting out all the little issues that come part and parcel. Make sure you check the follow up video to see the cause! Thanks for watching 😎👌🏼
Always! Not only in high wind condition furl the headsail in the shadow of the main. Also, if the furler is jammed, there is also a halyard. People keep forgetting.
Don’t think trying to drop the jib is practical at all with most furlers, especially in those conditions. I have sailed quite a number of yachts with furled jibs and the process to drop them is a slow process in no wind and impossible in any wind. Most furling attachments include an aluminium section with narrow slot that runs the full length of the stay and pulling the sail out of this slot is slow and difficult under most conditions. The only practical layup for dropping your jib easily and quickly is the old fashioned way with jibstay hanks or snap shackles. Personally I like doing it the old way with snap shackles instead of a furler, as I have too many cases of a furler jamming while sailing single handed. In fact on one of my yachts I removed the furling arrangement and went back to the old system for that reason. Yes it’s a hassle having to stow your jib after a sail, but I feel safer.
@EastCoastSailing_ Yes, dropping the Genoa. I have been on racing yachts with furling headsails. Changing the headsail while sailing is a standard procedure. Of course, single handed in strong gusts everything gets harder. But in the end if the furler is jammed there just is no other option. So my advice for a solo sailor is to try and train this procedure in calm condition to be prepared when it counts.
@@borisvonprzybylski1047 As DuncanFraser writes, forestay alum profile with drum below means the genoa stays there the whole season and unless silicone sprayed beforehand it is very difficult to pull the sail down. Moreover once out of the groove it can spill all over the place and even get under the boat. In our case EastCoastS didn’t have the boat steady to let him go to the bows for this work anyway.
Famtastic job , you didnt panic 👍. I have furler jam in 25 knots , scarry moent. I drivr around circle ( after dropping main ) and wind wrap headsail around. Experiance.
Yes was quite the experience, always an odd feeling when walking on the windows that are meant to be vertical 😎 came through the other side unscathed and lots of learning. Many thanks
Good on you for putting this out there and for sharing your lessons learned with this video. We've all made mistakes, no matter how much experience you have, we're all still learning something every time we go out sailing. Great video. You've got yourself one new subscriber.
@@boroian8902 🫡 amazing 🤝 I look back as it was a year ago, it was terrible. Everything that could go wrong did. Lots of learning. Check out some of the recent adventures to the Channel Islands. Glad to have you on board, and thanks for watching 🍺
Thank you For Sharing your experience. Wasn’t easy but you done really well and totally agree with your learning outcomes. I don’t even throw a line until everyone has life jackets on and life lines to hand. Well Done on recovering the situations.
I highly recommend running a jackline around your boat, have a HID(inflates if you go overboard)life jacket and tether for everyone on deck for situations like that. Also practice heaving to. A tiny drum like that of your furler system can more effectively be wound in by hand. Mine has holes on the top of the drum, and I've worked out that I can use a homemade tool to wind it in extreme conditions that no lines can. If you crank it under those severe loads, it will jam, and possibly shear off. If that happens it can easily snap your forestay. Weather radio and apps are your best friend on the water. Stay safe captain!
Hi Kailani, that’s a cool name. Jacklines ordered already and I did another follow up video on the cause of the head sail jam. I have just updated the life jackets to automatic after that with a better buoyancy. Thanks for watching !
@@EastCoastSailing_ I bought my Catalina 30 four years ago and living onboard in Dana Point harbor. I'm only recording basic videos with my phone, but have a bunch of short stuff on, from between San Diego, Newport Beach and Catalina. Planning on rebuilding my diesel and going to the east coast of Australia maybe next year sometime. Give me a holler if you're ever out this way.
Thanks a lot for sharing. You did very well to recover from the difficult situation. And yes, I agree life jacket with tether is a must, especially if sailing solo.
Well good that nothing bad came of this. Things went wrong real quick, PFD's before you leave the dock. You could have been in the water quite easily with the chaos on deck.
@@TheArozconpollo Hi yes you’re right 🙏 complacency set in. I Know this area like the back of my hand and it’s fairly sheltered. Combined with a very poor forecast that made no mention of the conditions it really was the perfect storm of errors. Lots of safety improvements and I know the boat very well now I have owned it for just over a year and had some great adventures 😎👌🏼
You did well. You didnt panic but your lessons are spot on. I have been caught out with too much sail out and to my shame no harness on. I wont make that mistake again.
@@petyrkowalski9887 😎👌🏼 I do find wearing a harnesses is a little restricting and gets caught on things but I suppose it’s a small trade off for not going over! Many lessons from this video but a year on I have had some amazing adventures. Make sure you check up on the follow up video that shows what caused the sail jam. Thank you for watching 👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ i will do.. thanks fpr replying. The other big lesson I learnt a long time ago is… no matter what the weather seems like in the harbour or the forecast says, always put more reefs in than you appear to need… including the genoa. Its easier to shake a reef out than to reef in…as we all saw in your video.
Hey brother, sorry you went through that. If possible, always drop sails for a squall to pass. If not possible or engineless, stressors on the sails can be greatly reduced by pointing close hauled and trimming the sails closer to a reach. You’ll get some luffing and a good amount of healing, but you should be able to sail on. Fair winds
@@LARIMUS12121 Hi, it’s all good. It was just bad timing, new boat I wasn’t familiar with and conditions that weren’t forecasted. I have had the boat a year now and had some amazing adventures going to the the Channel Islands and just got back from France last week. Great boat now I know how to handle her 😆👌🏼
There doesn't have to be a mainsail up to make it lighter to furl the headsail by going downwind. Headway from the engine will do. But you'd have to use your autohelm
Hi thank you for watching and yes I don’t leave port without it. False sense of security being in my home sailing ground I knew like the back of my hand. Glad it happened here and not somewhere I wasn’t familiar with otherwise it would be a different story 🤝⛵️🫡
De wind is like a hand pulling at your sail, while sliding allong it, thats why you have a hard time to roll it in. Its you pulling against the wind force pulling to take the sail allong...
Thanks for the advice, I did a follow up video that explains what caused the jam. Been out in 30knots a few times and haven’t had an issue since the fix 👌🏼🌊⛵️😎
Hi, and thanks for watching, the boom is higher than my head, it’s the camera angle. It was a year ago and lots of learning on this new boat since. And lots of risk management since 😉
I think you did an excellent job skipper. You did the best you could. A slightly ripped head sail isn't a big deal. You are alive. that's what mattered. And now you have a story to tell.
Thank you. Yes I have certainly had worse situations at sea when I had a half a foot of water inside the boat 😅 what dosnt kill you makes you stronger. Thanks for watching 👌🏼⛵️
Doing TH-cam sailing training, aka watching sailing channels in abundance, and I'm stoked to come across your channel, and in particular this video. Learned a lot, and subscribed to learn more. 😅
I'm always learning being self taught. TH-cam training is great, but nothing like giving it a go in real life and making mistakes. Its a quick learning curve. Have you brought your boat yet? & thanks for watching!
@@EastCoastSailing_ went from sailboat dreams, to powerboat realities. Used to work 6 months on, 6 off fighting wild fires here in the US. I'm a helicopter mechanic. Now my schedule has changed to 3 weeks on 3 off. So we are gonna do the "Americas great loop" to get our boat fix. I'll eventually go back to fires, and fire season is hurricane season, so we will get 6 months at a go for sailing. But that's a handful ahead of us. But, 6k miles and 17 states should last us a couple years until then.
thanks for this video. Got caught out with a big squall the first time I took my Shipman out. Had reefed and a storm sail up, but the crew really didnt like the heeling.
I understand, that’s why I sail solo most the time, you know your own risk level, only your self to blame, no irate squealing from the wife when the boats only listing 15 degrees. Lots of sea miles since this video a year ago and still learning and keen to learn more. Thanks for watching 😎👌🏼⛵️ fair winds
I think you shouldve put the 2nd reef in early. Apart from that you did well. Your lucky to be able to experience this as it will build you for the future. Thanks for the video. Glad you're ok and your family
@@integrityprojectsangusmcfa4007 thanks bud, was a year ago and loads of lessons. Had some great adventures in winds like this. Just a big jump going from a 22 foot boat to this. Used to manhandling lines now I have to rely on winches 😎⛵️
Hi Rob Love the videos and well done for posting this warts and all! I sail a 35ft Southerly from Wells in Norfolk, sometimes single handed and sometimes with my wife. We had a similar situation to yours in the Humber, approaching Grimsby. That time I let the sheet go and let the jib flog for too long before starting to furl in. Just like you the furling line jammed. I bound up the jib with sail ties so there was no damage but learned a quick lesson - now whenever I’m about to bring in the jib I make sure the furling line is running free and ready before letting the sheet go, and start furling immediately, and quickly, the second the sheet is loose. No problems since. Watching your video I was really worried for your head - that boom is heavy and left untethered it could easily kill you - if you have to head into wind get the main sheet in while you are turning and make sure it’s secure - that way the boom can only move a few inches from the center line and can’t hurt you. And make sure you have winch handles in deck - without them you were having to pull ropes by hand. But having said all this you got everyone home in one piece and kept smiling throughout, many people could learn a great deal by you sharing this. Had I seen it before going up the Humber I may never have done what I did… Keep posting!
Hi Chris and Ceri. Thankyou for watching the channel and your reassuring words. Its good to know I'm not the only ones who has suffered a malfunction like this. If it happened on my old boat I would have know what to do instantly. I was lucky the cameras were rolling to capture this situation as it developed. People have a tendency to only post videos of perfect sailing days where our seamanship isn't challenged. Its only through ungraceful encounters people learn how quickly things can escalate. I hope this also provokes people to consider a plan of action of what they would do in similar situations. I did take the head sail down yesterday where it became apparent that the top swivel that holds the genoa up wasn't pulled taught. As a result the rope had 3 turns around the furling pole which explains why the furling mechanism had so much resistance starting the domino effect. The boom is set higher than my head, although it looked dangerous, I wasn't at immediate risk. I will invest in a helmet for such days. I was frantically ducking because I thought the mast was about to come down when the audible groaning of the standing rigging. Just curious but do you normally winch the genoa in or can you manage this by hand on a 35 footer? I'm just about to push the button on new sails from Jeckells in Wroxham Norfolk :). I have now added a few changes after this video such as 3rd reef. Look forward to seeing you out on the water.
@@EastCoastSailing_ hi Rob the answer to your specific question is that if conditions are bad we would - before letting the sheet go- put the furling line onto a winch with a couple of turns and then in the self tailer. Then pull it in by hand but with it running round the winch all the time - that way if it snaps back for some reason the pain is taken by the winch not your hands and you don’t lose where you are.. And yes we’d winch with a handle if it seemed like the right thing to do at the time - the key is always to be quick - we’ve done it often in 30 knots plus and in works fine when you get used to it Your new sails from Jeckells will be great I’m sure - lucky you!
@@sailingbluedawn Great advice. Simple things like this make life easier. I bet this would even work tacking in high winds, getting turns on the opposite winch ready to winch as soon as you throw the rope off to stop any line bouncing / tangling. The sails were very tired when we brought the boat and had got quotes before this happened. This has sped up the decision for us :).
That's why I don't have furling head sail. My hanked on sail has down haul leading to cockpit, no need to go forward and it slides down with a few pulls.
by going upwind on full trottle you additioned your boatspeed to the windspeed. Going downwind its the other way round. Also as already other mentiond you can much better roll the genua in in the shade of the main.
@@gutsnobrain Hi. The boat barely made way into the wind as you can see when it was spun round. By having the boat pointed into wind the sails were unloaded. Check out the follow up video of the cause of the furling jam. Thanks
i think you did right by starting the engine and pointing into the wind. Im not sure i would have the fortitude to turn the boat and run while i got control. Yeah big oops not having a jacket on, the inflatables are so comfortable we just always wear them underway. I will be searching out the next video to see what the furler issue was. My assumption is the furler was fine but you had a line jamb between the there and cockpit. Anyway other the the boom keping me on the edge os my seat, nice work.
I since brought a really good life jacket and life lines since. I went for a high buoyancy vest but I think I’ll get a lighter duty one for warmer months coastal sailing as it’s quite bulky. Thank you for watching. 😎👌🏼
I remember one time when i was crossing the Kattegatt Sea from sweden to denmark. I had my genoa and full main up on a beautiful day with 10 knots of wind. I was looking forward when a thunderstorm rolled up behind me. 37 knots hit me, the boat starting heeling more and more and eventually broached. As i was standing on the side of the cockpit looking down into the water i just waited until the boat turned itself towards the wind and stood up. Sails flogging i ran up on deck and ditched the genoa tied it down and continued sailing with the main. No damage, thank god for hank on sails 😂
Starting the engine may well increase confidence. However having it in gear raises the potential for some loose end of rope from all that flapping to foul the prop which would definitely make an unpleasant situation considerably worse.
@@morgste Thanks for watching. Not about confidence. It’s a narrow estuary with lots of shallow sandbanks. Couldn’t risk getting pushed onto one with jammed head sails and subsequently tangled lines. Not enough room to run safely down wind ⛵️👍
agree with others... come about and turn downwind (do not gybe ! ) and keep on a broad reach to gain back control. Stay that course until things stabilize then look at your options. Your boat looks beamy which will help in your situation. Good job under the circumstances.
@@EastCoastSailing_ vous avez tout à fait raison, c'est l'essence même des marins d'apprendre sur le vif. A bientôt, peut-être un jour, en Bretagne, haut lieu de la voile française. Bonne navigation à vous !
Was not so bad wind. In those situations, immediately turn in wind! If there is place to go. Then try gently turn in Genoa. Fighting with wind is last what you should consider. 20Y experience. North Sea, Baltic, Biscay, Atlantic coast, Gibraltar
Thank-you, if the wind can push the go pro back in the mount, it was pretty bad. The geno was jammed, check the follow up video. It was a new boat at the time and had lots of little issues. The Genoa line was slack and wrapped round the furling pole making it difficult to retract. Wet sails, 6 eyelets on the coach roof, winch and pulleys added friction with the added high winds. It made it impossible to retract, winching could have busted the furling hardware. Even when the winds had died off im still pulling at the front with my feet at the pull pits. No issues since and sailed many times in 30 knots. This was a year ago. Thanks for watching.
@@EastCoastSailing_ I'm been there a lot of times 40 kTs and more. When in Wind, Try to steer that Main sail takes wind away from Genoa. You had short squall. I'm been in Squall which goes one after another with bad visibility, high waves half an hour. Another bad situation Stacked Full Genoa and Main sail in race. When you push the limits of boat. I tried to go against wind to get speed and cached momentum to turn in wind. After 3rd try I managed. My friends done the same single handed. There is no big choice. If you go against wind then your wind speed is your boat speed and Wind speed added together. If you go with wind, you can get boat speed higher significantly subtracting wind speed :). Always, when possible, when things go wrong against the wind, try to go with wind if there is space. It's in learning course of Sailing in extreme situations and weather! Always remember, when you sail with wind, to add your boat speed with wind speed and add your boat speed when you plan to go against wind!
@@os90q appreciate the information. I’m aware of apparent and true wind. Many factors not obvious in the video. Thin estuary 0.6nm wide. Lots of shallow sand banks, the location is called the River Blackwater Essex. Barely making head ways 2 knots max, run down wind 8 knots so 10 knot difference. Could it have got worse, I didn’t know and wasn’t prepared wait and find out, to run down wind and have the mast taken of, wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take on a new boat that has original rigging. Facing the wind de powered the sails and unloaded the mast. Better I was in control rather than running down wind with a jammed head sail out in full. Also I wasn’t prepared to spend the night on the water unplanned as we only have 2 hours of sailing before our mooring dries out. Running down wind wound have taken us away from port. I appreciate the advice 😎⛵️
@@EastCoastSailing_ happy that everything went well as all on board are safe. I don't say you do things wrong. We are people and we are doing things like are they is. Question is about what will do next time about our knowledge. 7 feet under the keel
Good advice. You should have a heavy weather plan on every boat and practice using it. Heave-to is a very good option. In most cases, you should be able to fore-reach while heaving-to to keep yourself from a lee shore. Every boat is different. It may not be your best option to run bare poles with some of today's hull shapes.
Well done❤. If you can free the line who lowers the boom, you can use the lazy jack to raise the boom gains the mast and then you could must faster to the front of the ship to role inyou fore sail. But you did a great job. You have sufficient experience and comment since and knowledge to stay secure with your child and wife. Thanks for showing us the thinks you learned. Life line are very important ❤
Thank you for watching. As with anything sailing related, it’s always a steep learning curve learning a new boat and it only needs to happen once for it never to happen again. Make sure you check out the follow up video of what caused it! All the best Rob.
@@hamishlothian2634 wasn’t fun at the time, especially on a new much bigger boat but loads of learning since then. This was a year ago and plenty of great adventure’s on the boat since this. Thanks for watching 😎
Welcome to Tollesbury! I keep my boat here too. Happy to chat through your experience if it helps. A jam on the jib furler is a nightmare even on a nice day! Regular Blackwater sailers have all seen similar conditions. The dark skies give a bit of warning, but not much. However, depending which weather app you’re using, there’s usually a clue about the stability of the air stream. Good luck with this new YT channel.
Thanks for uploading this! it's hard to find video of things going wrong. I like to have a down haul on the main, so I can just pull the sail down without going to the mast. I would also like to note that hank on jibs never have problems like this! (I use a downhaul on the jib too)
Hi Dominic, it’s not my finest sailing but you have to show the rough with the smooth. I was actually thinking about a down haul on the main but wondered if it would be another layer for something to go wrong. I had an externally fed rope from a mast in my old boat and it would swing if not under tension. Once it swung out and around the radar reflector which happened in rough weather as always with these things. Standing on the front of the boat in big waves with a boat hook trying to get the rope back . I am about to press the button on new sails and was considering hanked sails so this didn’t happen again. I do most my sailing single handed so just through it would be more hassle than it’s worth dealing with sail changes on my own. Thanks for watching !
@@EastCoastSailing_ Yes, well a big part of sailing (also mostly single handed) for me, is setting things up to avoid snags. Maybe have downhaul only just long enough to not swing much, tie knot in end and have it go through a cleat. One of the best things about the down haul is you can cleat the sail down - puts the situation under control, not so urgent to tie the bundle down. Also if you halyard detaches from the sail just pull it down, don't have to go up the mast (never happened to me, but it's happened to others) If you do go to hank on sails, I also reckon consider a reef point in the working jib. I sailed a boat like that recently and it was good. Faster than a whole sail change when the conditions have gotten wild enough for the number 3!
In the first image with you and your son, one can see in the background that the risk of sudden weather change was high. Risky conditions for sailing solo! I only add: when shite like this happens, close the companionway! Cheers!
@@andream.464 the sky looks like that 90 percent of the time here 😂. No squall lines until later on when it was too late. Forecast I include didn’t show anything like u encountered 👌🏼 good advice about the companion way. Wife’s down below 👌🏼
You don’t really understand the power of the wind until you are caught off guard like this. I remember the first time it happened to me where a squall came up very quickly. I could see it in the distance, but the wind got to me before the clouds dead and I was in all at how insignificant my abilities were. I did well in the situation. and you should be thankful that the state was rather calm or it could’ve been a lot worse
Yes, the sea should never be underestimated. It’s the reason why most of us go sailing, the vulnerability we have being at the mercy of mother nature. the risks that make us feel awake ! Thanks for watching 👌🏼
Such a stressful situation.As long as I sail my boat, me and all of my crew are wearing lifejackets, not negotiable. especially inflatable ones don’t really take any space and can save your life. I’m a Coast Guard volunteer in New Zealand, so lifejacket is a no brainer. Tether at night and when the weather turns ugly. Right call to keep any crew members not essential safe inside. Good on you to reflect on your mistakes so we can all learn from it.I didn’t really get it when you mentioned to read the weather from the watercraft.I ripped my Genoa on my 1st sail….😢beautiful boat bro, have fun and stay safe on the water
Hi Antoine, Water craft in sense I should have been looking at cloud formations and known what was about to happen. I was far to reliant on a weather forecast that wasn't accurate. I have been out in gloomy conditions like this before and nothings developed. Some gambles pay off but on this occasion it didn't. I assure you life jackets have been upgraded after this and life lines. I did a follow up video of what caused the jam. Thanks for your services and thanks for watching!
never had this problem, because from the very first time I sailed, I kept a constant watch for squalls coming and if anything looked nasty, in went a reef or 2 and off came the genoa. So when the rain and the 40 kt gusts hit, we were okay. You survived, so hopefully you'll remember this for the future!
If you go sailing long enough you will get caught out sooner or later. You can reduce the risk reading the sky but it came in very quickly. Between the opening video and the squall was about 30 minutes and no indication on Met weather of the impending winds. I don’t rely on forecasts and like I said in the video rely on water craft like you mentioned looking at the skies, seeing any lulls in the wind and reducing the sail much earlier and haven’t had a problem since and been to some amazing places sailing in 30 knots regularly. Thanks for watching
@@EastCoastSailing_ Delos (for instance) has been sailing for a very, very long time. Nothing remotely like this ever happened to them. There are reasons for that that everyone should learn from.
@@winstoncat6785 I enjoy editing videos and if I wanted to portray my self as an expert, I could easily edit my videos to do so by cutting out the bad and the ugly parts of sailing. How would to know the channel you mention never run into difficulties, do you think they would post it for you to see? Read the comment from other sailors about the area and the same thing happening. It’s not isolated. Thanks
@@winstoncat6785 great thing about sailing is you only make the mistake once and never again. Costs too much money to replace parts like sails but it could have always been worse. Many miles under my belt since this vid came out she. I just purchased her and replaced loads of parts on the boat. Hopefully that’s evident in the recent videos I have put up. Thanks for watching.
Channel 16... will give you regular expected fronts coming in albeit you will have to change to thr designed forecast channel allowing you time to reef or take all sails down and motor home.
Turn downwind let the jib fly forward of the forestay to safely and easily furl it, leave the main central to avoid a crash jibe and drop the halyard on the main steer to wind and bag it as quick as you can. You have crew should have got them to drop the halyards for you and keep jib sheets untangled for furling
@@Mike-tj2oo yes lots of lessons, biggest one is don’t rely on the forecast from met weather and only use windy app, never had an issue since. Check the follow up video of what caused the jam. Plenty of great adventures now a year on from this experience. Really was the perfect storm of being out in unexpected conditions in a new boat I wasn’t familiar with but it really is a great boat. Thanks for watching. 👌🏼
@@billroberts9182 haven’t heard of one before I’ll have a read up. Normally just pull the sheet in tight but didn’t want to risk it catching the wind and turning the boat round as I was hardly making way on the engine until things died down a bit. Thanks for watching 😎
@@EastCoastSailing_ You won in the end! The boom brake just keeps the boom from flipping port to starboard or vice versa. I think there are many people who have been accidently thrown off of the boat or end up with head trauma maximus. I've been there before!
In the circumstances and your experience you did the correct thing, start the engine, keep her head into the wind and let the sails get on with it, the sails are replaceable. Keep away from the boom, they kill people and knock them overboard. Do not turn down wind with the main stuck up there, it will go against the standing rigging, you will be traveling to fast. It could overload the mast and bring it down, also you could broach, believe me it is that easy to lose control in those circumstances. Squalls by their nature don't last that long, just keep sailing upwind feathering the sails to stop then flogging to much, and keeping headway until the squall passes trying not to do an involuntary tack..
@@fredjones7307 Fully with you on this reply👌🏼 funny the amount of comment saying to run down wind with a stuck head sail fully out. Would rather save the mast by taking the loading off it. Can hear the steel cables creaking by the go pro. Thanks for watching 😎⛵️🫡
@@EastCoastSailing_ When you run downwind, the apparent wind decreases, which reduces the stress on the rigging. When you get to about 130 or 140 degrees off the wind, the mainsail blankets the foresail. It becomes very easy to roll in the foresail. With the autopilot to assist you, this can be done single-handed without much trouble, I've done it many times in strong winds. As mentioned in another comment, the furling mechanism was likely jammed because the foresail was flogging after you turned upwind and dumped the sheet. Happy sailing!
@@EastCoastSailing_ yes I watched your follow up vid, but I'm not convinced by your analysis. Even with the halyard wrapped around the forestay, the swivel is not blocked, as evidenced by the fact that you were able to roll up the genoa when you went to the foredeck! As you mentioned, the wind had reduced and you bypassed the friction in the system, but if the halyard had been jamming the furler, you wouldn't have been able to roll up the genoa!
@@PatrickFaurot no it got stuck and couldn’t roll it up any more and I’m twisting the drum. Not wet lines going through 6 fairleads and 2 pulls and a winch. Have t had a problem since ? Nothings changed.
my friend, more than anything it seems that you still have some problems coordinating the maneuvers on the boat. The weather conditions you found yourself facing were nothing so extreme. You will see, with time you will learn to face even "sudden" strong winds with ease. Practice goes a long way
@@andreazanda8139 if you watched the whole video, it was a new boat the 1st time taking it out. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be operating a new boat flawlessly after jumping up from a 22 foot boat especially in the conditions. This video was a year ago and just come back from an amazing adventure from the Channel Islands sailing in 30 knots multiple days covering 600nm. Cant judge everyone’s ability from one bad video thanks
Very good video, great to have learnings from any experience, I agree 1st you should have been wearing a pfd and had a tether to hand , the one piece of advice I have is that you shouldn’t have had your Genoa fully extended when your main was reefed, if you even had one turn it wouldn’t have jammed , if you had a crew it wouldn’t have been a problem and of course you had the extra stress of your passengers, you did what you could it’s easy to find fault and we have all been there !
@@jtraynor3129 yes, to all the learning the amount of sail I had out should have been less. had some great sailing this season and great adventures. Can’t wait for my next big trip shortly. Many thanks for your input. These kind of replies are what’s needed to bring people into the sport. 👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ I should have explained for others the reason I say keep a turn on the headsail, it allows you to turn the drum in the opposite direction if the fuller jams, of course I learned this the hard way and it took more than once to learn this lesson 😅 I also have a downhaul on my main to second reef , it can help get the main under control in gusts when solo, I’m looking forward to going through the rest of your videos I think you have a great attitude about showing where stuff goes wrong and not just showing the cool stuff 😎
Thanks for sharing. I believe that as long as the forecast isn’t under a steady shiny 10 knots, you should be prepared for the worse, meaning wearing a life jacket and a harness, and have your boat always tidy and ordered. The fender should never have been where it was, and other things you had to move away to cope with this situation. Lastly, I’m not happy seeing you going to the foredeck unattached with a young kid onboard. Had you fallen in the water he would have been drifting away.
Hi, very true. I used the fender as a booster seat to see over the roof, the wooden seat slats were removed immediately after this. Hangover from the previous owner. My wife was onboard also and both her and Hugo had their jackets on. Appreciate the comment many thanks.
@@EastCoastSailing_ it’s always when you think nothing’s gonna happen that shit does. This summer I broke a toe slipping on the boat while I’m always the one yelling at everyone they should wear shoes 😂
@@sodune7590 😂😂😂 yeah I know the feeling. I honestly thought judging by the forecast it was going to be a chilled potter about, only use windy app after that. Fair winds 😎🤝
When sailing singlehanded an autopilot that keeps your boat on course is a big bonus. Just saying like all other keyboard heroes…. I used to go sailing with my dad and hope to go back to sailing; there is my Laurin Koster 28 in my garden waiting for a refit!! Fair winds to you (but not too much of it…) Thumb+subscription, greetings, Henk, the Netherlands.
Hi the boat has autopilot, works very well, on this occasion could barely make way into wind with engine on full, vid shows the boat getting spun to the left with fully steering to the right. You cannot rely on autopilot in those conditions only hand steering until it calmed down. Fair winds and thanks for watching
Luckily the sails were 17 years old. Was hoping to get at least a season out of them 😅 Always happens at the worst times. Quirks of sorting out a new boat. Thanks for watching
It's always better to go downwind,also never roll out all the Genoa furler, leave at least one turn of sail unfurled ,this will reduce the momentum. Oh yes: get a good look at windy or other weather app... before you go
@@MikeTarifaArtist Hi, weather forecast was checked as any sailor would do. If you watched the full video a screen shot was included of what was forecasted, no mention of this. Thanks
Самое главное, что смог рассказать об этом и сделал правильные выводы. К сожалению большинство людей это не воспримут, пока не пройдут через это сами - такова современная реальность.
Yes it’s a learning curve everyone will go through at some point, things break, nothing ever goes to plan and you can’t control Mother Nature 👌🏼😎 fair winds from England 🏴
my first response would be to get in the wind and tighten the boom straight above the boat. Making it much easier to drop the sail. Is that something you thought about?
Hi, have you ever watched the miracle on the Hudson, how they say to captain sully he should react quicker, he should have done this and that? very easy to say what you should do observing through a phone, another situation where it’s real life. Getting the boat upright was my primary concern for my wife and son below and mast and sails are secondary to that. Thanks for watching.
I dont know much about sailing, but it looked like the weather was coming in, never mind instrumentation, use your eyes, you should have noticed that. Anyway that said i must commend you for putting out this video, publicly sharing you mistakes can not be easy, so well done for that, i do hope you wont get caught unaware of approaching bad weather again.
@@shaungillingham4689 hi Shaun, system wasn’t there at the beginning of the video ? Came in 30 minutes. No chance to out run it and not mention on the forecast which I included a screen shot. Thanks
@@EastCoastSailing_ yes it easy for me to say & captain Hindsight is always right lol, im glad it wasn't any more serious, good luck a fair weather on your future endeavours.
@@jaysparc Hi Jay, weather came down very quick. System wasn’t there at the beginning of the video. And not indicated on any forecast what ever happened we were going to be in it. Thanks
Question from a noob - wouldn't it have been a good idea to secure the boom from swinging as that swinging freely would be the most likely to knock you over board or unconscious when back turned? I guess so much going on, hard to have a clear focus outside of getting the head sail down. Well done in end! (and thanks for honest sharing!)
@@StephanParry Hello, the boom is higher than my head, just the camera angle makes it look closer. Could pull the boom in tight but would make it difficult to lower the main down even pointing the boat into wind, the plastic inserts to the mast holding the sail on were highly loaded which meant the sail wouldn’t come down easily. You would never be spot on pointing into the wind relying on an auto tiller. Having the boom Slack means the booms always down wind. Also the boat wouldn’t stay pointed into the wind even with the engine on full. If I had a tight main and was spun about which happens in video then the boat would be on a serious lean again while I was up on the front trying to sort the main. As soon as I retrieved the Genoa in I tightened it up. Hope it makes sense. Thanks for watching 🫡
That is not right! Always secure the boom! If the boom hits you when you walk onto the foredeck, and the wind shifts, you might get hammered down your boat without a lifejacket, and leaving your kid alone on the boat. This would have been a Desaster! If you have your boom fixed in the middle position, and you can’t put your main down, there might be the wrong angle of the boom, or you might have the wrong sail. Also you have to lubricate the sliders. If I lower my main, I just let the halyard go, and it falls down. Cheers mate
@@masterp6062 my sons not on his own, my wife is on board below…. Screaming of course 😂! They were both wearing life jackets and she knows how to steer and use the radio thanks 🙏
Awesome vid, thanks for being brave enough to post it. I do some single handing myself so I get it. 3 thoughts if I may. 1 - It would have been waaay better to hold course and just de-power the sails a little rather than round up and have everything flog. Apart from anything else, the noise makes everything so much scarier. 2 - try pulling the furling line along its own length rather than around a turning block that adds additional friction. For me this means sitting in the pushpit seat where the angle is best. It that doesn’t do it, I winch. 3 - the engine revs didn’t help you here. It just added boat speed which also added wind speed. The engine feels like a security blanket in times like this but can often make things worse. Biggest lesson of all - just take a moment before leaping into action. A lot of what you did actually made things worse and your situation more dangerous. I consciously try to slow myself down at times like this, remembering that all the good sailors I know manage to stay calm.
Hi Ben, thanks for this and the comment at the end. I’m sure you have seen the progress and improvements in sailing over the last year if you’re following the adventures. It’s a big jump up from a 22 where I could muscle my way out of situations but I admit defeat and winches must be used. I get what you’re saying about the winch adding friction in those winds fingers would go missing holding the line directly flogging. I should have included an image of where i was very shallow and narrow. I couldn’t chance drifting off course and landing in the bank. Only 0.6nm. As for the engine it was adding barely any speed. I was turned around at one point. Even the 29hp yanmar wasn’t able to make way. Everyone has different ways of dealing with things but my priority was making sure the mast didn’t come down. I don’t have that kind of money to pay 15k. The sails were old 18 years and we’re on the list to change. Fair winds 😎👌🏼
I’ll be putting up the return crossing in the next couple of days. Didn’t want to upset the algorithm as this video has gone mad in the last week. Had 28knots after flat calm and things were lively. Where’s your home ground? Try crossing the Channel in a narrower section. I started of doing the Thames Estury, then. Built up to Ramsgate to Gravelines in France. Only 6 hours across. Great introduction to being off shore and dealing with the busy shipping lanes 🫣
@@EastCoastSailing_ home port is Plymouth. We’ve been to scilly and also across to Channel Islands and St Malo. Just watched you on sark which brought back good memories!
It is called experience. This is how you become an experienced yachtsman. Experienced yachtsmen never mentioned their learning. experience. Thank you for an honest portrayal of the learning curve.
yes learn but with somone who knows what their doing and not your kid on board.
Unless you drown because you didn`t wear a lifejacket....Experience my ass.
To get down your genoa you could have sailed downwind and let your main sail way out to blanket the Genoa and then there would be far less wind in it and it will furl easily.
Good idea as long as you don’t accidentally jibe
@@spaceoddity2485 I would have gone down wind like said above and set the autohelm with the engine on full throttle to keep it going downwind with less stress on the sails.
Down the wind In river not always posible .
From video I can say is bit panic mode. 1. Put engine. 2. Find best course to minimise wind presure. 3. Set your autopilot. 4. Go get life jacket and lines. 5. Lower your sails, don't steer use your autopilot. Single handed is imposible to steer and work with sails in the same time. So autopilot is the key in situations like this.
I think you did well, but yes the life jacket and life lines is a must! The best ever advice i got from a very experienced sailor was: The first time you have the slightest thought that maybe i should minimize the sails, DO IT DONT WAIT!
Hi Peter, thank-you. Yes life jacket for me now always even if we’re sailing in flat calm. I also need to teach the wife how to start and use the engine if something happened. I usually wear a life jacket when going off shore but being so close to home I felt it wasn’t necessary but a small lesson. And yes I should have reduced the sails earlier but there was an issue with the furling mechanism which I did a video after. Thanks for your comment and watching ! 🫡👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ Lifejacket alone is not good enough, at those conditions it will only prolong your death if you got nobody on the boat who can signal for help EFFICIENTLY. Aka coordinates and how to operate the radio. Unless of course youre really close to shore and can swim. But then again mind the rocks, if its stormy out there you will be bashed to death on the rocks. And remember, half a mile is already way more than most can handle swimming, especially if you have to fight the waves.
Definitely get a proper PFD, with a sprayhood and enough lift. Dont cheap out on it. Attach an EPIRB and a PFD light. Both are must especially if you dont got a competent crew on the boat who could actually rescue you. Otherwise youre just going to prolong your demise. Something to also consider is a dry suit, start putting it on when you catch yourself thinking "should I reef?" then reef the main. Youre not a racer so you are never in a hurry to play with death. A dry rescue suit will give many extra hours of survival.
I'm a newbe in sailing, just finished a DIY small sailboat last summer. The water where I sail in Summer is a reservoir and it doesn't seem massive but nevertheless we have storms there. I've read somewhere recently that if you aren't sure about the weather - it's always better to go back or not even start sailing. And if the weather changes like here - kill the main sail immediately, start the engine and head to safety.
My sailing instructor told me the first time you have the slightest thought that maybe you should lay a reef is already too late and you should have done it before setting out.
The boat appears stable
This is a video of a guy learning a lot in a short amount of time and it only cost an old head sail. Thanks for sharing!
I'm sorry but the truth is he's a beginner. I do not believe that he learned something. He didn't understand the situation as well as what to do. The wind was not so strong... It was a very simple situation... for those who are able to sail.
Again... I'm sorry but people have to understand.
@@brownsugar2149 What in the world are you going on about? He clearly explained what he had learned at the end of the video.
@@mukymuk3
Whatever you and he say, he hasn't learned anything. Sailing isn't learned by jumping in like that. It's about safety, responsibility, and intelligence. If you don't understand that, that's okay.
@@brownsugar2149 people do it that way all the time. Maybe you can't. That's ok.
He will learn ,some negative comments forget that the ( not to mention some errors made by inexperience) main cause was a stuck furler!!
A stuck furler,even with “ only “ 20 kn of wind can bring you real quick in oncomfortabele situations,specially singlehanded!
Yhe only way is start the motor,tight the mainboom linel,steer 20 degrees in the wind,engage aut pilot,try to at the bow to lose the furler,if remain stuck ,steer 0 degrees let down mainsail,cut the lines from the genoa,start maken turns,the sail will roll that way on the forestay,although not perfect ,it will save your sail.
That was very enjoyable. Most of us have had similar situations. Thanks for sharing it.
Any time and thanks for watching!
For those new to sailing here are some tips to prevent what you saw. 1) start engine and always have on a PFD with a tether. 2) drop sails early, you could see the storm coming in. 2A) if you don’t have time, turn down wind, lowers the apparent wind and blankets the Genoa. Roll up the head sail. The dump main, they had jack lines. Two sail ties and it’s secure. 3) if 2 doesn’t work heave to, don’t flog the sails. Get them to a reduced efficiency, access is it better to get main or roll up head sail. 4) use a good weather app. If thunderstorms are a possibility, have a plan. Then if the signs happen, execute the plan
@@eddiedoherty2349 great advice 👍😎
I approve this response 🤣
You have lots of good advice here, but I would reverse 2 and 4, because there is ample evidence that heaving to will be safer in extreme conditions than dropping sails. Also, it can keep you pointed in a direction with a minimum of made way, which can help keep you off that leeward shore. The effectiveness of heaving to was really demonstrated in the '79 fastnet race.
I also agree with this - after being in some shitty scenarios crewing on 40ft cruiser / race boat. When shit happens it happens fast. A jammed head furl is the worst. But it feels like lotto win when you get it under control in situation like that.
@@victor-charlesscafati I'm a new sailor and luckily had chances to practice maneuvers in progressively higher conditions. I do love to heave to to catch a break and/or reef the main.
I'm just wondering would heave to work well with a fully unfurled genoa in these conditions or is it mandatory to reef that one first?
One thing i have not seen mentioned also is that furlers normally furl counter clockwise which make it much easier to furl the genoa while on port tack while i find it almost impossible to furl on starboard tack like in the video with as "little" as 20kn of wind, even when bearing away
This earned a follow. Man enough to swallow your bruised ego to help other sailors with valuable lessons to offer. Thank you. 🙏🏼
@@JackieBonham1 😉 Thanks for joining the EAST COAST SAILING team. Glad you enjoy the content x
It can be difficult to furl the headsail in high winds. What I usually do is fall away, steer downwind for a broad reach and then you can shadow the head sail with your main sail making it far easier to furl in higher winds. Sometimes you need to put the line around a winch just pay attention and don’t force it. Hope this helps !
Hi, The reason of the jamming is explained in the next video I'm about to upload. Stay tuned and thanks for watching.
exact reason I am hesitant to put in my furler @@EastCoastSailing_
Dear Mr. Armchair Quarterback, please send us your video under the same conditions.
@@miked5563 His comment was both respectful and accurate, based on his own experience.
@@iainmacdonald1170 thank you, pc guardian. You are part of the problem.
You did very well. Lots of advice. Some good. Take it all in and balance it carefully with your own experience from this situation. You are always the skipper of your own boat. Hope your son decompressed well.
@@johnmartlew5897 hi John, I think he was totally oblivious, he was down below with the wife while the old man got hammered with wind and rain. Had to bleep out a few expletives from the wife. New boat and a big jump in the worst conditions imaginable which weren’t forecasted. Thanks for watching 🌊⛵️🫡
0k, well that was difficult to watch.
Thank you for uploading this and showing how quickly things can go wrong.
Sailing since 1976 here and still learning.
I think there are some very basic things that you need to understand and control before going out on a sailboat like this. All the safety stuff I think is self explanatory and hoping you have learned that for good. Single handling with young children on a boat you do not understand should be a no-no. Roller furling do jam and when I saw you releasing the sheet (and why was it sheeted on a winch on the windward side?)I knew you were in trouble. To be able to furl you need "some" tension on the sheet, if the sail is flogging the retrieving line will jam in the drum due to shock loads, 100% sure. I would have crack-off the wind to have the sails fill steadying the boat and manage the situation (drop the traveler to leeward, sort-out the the genoa sheets and trim the genoa a bit.
But.
Once all was out of control, I guess centering the boom would have been first then dropping the main altogether and securing to the boom, at that point if nothing can be done with the genoa from the cockpit I would have trim it a bit so it is useful and not shredding itself, also if the engine quit and you have no sails up you are basically done for. I think going forward was extremely foolish (especially with children on-board). You appear to have the auxiliary at full throttle, that is a sure way to have it fail and, passed its useful RMP the prop is only cavitating and not propelling the vessel forward.
You standing rigging should be able to handle this kind of wind if the sails are filled, shaking the rig like that will all sails lose is very hard on the rigging.
Remember a squall usually does not last very long you only need to manage the situation for a limited amount of time.
In the end you managed to bring the boat to safe harbour and that is the main thing.
As we say with planes "any landing that you walk out of is a good landing".
I understand that "in the moment" it is not that easy, that is why it is wise to practice these situations in 5-10 knots of wind so in heavy situation the mechanics of it are second nature.
Cheers,
a.
If you couldn't turn downwind to blanket the jib with main, you might have tried heaving to, backing the jib if you had enough sea room? Given that the high winds from a storm like that only last a limited period of time hence not as much room needed - you would be making way at only a knot or so? It's actually a very nice/peaceful way to go even in relatively high winds, but you have to practice it a bit.
Hi, I'm 71 now & been sailing since age of 19 and messing about in boats from age 5, had many many yachts over the years, just down sized to a Corribee 21 as I could nolonger afford the mooring fees for the Sea Dog 30 that I had had for 20 years, the Sea Dog was a Ketch, with many sail options when the wind picked up and depending on your course. Have had the Corribee for two summers now, and although it is small it almost seems more sea kindly than the Sea Dog. Anyway I got caught in a squall in the first few weeks of sailing last summer, and my head sail furler jammed, I already had two reefs in the main and was able to go forward to haul it in, As of this year I have learned that if I leave one role or even half a role of sail left of fruler the rope does not snag. Every boat is different, and you learn by trial and error. Sorry to say this but I enjoyed your video reminded me of some of my lesser moments!
71 and still sailing, good effort. I bet it keeps you young 😉. Where’s your home sailing ground? If I could have kept my 22 foot boat I would have. Great fun crawling up creeks, taking shortcuts over sand banks and shallower water and not having to worry about the cost over everything. Going up a 3rd in length seems to costs 3 times more for everything 😎 make sure you subscribe and hopefully see you out on the water. Thanks for watching
@@EastCoastSailing_Hi Rob, I'm a Bob only Robert when its official, My home ground is the north sea off Whitby. I have probably been in every port from Portsmouth to Hartlepool, and a few on the other side, but had never been passed Hartlepool untill last year when I did a delivery trip up the coast of Scotland though the Caledonian Canal and down the other side to a little place called Portavady, on a Beneteau 43. Still prefer going south, its very cold up there even in summer. If you look at almost any of the photos or videos of Whitby you might possibly see my little boat, it is moored in the lower harbour next to a cobble called Sea Salt, directly under the Duke of York pub and the 199 steps up to the Abbey.
I'm just getting into sailing got a comfort 30 it's handy to see what does happen but great tips
Much respect for you my friend, it takes a lot of humility to show your down and falls. You learned something new that day which makes you a better sailor. Thanks for sharing 🙏
@@Hermes-t6z Hopefully others will learn. No one shows the bad side of sailing when things go wrong and they do. Was a new boat and a big jump up from my last one so I have no shame. Thanks for watching ⛵️😎
Good thing you were able to catch everything on video. You are now able to review and see exactly everything that went wrong. It's a hard and stress full way to learn but everybody seems ok. Thank you for sharing.
@@tostaky111 It was a new boat at the time and to be thrown in the deep end in these conditions wasn’t ideal. Had I been on my other boat things would have been under control a lot quicker. This was over a year ago and loads of great adventures and off shore passages sailing in 30knots. Great boat and nothing had happened like this since I have sorted out all the rigging and clutter on the deck. Also invested in a very decent life jacket and life lines. Check the follow up vid what caused the jam and the adventures to the Channel Islands. Thanks for watching 👌🏼
That boom flopping in the breeze is super scary. One surprise gust and it’s over you go.
Been there done that, even on a slightly bigger boat squalls can be a nasty surprise.
All the advice about heading down wind rather than up is sound, makes maybe 10knots difference to the apparent wind speed.
In a similar situation (15kn ^ 45kn) part of my rig broke while reefing and I ended up with a torn main sail despite going downwind so you're really not alone in experiencing the best of British sailing weather!
@@petershone1533 The UK weather is unpredictable but the rewards are worth it. Thanks for watching. Only reason why I didn’t run down wind as it would have taken us away from the Mariana and would have missed the tide to get back in as it dries out. Thanks for watching 👌🏼😎
Super easy to comment from the comfort of an armchair in the warm.
Going forwards with no lifeline and no life jacket is just a huge risk. If you had gone overboard what would have happened to your passengers?
What surprises me is that you've sailed before, you had put a reef in, but still didn't put a life jacket/harness on from the start. Those water temperatures are no joke!
Still every mistake is a chance to learn. Looking forward to more content. Cheers!
Hi, I do feel a bit foolish. I guess we all become complacent being on the water and nothing ever happening. I even had my life jacket below. Having gone from a 22 foot to 34 I felt a bit invincible especially only being a stones throw from my home port. I never usually take risks like that when going off shore. Hopefully the content & editing will keep betting better. Thanks for watching. Regards Rob
Engine at full power? Did I hear, Yanmar 29 hp, full power?
Heaving to is a great storm tactic. You were on Starboard tack at the beginning of the video. To get to a hove to position you would sheet the head sail in most or all the way and sheet in the main as you turn more and more down wind to jibe, then ease the main just as you stern crosses the eye of the wind. Tie the tiller or wheel off so the rudder is set to turn up wind on the new (port) tack. Don't touch the head sail, just let remain back winded which will prevent you from tacking and slow you down, sheet the main in enough that it is not luffing. Adjust the main to get the wind on the beam or a little forward the the beam, you will be amazed at how calm it becomes one you are hove to. You can also get in a hove to position by sheeting the jib in most or all the way and tacking, but don't release the jib, just let it stay back winded once your bow crosses the eye of the wind. In the high wind you were in, jibing into the hove to position would have been the better choice. Your main sail was reefed but you had more reef points to further shorten the main sail. You can add additional reefs in the main sail
when hove to. When hove to the more you sheet in the main the more the wind will be forward of the beam which will make reefing while hove to more easy. When the storm calms down, jibe and sail off. -- David "Rick" Upson - Owner of Rick's Small Sailboats LLC, Tallahassee, Florida
Thanks for watching David and excellent advise. Really was the perfect storm given all the issues and unpredicted weather from the forecast. Lots of valuable lessons and luckily it was only an old sail that needed to be replaced which was old anyway 🫡⛵️🌊
Yes, thanks for the video. This is how we learn. Next time this happens, turn down wind to put the jib in the wind shadow or lee of the main. Now the jib EASILY rolls right in, in apparent light air. Now come up, sheet in the main so the boom is under control and furl. I am a US Sailing instructor and taught a lot on very windy San Francisco Bay and offshore. Also used this a lot in the tropics due to sudden violent squalls.
@@roadboat9216 Thank you for this and greetings from across the pond 🤝😎⛵️
Awesome of you to post your experience! Furlers in big winds are known to be problematic, most jibs/Genoas can be dropped the traditional way however.
Buckled sails are fine, flogging bad, not only is it a sail killer, the tracks on mast are trying to be ripped out, battens broken etc. The initial high pinch course you had seemed most settled, boat in control, main backed a little but not flogging etc.
If short lived, go down wind (be extremely careful not to go dead downwind and risk gybing, there is alot of power in the boat!)
Otherwise, set the autopilot to about 20TWA (but by heading), bring traveller up if needed to keep main driving and use engine to assist. You can drop the jib on deck and as you are shy to wind, the jib will drop mostly on deck inside lifeline, go forward and pull it down, elastic/sail tie it and then its just the main. Lazy jacks make this easier, have main halyard ready and flaked, tell autopilot come up 10 or so and smoke halyard, go forward and help it down, lazy jacks keep it contained, sail tie and then motor home.
Wise words! Yes it was settled initially. Screaming wife below took precedence 😂 year on and lots of amazing adventures and experience on this boat. Big jump up from a 22 foot boat 🙏 thanks for watching 👌🏼
I wasn't there.... but I would offer a tip. Once you had de-powered the main and released the main halyard to drop the sail, bringing in the mainsheet and securing the boom would have been a safe thing to do, rather than the boom flailing around with associated lines prior to going forward to retrieve the situation with the headsail. Well done for coping with a difficult situation. It most have been quite stressful.Hope all on board were ok after the event?
Hi yes we’re all good thanks! Hugo was unaware of the situation watching his cartoons down below while dad got a rough ride 😂 . Tightening up the main would have been a good idea but everything happened so quickly. I loosened it off to stop the heeling but should have jumped on it after the main was half down. It was stressful but everything you mentioned has been addressed and lots of new safety gear. I’m a fair weather sailor and have been in some bad situations before but this just took me off guard as the weather report didn’t mention anything of the sort. Thanks for watching !
So glad you and the family are ok. A ripped jib sheet can be replaced.
Im sorry to ask. How have you not seen squall lines of an east coast afternoon thunderstorm in 9 years of sailing. We get hit with those every afternoon in summer around 2pm. You can see the squall line at 0:29 building before sails were hoisted and again getting far closer at 0:38 before wind hit. So glad a jib was all you lost in this. Keep a barometer where you can see if to indicate pressure drop and keep an eye on the sky. Great job getting everyone home safely.
Thankyou for your kind words. I have been hit by squalls a few times but never been hit as quickly, as hard and as sustained as this. If the furling head sail came in this situation wouldn't have been as dramatic with a reef in the main. I could have pulled the sails in quickly. I think there were other factors which lead to this which are all my fault: sailing a new boat and enjoying it so much I wasn't looking at the sky's, also I'm not familiar with the boat as it was the 1st time being out. A bit of confirmation bias having read the forecast and not expecting anything like what happened & generally being unprepared with safety equipment. I have since read on a few forums people do winch the head sail in on bigger boats which is new to me having moved from a 22 foot boat. I'm not proud but hopefully people see how quickly things can change and we never stop learning and ill invest in a barometer. However the boat is fantastic and I felt very safe during the ordeal and everyone has recovered. I watched the Hobart race disaster yesterday (1998) and can only imagine how they felt with 90 Knot winds.
Great video - thanks for putting it up. Always helpful to see when things go wrong. Glad it ended OK.
Hi Toby, yes it all ended well. Was a quick learning curve on a new boat. You will be pleased to know I have done a full refit over the last 4 months and she's back in the water. I'll be leaving to do a. 1000nm to the Channel Islands so keep your eyes peeled in the next few a weeks 🚢😉 thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. All the best Rob
Felicitaciones. Un buen Capitán aprende de sus errores y los asume con humildad.
Yes 🙌 it was a year ago and have had some great adventure now I know my way round the new boat. Big jump from a 22 foot boat 😎 thanks for watching
Wow! Scary. Glad you made it.
@@leaf1131 Thankyou buddy ! Bruised ego 😝 new sail but been a great season going to the Channel Islands and France 🇫🇷 💪
Well I’m glad I posted the vid. I’ve watched some extraordinary sailors get caught out and have things go wrong. Nice vid, cudos for posting
@@timnutting2423 Thanks for watching 👌🏼
Blimey Rob!!!! That was so scary to watchxx glad it all went well in the end❤️
What an adventure. Life jacket .... Wow. You'll never leave without one now. Life lines; same !
Well done for dealing with it as best you could.
And spare underpants !!
Great video, thanks for sharing some honest sailing!
Lots of good advice and thoughts, after the fact. And easier to comment from an admchair.
I think you did great and learned a few good lessons. We've done the same.
We now keep some sails up at all times, just in case the motor doesn't like the stress. And it will be stressed with the turbulence and possible dirty fuel getting shaken off. We also head down wind. It will drop your apparent wind speed a but and with headsail somewhat shaddowed behind main it "should" be easier to furl. Also have hoven to in some nasty wind and waves with success. Try it out in moderate winds before trying for the first time in conditions like this.
Great video, thanks again for sharing!
@@shanegrimm Thanks Shane for the message. This is what it’s about sharing knowledge 👌🏼⛵️😎
Thanks for sharing, this is helpful for everyone, specially for beginner sailors like myself. I went through a very similar experience, including the difficulty of rolling the genoa, with the consequence of the sail torning apart, and also having to go to the bow of the boat without protection. It didn't feel good afterwards… I carried a guilty feeling with me for a while, for I exposed my family to risks and anxiety. But with time I've processed the episode as learning experience, and indeed I took note of several lessons, and I think today I'm a better sailor due this and other not-so-excellent sailing experiences.
@@santiagomoebio Everyone makes mistakes as long as you learn from them. I was extremely complacent. I was sailing in an area I know like the back of my hand, I never take the risks off shore but being so close to home lulled me into a sense of false safety. Make sure you check the follow up video I did on the incident of what caused the jam. Safe to say, it didn’t put me off sailing and I love the new boat 🫡👌🏼 thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a comment.
I’ve been there recently. Weather forecast was great and calm gentle winds of ~15 knots surged to 25-30 then over 35 in less than a few minutes. My big lesson was to never rely on weather forecasts and get better at reading the signs of bad weather squalls to reef well before it’s too late! It’s actually a relief to see I’m not alone in these hard learned lessons. Wishing you safe and happy sailing!
Hi Brad, yes it’s very unpredictable. Where’s your home sailing ground. Sailings been great this year. Really got to know the boat and explored the Channel Islands. All it took was a bigger boat 😎👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ I’m currently sailing out of south western Lake Ontario, though hoping to make my way out west to BC in next year or 2. I’ll be upgrading from my Aloha 28 to something bit larger..
Had a similar incident about a month ago. Second time taking my little 18 foot trailer sailer out and the wind went from 4 or 5 knots to over 20 in about 10 seconds.
I learnt more in the several minutes after, than I did in years of reading and watching TH-cam ha ha.
Brilliant video thanks, even though it did trigger the PTSD from my own experience 😅
Hi Michael, glad you enjoyed the video. To be fair I have never had anything like this happen before, I suppose it’s learning a new boat and sorting out all the little issues that come part and parcel. Make sure you check the follow up video to see the cause! Thanks for watching 😎👌🏼
Always! Not only in high wind condition furl the headsail in the shadow of the main. Also, if the furler is jammed, there is also a halyard. People keep forgetting.
@@borisvonprzybylski1047 Hi boris, what did you mean about the Haylard people keep forgetting? Do you mean dropping the Genoa ? Thanks
Don’t think trying to drop the jib is practical at all with most furlers, especially in those conditions. I have sailed quite a number of yachts with furled jibs and the process to drop them is a slow process in no wind and impossible in any wind. Most furling attachments include an aluminium section with narrow slot that runs the full length of the stay and pulling the sail out of this slot is slow and difficult under most conditions. The only practical layup for dropping your jib easily and quickly is the old fashioned way with jibstay hanks or snap shackles. Personally I like doing it the old way with snap shackles instead of a furler, as I have too many cases of a furler jamming while sailing single handed. In fact on one of my yachts I removed the furling arrangement and went back to the old system for that reason. Yes it’s a hassle having to stow your jib after a sail, but I feel safer.
@EastCoastSailing_ Yes, dropping the Genoa. I have been on racing yachts with furling headsails. Changing the headsail while sailing is a standard procedure. Of course, single handed in strong gusts everything gets harder. But in the end if the furler is jammed there just is no other option. So my advice for a solo sailor is to try and train this procedure in calm condition to be prepared when it counts.
@@borisvonprzybylski1047 amazing, thanks for explaining this 🫡
@@borisvonprzybylski1047
As DuncanFraser writes, forestay alum profile with drum below means the genoa stays there the whole season and unless silicone sprayed beforehand it is very difficult to pull the sail down. Moreover once out of the groove it can spill all over the place and even get under the boat.
In our case EastCoastS didn’t have the boat steady to let him go to the bows for this work anyway.
Famtastic job , you didnt panic 👍. I have furler jam in 25 knots , scarry moent. I drivr around circle ( after dropping main ) and wind wrap headsail around. Experiance.
Yes was quite the experience, always an odd feeling when walking on the windows that are meant to be vertical 😎 came through the other side unscathed and lots of learning. Many thanks
Good on you for putting this out there and for sharing your lessons learned with this video. We've all made mistakes, no matter how much experience you have, we're all still learning something every time we go out sailing. Great video. You've got yourself one new subscriber.
@@boroian8902 🫡 amazing 🤝 I look back as it was a year ago, it was terrible. Everything that could go wrong did. Lots of learning. Check out some of the recent adventures to the Channel Islands. Glad to have you on board, and thanks for watching 🍺
Thank you For Sharing your experience. Wasn’t easy but you done really well and totally agree with your learning outcomes. I don’t even throw a line until everyone has life jackets on and life lines to hand. Well Done on recovering the situations.
@@wildwithwalshe thank you for the kind words and fair winds ⛵️👌🏼😎
I highly recommend running a jackline around your boat, have a HID(inflates if you go overboard)life jacket and tether for everyone on deck for situations like that.
Also practice heaving to. A tiny drum like that of your furler system can more effectively be wound in by hand. Mine has holes on the top of the drum, and I've worked out that I can use a homemade tool to wind it in extreme conditions that no lines can. If you crank it under those severe loads, it will jam, and possibly shear off. If that happens it can easily snap your forestay. Weather radio and apps are your best friend on the water. Stay safe captain!
Hi Kailani, that’s a cool name. Jacklines ordered already and I did another follow up video on the cause of the head sail jam. I have just updated the life jackets to automatic after that with a better buoyancy. Thanks for watching !
@@EastCoastSailing_ I bought my Catalina 30 four years ago and living onboard in Dana Point harbor. I'm only recording basic videos with my phone, but have a bunch of short stuff on, from between San Diego, Newport Beach and Catalina. Planning on rebuilding my diesel and going to the east coast of Australia maybe next year sometime.
Give me a holler if you're ever out this way.
@@EastCoastSailing_ PS I learned to sail when I was around 13-14 y.o. so have a lot of practical knowledge and always learning more
Thanks a lot for sharing. You did very well to recover from the difficult situation. And yes, I agree life jacket with tether is a must, especially if sailing solo.
@@alexkrok8334 yes I don’t leave port without it on and upgraded. Thanks for watching ⛵️😎
Well good that nothing bad came of this. Things went wrong real quick, PFD's before you leave the dock. You could have been in the water quite easily with the chaos on deck.
@@TheArozconpollo Hi yes you’re right 🙏 complacency set in. I Know this area like the back of my hand and it’s fairly sheltered. Combined with a very poor forecast that made no mention of the conditions it really was the perfect storm of errors. Lots of safety improvements and I know the boat very well now I have owned it for just over a year and had some great adventures 😎👌🏼
You did well. You didnt panic but your lessons are spot on. I have been caught out with too much sail out and to my shame no harness on. I wont make that mistake again.
@@petyrkowalski9887 😎👌🏼 I do find wearing a harnesses is a little restricting and gets caught on things but I suppose it’s a small trade off for not going over! Many lessons from this video but a year on I have had some amazing adventures. Make sure you check up on the follow up video that shows what caused the sail jam. Thank you for watching 👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ i will do.. thanks fpr replying. The other big lesson I learnt a long time ago is… no matter what the weather seems like in the harbour or the forecast says, always put more reefs in than you appear to need… including the genoa. Its easier to shake a reef out than to reef in…as we all saw in your video.
Hey brother, sorry you went through that.
If possible, always drop sails for a squall to pass. If not possible or engineless, stressors on the sails can be greatly reduced by pointing close hauled and trimming the sails closer to a reach. You’ll get some luffing and a good amount of healing, but you should be able to sail on.
Fair winds
@@LARIMUS12121 Hi, it’s all good. It was just bad timing, new boat I wasn’t familiar with and conditions that weren’t forecasted. I have had the boat a year now and had some amazing adventures going to the the Channel Islands and just got back from France last week. Great boat now I know how to handle her 😆👌🏼
There doesn't have to be a mainsail up to make it lighter to furl the headsail by going downwind. Headway from the engine will do. But you'd have to use your autohelm
Great lessons, remind me of my first humbeling lesson about wearing a life jacket.
Thank you so much for sharing this is very educational !
Hi thank you for watching and yes I don’t leave port without it. False sense of security being in my home sailing ground I knew like the back of my hand. Glad it happened here and not somewhere I wasn’t familiar with otherwise it would be a different story 🤝⛵️🫡
Lucky it was in calm waters!
@@Durnyful yes, quite protected on the estuary! Thanks for watching 🫡
De wind is like a hand pulling at your sail, while sliding allong it, thats why you have a hard time to roll it in. Its you pulling against the wind force pulling to take the sail allong...
Thanks for the advice, I did a follow up video that explains what caused the jam. Been out in 30knots a few times and haven’t had an issue since the fix 👌🏼🌊⛵️😎
@EastCoastSailing_ Its a good lesson for me to use a normal line. :)
Thankfully you are safe; (the boom nearly hit you). Sailing is somewhat like investing - risk management comes first.
Hi, and thanks for watching, the boom is higher than my head, it’s the camera angle. It was a year ago and lots of learning on this new boat since. And lots of risk management since 😉
Same comment as others. No need to go up wind and increase apparent wind. Just run with it. Auto can steer easier, and the jib can be furled easier.
I think you did an excellent job skipper. You did the best you could. A slightly ripped head sail isn't a big deal. You are alive. that's what mattered. And now you have a story to tell.
Thank you. Yes I have certainly had worse situations at sea when I had a half a foot of water inside the boat 😅 what dosnt kill you makes you stronger. Thanks for watching 👌🏼⛵️
Personally, I would have just hove to, worth practicing. Good luck and thanks for sharing.
Yes it’s on my list to do. Many thanks 🙏
Doing TH-cam sailing training, aka watching sailing channels in abundance, and I'm stoked to come across your channel, and in particular this video. Learned a lot, and subscribed to learn more. 😅
I'm always learning being self taught. TH-cam training is great, but nothing like giving it a go in real life and making mistakes. Its a quick learning curve. Have you brought your boat yet? & thanks for watching!
@@EastCoastSailing_ went from sailboat dreams, to powerboat realities. Used to work 6 months on, 6 off fighting wild fires here in the US. I'm a helicopter mechanic. Now my schedule has changed to 3 weeks on 3 off. So we are gonna do the "Americas great loop" to get our boat fix. I'll eventually go back to fires, and fire season is hurricane season, so we will get 6 months at a go for sailing. But that's a handful ahead of us. But, 6k miles and 17 states should last us a couple years until then.
thanks for this video. Got caught out with a big squall the first time I took my Shipman out. Had reefed and a storm sail up, but the crew really didnt like the heeling.
I understand, that’s why I sail solo most the time, you know your own risk level, only your self to blame, no irate squealing from the wife when the boats only listing 15 degrees. Lots of sea miles since this video a year ago and still learning and keen to learn more. Thanks for watching 😎👌🏼⛵️ fair winds
Happened to me just outside the River Roach. Wind in that area goes all directions. Ripped my Genoa, cost £150 at Lonton Gray just up the road
Thanks for sharing this. We have all been there.
@@stuartmclellan685 Thank you! I just hope it can help someone avoid a similar fait. Thanks for watching 😎
I think you shouldve put the 2nd reef in early. Apart from that you did well. Your lucky to be able to experience this as it will build you for the future.
Thanks for the video. Glad you're
ok and your family
@@integrityprojectsangusmcfa4007 thanks bud, was a year ago and loads of lessons. Had some great adventures in winds like this. Just a big jump going from a 22 foot boat to this. Used to manhandling lines now I have to rely on winches 😎⛵️
Hi Rob
Love the videos and well done for posting this warts and all!
I sail a 35ft Southerly from Wells in Norfolk, sometimes single handed and sometimes with my wife.
We had a similar situation to yours in the Humber, approaching Grimsby. That time I let the sheet go and let the jib flog for too long before starting to furl in. Just like you the furling line jammed. I bound up the jib with sail ties so there was no damage but learned a quick lesson - now whenever I’m about to bring in the jib I make sure the furling line is running free and ready before letting the sheet go, and start furling immediately, and quickly, the second the sheet is loose. No problems since.
Watching your video I was really worried for your head - that boom is heavy and left untethered it could easily kill you - if you have to head into wind get the main sheet in while you are turning and make sure it’s secure - that way the boom can only move a few inches from the center line and can’t hurt you.
And make sure you have winch handles in deck - without them you were having to pull ropes by hand.
But having said all this you got everyone home in one piece and kept smiling throughout, many people could learn a great deal by you sharing this. Had I seen it before going up the Humber I may never have done what I did…
Keep posting!
Hi Chris and Ceri. Thankyou for watching the channel and your reassuring words. Its good to know I'm not the only ones who has suffered a malfunction like this. If it happened on my old boat I would have know what to do instantly. I was lucky the cameras were rolling to capture this situation as it developed. People have a tendency to only post videos of perfect sailing days where our seamanship isn't challenged. Its only through ungraceful encounters people learn how quickly things can escalate. I hope this also provokes people to consider a plan of action of what they would do in similar situations.
I did take the head sail down yesterday where it became apparent that the top swivel that holds the genoa up wasn't pulled taught. As a result the rope had 3 turns around the furling pole which explains why the furling mechanism had so much resistance starting the domino effect.
The boom is set higher than my head, although it looked dangerous, I wasn't at immediate risk. I will invest in a helmet for such days. I was frantically ducking because I thought the mast was about to come down when the audible groaning of the standing rigging.
Just curious but do you normally winch the genoa in or can you manage this by hand on a 35 footer?
I'm just about to push the button on new sails from Jeckells in Wroxham Norfolk :). I have now added a few changes after this video such as 3rd reef. Look forward to seeing you out on the water.
@@EastCoastSailing_ hi Rob the answer to your specific question is that if conditions are bad we would - before letting the sheet go- put the furling line onto a winch with a couple of turns and then in the self tailer. Then pull it in by hand but with it running round the winch all the time - that way if it snaps back for some reason the pain is taken by the winch not your hands and you don’t lose where you are.. And yes we’d winch with a handle if it seemed like the right thing to do at the time - the key is always to be quick - we’ve done it often in 30 knots plus and in works fine when you get used to it
Your new sails from Jeckells will be great I’m sure - lucky you!
@@sailingbluedawn Great advice. Simple things like this make life easier. I bet this would even work tacking in high winds, getting turns on the opposite winch ready to winch as soon as you throw the rope off to stop any line bouncing / tangling. The sails were very tired when we brought the boat and had got quotes before this happened. This has sped up the decision for us :).
That's why I don't have furling head sail. My hanked on sail has down haul leading to cockpit, no need to go forward and it slides down with a few pulls.
@@MrBonito22 yes worth some serious consideration when i upgrade in a few years 😎 thanks for watching ⛵️
by going upwind on full trottle you additioned your boatspeed to the windspeed. Going downwind its the other way round. Also as already other mentiond you can much better roll the genua in in the shade of the main.
@@gutsnobrain Hi. The boat barely made way into the wind as you can see when it was spun round. By having the boat pointed into wind the sails were unloaded. Check out the follow up video of the cause of the furling jam. Thanks
i think you did right by starting the engine and pointing into the wind. Im not sure i would have the fortitude to turn the boat and run while i got control. Yeah big oops not having a jacket on, the inflatables are so comfortable we just always wear them underway. I will be searching out the next video to see what the furler issue was. My assumption is the furler was fine but you had a line jamb between the there and cockpit. Anyway other the the boom keping me on the edge os my seat, nice work.
I since brought a really good life jacket and life lines since. I went for a high buoyancy vest but I think I’ll get a lighter duty one for warmer months coastal sailing as it’s quite bulky. Thank you for watching. 😎👌🏼
I remember one time when i was crossing the Kattegatt Sea from sweden to denmark. I had my genoa and full main up on a beautiful day with 10 knots of wind. I was looking forward when a thunderstorm rolled up behind me. 37 knots hit me, the boat starting heeling more and more and eventually broached. As i was standing on the side of the cockpit looking down into the water i just waited until the boat turned itself towards the wind and stood up. Sails flogging i ran up on deck and ditched the genoa tied it down and continued sailing with the main. No damage, thank god for hank on sails 😂
Yes the systems can come in pretty quickly. All good experience that’s why we go sailing ⛵️ it’s the risk factor we all secretly enjoy
Starting the engine may well increase confidence. However having it in gear raises the potential for some loose end of rope from all that flapping to foul the prop which would definitely make an unpleasant situation considerably worse.
@@morgste Thanks for watching. Not about confidence. It’s a narrow estuary with lots of shallow sandbanks. Couldn’t risk getting pushed onto one with jammed head sails and subsequently tangled lines. Not enough room
to run safely down wind ⛵️👍
agree with others... come about and turn downwind (do not gybe ! ) and keep on a broad reach to gain back control. Stay that course until things stabilize then look at your options. Your boat looks beamy which will help in your situation. Good job under the circumstances.
You can usually see a squall coming, watch the clouds and sea to windward, it should give you a minute or two to prep your sails.
Yes I should have battened down the hatches and prepared quicker for it. Expensive lesson I’ll never repeat 🙌⛵️😎 thanks for watching
Vous avez un peu de casse mais vous êtes resté calme, parfait ! ⛵
bonjour, merci pour vos gentils mots. j'aurais dû être mieux préparé mais tu vis et tu apprends ⛵️😎🫡
@@EastCoastSailing_ vous avez tout à fait raison, c'est l'essence même des marins d'apprendre sur le vif. A bientôt, peut-être un jour, en Bretagne, haut lieu de la voile française.
Bonne navigation à vous !
Was not so bad wind. In those situations, immediately turn in wind! If there is place to go. Then try gently turn in Genoa.
Fighting with wind is last what you should consider.
20Y experience. North Sea, Baltic, Biscay, Atlantic coast, Gibraltar
Thank-you, if the wind can push the go pro back in the mount, it was pretty bad. The geno was jammed, check the follow up video. It was a new boat at the time and had lots of little issues. The Genoa line was slack and wrapped round the furling pole making it difficult to retract. Wet sails, 6 eyelets on the coach roof, winch and pulleys added friction with the added high winds. It made it impossible to retract, winching could have busted the furling hardware. Even when the winds had died off im still pulling at the front with my feet at the pull pits. No issues since and sailed many times in 30 knots. This was a year ago. Thanks for watching.
@@EastCoastSailing_ I'm been there a lot of times 40 kTs and more.
When in Wind, Try to steer that Main sail takes wind away from Genoa.
You had short squall. I'm been in Squall which goes one after another with bad visibility, high waves half an hour.
Another bad situation Stacked Full Genoa and Main sail in race. When you push the limits of boat. I tried to go against wind to get speed and cached momentum to turn in wind. After 3rd try I managed.
My friends done the same single handed. There is no big choice.
If you go against wind then your wind speed is your boat speed and Wind speed added together.
If you go with wind, you can get boat speed higher significantly subtracting wind speed :).
Always, when possible, when things go wrong against the wind, try to go with wind if there is space. It's in learning course of Sailing in extreme situations and weather!
Always remember, when you sail with wind, to add your boat speed with wind speed and add your boat speed when you plan to go against wind!
@@os90q appreciate the information. I’m aware of apparent and true wind. Many factors not obvious in the video. Thin estuary 0.6nm wide. Lots of shallow sand banks, the location is called the River Blackwater Essex. Barely making head ways 2 knots max, run down wind 8 knots so 10 knot difference. Could it have got worse, I didn’t know and wasn’t prepared wait and find out, to run down wind and have the mast taken of, wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take on a new boat that has original rigging. Facing the wind de powered the sails and unloaded the mast. Better I was in control rather than running down wind with a jammed head sail out in full. Also I wasn’t prepared to spend the night on the water unplanned as we only have 2 hours of sailing before our mooring dries out. Running down wind wound have taken us away from port. I appreciate the advice 😎⛵️
@@EastCoastSailing_ happy that everything went well as all on board are safe.
I don't say you do things wrong. We are people and we are doing things like are they is. Question is about what will do next time about our knowledge.
7 feet under the keel
Good advice. You should have a heavy weather plan on every boat and practice using it. Heave-to is a very good option. In most cases, you should be able to fore-reach while heaving-to to keep yourself from a lee shore.
Every boat is different. It may not be your best option to run bare poles with some of today's hull shapes.
Thanks for the tips! I will get on a heavy weather course. Thanks
Well done❤. If you can free the line who lowers the boom, you can use the lazy jack to raise the boom gains the mast and then you could must faster to the front of the ship to role inyou fore sail. But you did a great job. You have sufficient experience and comment since and knowledge to stay secure with your child and wife. Thanks for showing us the thinks you learned. Life line are very important ❤
Thank you for watching. As with anything sailing related, it’s always a steep learning curve learning a new boat and it only needs to happen once for it never to happen again. Make sure you check out the follow up video of what caused it! All the best Rob.
Got,well,nailed . Scary stuff
@@hamishlothian2634 wasn’t fun at the time, especially on a new much bigger boat but loads of learning since then. This was a year ago and plenty of great adventure’s on the boat since this. Thanks for watching 😎
Hello from Australia we also love living on our boat 🥰
Amazing, where about in Australia ? 🇦🇺 thanks
You have to start riffing on time. Exactly when you first think about it! Thanks for the video, it was instructive ❤
I think the storm came suddenly..
Welcome to Tollesbury! I keep my boat here too. Happy to chat through your experience if it helps. A jam on the jib furler is a nightmare even on a nice day! Regular Blackwater sailers have all seen similar conditions. The dark skies give a bit of warning, but not much. However, depending which weather app you’re using, there’s usually a clue about the stability of the air stream. Good luck with this new YT channel.
Thanks Roy, I was at the Salting's for 9 years before moving to the marina. See you on the water!
Thanks for uploading this! it's hard to find video of things going wrong. I like to have a down haul on the main, so I can just pull the sail down without going to the mast. I would also like to note that hank on jibs never have problems like this! (I use a downhaul on the jib too)
Hi Dominic, it’s not my finest sailing but you have to show the rough with the smooth. I was actually thinking about a down haul on the main but wondered if it would be another layer for something to go wrong. I had an externally fed rope from a mast in my old boat and it would swing if not under tension. Once it swung out and around the radar reflector which happened in rough weather as always with these things. Standing on the front of the boat in big waves with a boat hook trying to get the rope back . I am about to press the button on new sails and was considering hanked sails so this didn’t happen again. I do most my sailing single handed so just through it would be more hassle than it’s worth dealing with sail changes on my own. Thanks for watching !
@@EastCoastSailing_ Yes, well a big part of sailing (also mostly single handed) for me, is setting things up to avoid snags. Maybe have downhaul only just long enough to not swing much, tie knot in end and have it go through a cleat. One of the best things about the down haul is you can cleat the sail down - puts the situation under control, not so urgent to tie the bundle down. Also if you halyard detaches from the sail just pull it down, don't have to go up the mast (never happened to me, but it's happened to others)
If you do go to hank on sails, I also reckon consider a reef point in the working jib. I sailed a boat like that recently and it was good. Faster than a whole sail change when the conditions have gotten wild enough for the number 3!
In the first image with you and your son, one can see in the background that the risk of sudden weather change was high. Risky conditions for sailing solo! I only add: when shite like this happens, close the companionway! Cheers!
@@andream.464 the sky looks like that 90 percent of the time here 😂. No squall lines until later on when it was too late. Forecast I include didn’t show anything like u encountered 👌🏼 good advice about the companion way. Wife’s down below 👌🏼
You don’t really understand the power of the wind until you are caught off guard like this. I remember the first time it happened to me where a squall came up very quickly. I could see it in the distance, but the wind got to me before the clouds dead and I was in all at how insignificant my abilities were. I did well in the situation. and you should be thankful that the state was rather calm or it could’ve been a lot worse
Yes, the sea should never be underestimated. It’s the reason why most of us go sailing, the vulnerability we have being at the mercy of mother nature. the risks that make us feel awake ! Thanks for watching 👌🏼
Such a stressful situation.As long as I sail my boat, me and all of my crew are wearing lifejackets, not negotiable. especially inflatable ones don’t really take any space and can save your life. I’m a Coast Guard volunteer in New Zealand, so lifejacket is a no brainer. Tether at night and when the weather turns ugly. Right call to keep any crew members not essential safe inside. Good on you to reflect on your mistakes so we can all learn from it.I didn’t really get it when you mentioned to read the weather from the watercraft.I ripped my Genoa on my 1st sail….😢beautiful boat bro, have fun and stay safe on the water
Hi Antoine, Water craft in sense I should have been looking at cloud formations and known what was about to happen. I was far to reliant on a weather forecast that wasn't accurate. I have been out in gloomy conditions like this before and nothings developed. Some gambles pay off but on this occasion it didn't. I assure you life jackets have been upgraded after this and life lines. I did a follow up video of what caused the jam. Thanks for your services and thanks for watching!
Have a small non furling jib sith a downhaul
never had this problem, because from the very first time I sailed, I kept a constant watch for squalls coming and if anything looked nasty, in went a reef or 2 and off came the genoa. So when the rain and the 40 kt gusts hit, we were okay. You survived, so hopefully you'll remember this for the future!
If you go sailing long enough you will get caught out sooner or later. You can reduce the risk reading the sky but it came in very quickly. Between the opening video and the squall was about 30 minutes and no indication on Met weather of the impending winds. I don’t rely on forecasts and like I said in the video rely on water craft like you mentioned looking at the skies, seeing any lulls in the wind and reducing the sail much earlier and haven’t had a problem since and been to some amazing places sailing in 30 knots regularly. Thanks for watching
@@EastCoastSailing_ Delos (for instance) has been sailing for a very, very long time. Nothing remotely like this ever happened to them. There are reasons for that that everyone should learn from.
@@winstoncat6785 I enjoy editing videos and if I wanted to portray my self as an expert, I could easily edit my videos to do so by cutting out the bad and the ugly parts of sailing. How would to know the channel you mention never run into difficulties, do you think they would post it for you to see? Read the comment from other sailors about the area and the same thing happening. It’s not isolated. Thanks
@@winstoncat6785 great thing about sailing is you only make the mistake once and never again. Costs too much money to replace parts like sails but it could have always been worse. Many miles under my belt since this vid came out she. I just purchased her and replaced loads of parts on the boat. Hopefully that’s evident in the recent videos I have put up. Thanks for watching.
Channel 16... will give you regular expected fronts coming in albeit you will have to change to thr designed forecast channel allowing you time to reef or take all sails down and motor home.
@@trojanx2006 👌🏼 thanks
Thanks for posting this learning, very insightful.
No worries, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Turn downwind let the jib fly forward of the forestay to safely and easily furl it, leave the main central to avoid a crash jibe and drop the halyard on the main steer to wind and bag it as quick as you can. You have crew should have got them to drop the halyards for you and keep jib sheets untangled for furling
Yes, very good advice. This was a year ago and haven’t had anything like this since. Thanks for watching. ⛵️👌🏼
Nice job showing this raw.Lots of mistakes is how I learn.You musta learned a lot from this experience.
@@Mike-tj2oo yes lots of lessons, biggest one is don’t rely on the forecast from met weather and only use windy app, never had an issue since. Check the follow up video of what caused the jam. Plenty of great adventures now a year on from this experience. Really was the perfect storm of being out in unexpected conditions in a new boat I wasn’t familiar with but it really is a great boat. Thanks for watching. 👌🏼
Have you thought about adding a "boom brake" for safety? I always appreciated having one (kept the boom from flipping port to stbd or vice versa).
@@billroberts9182 haven’t heard of one before I’ll have a read up. Normally just pull the sheet in tight but didn’t want to risk it catching the wind and turning the boat round as I was hardly making way on the engine until things died down a bit. Thanks for watching 😎
@@EastCoastSailing_ You won in the end! The boom brake just keeps the boom from flipping port to starboard or vice versa. I think there are many people who have been accidently thrown off of the boat or end up with head trauma maximus. I've been there before!
Good video .glad you all are safe
Thank you, yes we’re all good. Hope it helps others to realise how quickly things change 👌🏼😎 fair winds
@EastCoastSailing_ yes we all learn from these situations...can happen to anyone
In the circumstances and your experience you did the correct thing, start the engine, keep her head into the wind and let the sails get on with it, the sails are replaceable. Keep away from the boom, they kill people and knock them overboard. Do not turn down wind with the main stuck up there, it will go against the standing rigging, you will be traveling to fast. It could overload the mast and bring it down, also you could broach, believe me it is that easy to lose control in those circumstances. Squalls by their nature don't last that long, just keep sailing upwind feathering the sails to stop then flogging to much, and keeping headway until the squall passes trying not to do an involuntary tack..
@@fredjones7307 Fully with you on this reply👌🏼 funny the amount of comment saying to run down wind with a stuck head sail fully out. Would rather save the mast by taking the loading off it. Can hear the steel cables creaking by the go pro. Thanks for watching 😎⛵️🫡
@@EastCoastSailing_ When you run downwind, the apparent wind decreases, which reduces the stress on the rigging. When you get to about 130 or 140 degrees off the wind, the mainsail blankets the foresail. It becomes very easy to roll in the foresail. With the autopilot to assist you, this can be done single-handed without much trouble, I've done it many times in strong winds. As mentioned in another comment, the furling mechanism was likely jammed because the foresail was flogging after you turned upwind and dumped the sheet.
Happy sailing!
@@PatrickFaurot thankyou. I did a follow up vid on the cause of the jam. Fair winds
@@EastCoastSailing_ yes I watched your follow up vid, but I'm not convinced by your analysis. Even with the halyard wrapped around the forestay, the swivel is not blocked, as evidenced by the fact that you were able to roll up the genoa when you went to the foredeck! As you mentioned, the wind had reduced and you bypassed the friction in the system, but if the halyard had been jamming the furler, you wouldn't have been able to roll up the genoa!
@@PatrickFaurot no it got stuck and couldn’t roll it up any more and I’m twisting the drum. Not wet lines going through 6 fairleads and 2 pulls and a winch. Have t had a problem since ? Nothings changed.
my friend, more than anything it seems that you still have some problems coordinating the maneuvers on the boat. The weather conditions you found yourself facing were nothing so extreme. You will see, with time you will learn to face even "sudden" strong winds with ease. Practice goes a long way
@@andreazanda8139 if you watched the whole video, it was a new boat the 1st time taking it out. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be operating a new boat flawlessly after jumping up from a 22 foot boat especially in the conditions. This video was a year ago and just come back from an amazing adventure from the Channel Islands sailing in 30 knots multiple days covering 600nm. Cant judge everyone’s ability from one bad video thanks
Very good video, great to have learnings from any experience, I agree 1st you should have been wearing a pfd and had a tether to hand , the one piece of advice I have is that you shouldn’t have had your Genoa fully extended when your main was reefed, if you even had one turn it wouldn’t have jammed , if you had a crew it wouldn’t have been a problem and of course you had the extra stress of your passengers, you did what you could it’s easy to find fault and we have all been there !
@@jtraynor3129 Thankyou, check out the follow up video I did of the cause. Been a great boat since sorting all the niggles out ⛵️😎
@@jtraynor3129 yes, to all the learning the amount of sail I had out should have been less. had some great sailing this season and great adventures. Can’t wait for my next big trip shortly. Many thanks for your input. These kind of replies are what’s needed to bring people into the sport. 👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ I should have explained for others the reason I say keep a turn on the headsail, it allows you to turn the drum in the opposite direction if the fuller jams, of course I learned this the hard way and it took more than once to learn this lesson 😅 I also have a downhaul on my main to second reef , it can help get the main under control in gusts when solo, I’m looking forward to going through the rest of your videos I think you have a great attitude about showing where stuff goes wrong and not just showing the cool stuff 😎
@@jtraynor3129 new one out in a couple of days! Just needed a breather as it takes a lot of time to edit 😎⛵️🤝
Nice video. Lots of things to learn from it. I would definitely have secured the boom before going to the genoa.
Yes you’re right,I should have secured the boom. Think I was trying to save what was left of the fore sail at that point 😂 thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing. I believe that as long as the forecast isn’t under a steady shiny 10 knots, you should be prepared for the worse, meaning wearing a life jacket and a harness, and have your boat always tidy and ordered. The fender should never have been where it was, and other things you had to move away to cope with this situation.
Lastly, I’m not happy seeing you going to the foredeck unattached with a young kid onboard. Had you fallen in the water he would have been drifting away.
Hi, very true. I used the fender as a booster seat to see over the roof, the wooden seat slats were removed immediately after this. Hangover from the previous owner. My wife was onboard also and both her and Hugo had their jackets on. Appreciate the comment many thanks.
@@EastCoastSailing_ it’s always when you think nothing’s gonna happen that shit does. This summer I broke a toe slipping on the boat while I’m always the one yelling at everyone they should wear shoes 😂
@@sodune7590 😂😂😂 yeah I know the feeling. I honestly thought judging by the forecast it was going to be a chilled potter about, only use windy app after that. Fair winds 😎🤝
When you see a sky like that, you gotta assume some funny business is about. Just my .02. You handled it like a champ.
Thank you. I watched the video the other day and had to laugh, it was bad. Made a lot of improvements since. And thanks for watching 👌🏼😎
You're also very lucky none of those lines hit the water which would most definitely wrap around the propeller!
Very true!
The sea is a harsh teacher. Best wishes.
Thank-you and i won’t be making any of those mistakes again. Steep learning curve 👌🏼
trust me not a condescending statement. Been slapped down a couple times my self.@@EastCoastSailing_
When sailing singlehanded an autopilot that keeps your boat on course is a big bonus.
Just saying like all other keyboard heroes….
I used to go sailing with my dad and hope to go back to sailing; there is my Laurin Koster 28 in my garden waiting for a refit!!
Fair winds to you (but not too much of it…)
Thumb+subscription, greetings, Henk, the Netherlands.
Hi the boat has autopilot, works very well, on this occasion could barely make way into wind with engine on full, vid shows the boat getting spun to the left with fully steering to the right. You cannot rely on autopilot in those conditions only hand steering until it calmed down. Fair winds and thanks for watching
That happen to me also, tore up my sails.
Luckily the sails were 17 years old. Was hoping to get at least a season out of them 😅 Always happens at the worst times. Quirks of sorting out a new boat. Thanks for watching
Sheet the main all the way and then point up into the weather as tight as you can
@@keithsims1774 Thanks 🙏 sound advice 👌🏼😎
With the main fully sheeted, let’s hope the boat doesn’t round up suddenly for a potential knock down. Just a thought.
It's always better to go downwind,also never roll out all the Genoa furler, leave at least one turn of sail unfurled ,this will reduce the momentum.
Oh yes: get a good look at windy or other weather app... before you go
@@MikeTarifaArtist Hi, weather forecast was checked as any sailor would do. If you watched the full video a screen shot was included of what was forecasted, no mention of this. Thanks
Самое главное, что смог рассказать об этом и сделал правильные выводы. К сожалению большинство людей это не воспримут, пока не пройдут через это сами - такова современная реальность.
Yes it’s a learning curve everyone will go through at some point, things break, nothing ever goes to plan and you can’t control Mother Nature 👌🏼😎 fair winds from England 🏴
my first response would be to get in the wind and tighten the boom straight above the boat. Making it much easier to drop the sail. Is that something you thought about?
Hi, have you ever watched the miracle on the Hudson, how they say to captain sully he should react quicker, he should have done this and that? very easy to say what you should do observing through a phone, another situation where it’s real life. Getting the boat upright was my primary concern for my wife and son below and mast and sails are secondary to that. Thanks for watching.
I dont know much about sailing, but it looked like the weather was coming in, never mind instrumentation, use your eyes, you should have noticed that. Anyway that said i must commend you for putting out this video, publicly sharing you mistakes can not be easy, so well done for that, i do hope you wont get caught unaware of approaching bad weather again.
@@shaungillingham4689 hi Shaun, system wasn’t there at the beginning of the video ? Came in 30 minutes. No chance to out run it and not mention on the forecast which I included a screen shot. Thanks
@@EastCoastSailing_ yes it easy for me to say & captain Hindsight is always right lol, im glad it wasn't any more serious, good luck a fair weather on your future endeavours.
@@shaungillingham4689 thank you and good luck on starting out sailing ⛵️
You should immediately GET RID OF ALL SAILS ASAP!
2 cool stories in 1 night. Your really on one
There are old sailors and bold sailors. You had zero awareness of weather (sailing 101) you are lucky AF.
@@jaysparc Hi Jay, weather came down very quick. System wasn’t there at the beginning of the video. And not indicated on any forecast what ever happened we were going to be in it. Thanks
Question from a noob - wouldn't it have been a good idea to secure the boom from swinging as that swinging freely would be the most likely to knock you over board or unconscious when back turned? I guess so much going on, hard to have a clear focus outside of getting the head sail down. Well done in end! (and thanks for honest sharing!)
@@StephanParry Hello, the boom is higher than my head, just the camera angle makes it look closer. Could pull the boom in tight but would make it difficult to lower the main down even pointing the boat into wind, the plastic inserts to the mast holding the sail on were highly loaded which meant the sail wouldn’t come down easily. You would never be spot on pointing into the wind relying on an auto tiller. Having the boom Slack means the booms always down wind. Also the boat wouldn’t stay pointed into the wind even with the engine on full. If I had a tight main and was spun about which happens in video then the boat would be on a serious lean again while I was up on the front trying to sort the main. As soon as I retrieved the Genoa in I tightened it up. Hope it makes sense. Thanks for watching 🫡
That is not right! Always secure the boom! If the boom hits you when you walk onto the foredeck, and the wind shifts, you might get hammered down your boat without a lifejacket, and leaving your kid alone on the boat. This would have been a Desaster! If you have your boom fixed in the middle position, and you can’t put your main down, there might be the wrong angle of the boom, or you might have the wrong sail. Also you have to lubricate the sliders. If I lower my main, I just let the halyard go, and it falls down.
Cheers mate
@@masterp6062 my sons not on his own, my wife is on board below…. Screaming of course 😂! They were both wearing life jackets and she knows how to steer and use the radio thanks 🙏
Awesome vid, thanks for being brave enough to post it. I do some single handing myself so I get it. 3 thoughts if I may. 1 - It would have been waaay better to hold course and just de-power the sails a little rather than round up and have everything flog. Apart from anything else, the noise makes everything so much scarier. 2 - try pulling the furling line along its own length rather than around a turning block that adds additional friction. For me this means sitting in the pushpit seat where the angle is best. It that doesn’t do it, I winch. 3 - the engine revs didn’t help you here. It just added boat speed which also added wind speed. The engine feels like a security blanket in times like this but can often make things worse.
Biggest lesson of all - just take a moment before leaping into action. A lot of what you did actually made things worse and your situation more dangerous. I consciously try to slow myself down at times like this, remembering that all the good sailors I know manage to stay calm.
I should add, I love your videos. Sailing is the best, and your adventures inspire me.
Hi Ben, thanks for this and the comment at the end. I’m sure you have seen the progress and improvements in sailing over the last year if you’re following the adventures. It’s a big jump up from a 22 where I could muscle my way out of situations but I admit defeat and winches must be used. I get what you’re saying about the winch adding friction in those winds fingers would go missing holding the line directly flogging. I should have included an image of where i was very shallow and narrow. I couldn’t chance drifting off course and landing in the bank. Only 0.6nm. As for the engine it was adding barely any speed. I was turned around at one point. Even the 29hp yanmar wasn’t able to make way. Everyone has different ways of dealing with things but my priority was making sure the mast didn’t come down. I don’t have that kind of money to pay 15k. The sails were old 18 years and we’re on the list to change. Fair winds 😎👌🏼
@@EastCoastSailing_ yes massive progress and improvement. Loved the Alderney trip, I haven’t yet crossed the channel solo so enjoyed watching that.
I’ll be putting up the return crossing in the next couple of days. Didn’t want to upset the algorithm as this video has gone mad in the last week. Had 28knots after flat calm and things were lively. Where’s your home ground? Try crossing the Channel in a narrower section. I started of doing the Thames Estury, then. Built up to Ramsgate to Gravelines in France. Only 6 hours across. Great introduction to being off shore and dealing with the busy shipping lanes 🫣
@@EastCoastSailing_ home port is Plymouth. We’ve been to scilly and also across to Channel Islands and St Malo. Just watched you on sark which brought back good memories!