The earplug thing is quite insightful. The noise factor definitely affects how you react to everything else. Good idea. On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 4:27 PM, Daniel Rich <danielgrich@gmail.com> wrote:
Hey, I'll bite. I'm not David, who has more experience, but I do sail to windward all the time in fairly high winds, and got some very good advice from international expert Howard Rice.
The M15 gets its drive from the main. So, reef the main early. If you don't know how to heave to, it is easy to learn that maneuver, and you can easily reef under way. I have 2 reef points. Put the first reef in around 12-14 knots. Put the second in around 15-17 knots. Make sure to have at least one board in the companionway in case you get wet.
The M15 gets a fair amount of weather helm. It is really reduced with the reefing. Now, when the wind gets up, absolutely sheet the jib down hard. It seems counter intuitive that doing that helps. After all, a filled jib reduces weather helm. But it turns out that doing that helps depower, and it also makes the slot so that you backwind the main a touch, which also helps depower. Trust me on this. Cleat the jib down hard. This was great advice from Howard, and I have tested it. It helps.
Wear gloves. Stay warm. Another thing that can help believe it or not is ear plugs. When it gets nutty, some of the intensity factor is the noise. It is amazing how things calm down if you reduce the sound!
Don't forget that you can heave to and take a break.
Finally, you can drop the jib. Do that last. The boat just can't go to windward well without it. I do not have a storm jib. And, I would not want to go forward to change it anyway in a blow.
Hope this helps.
Daniel M15 #208 Kestrel
On 4/1/2013 10:19 AM, David Gilroy wrote:
Dear David,
Being as how I am new to owning a M-15, I find your experience highly instructive. Would you please expand on your opinion of how to sail to weather in high winds.
Best regards, David Gilroy, new owner of Connie's m-15
Sent from my iPhone