Sounds like similar conditions to the lakes I've mostly sailed on... Just to add, you'll start to get used to how the gusts come and the wind direction changes at the start of a gust, after some time just paying attention on 'your' lake. Also how the prevailing winds bend with shape of lake, surrounding terrain, etc. and how close to shore you can go before land & trees start to affect the wind. Same here as for Alex's location, the first portion of the gust is normally strongest and then it drops a bit, holds for some amount of time, and then drops back to 'not a gust' (all rather relative, but it makes sense once you sail in it enough). Also the first part of gusts here normally comes more from ahead, meaning, more on the bow, if you're already close-hauled. It's as if you suddenly turned upwind a bit and everything luffs - but you didn't turn at all, just the leading edge of the gust has a different direction. I look forward to someday in future sailing my M17 somewhere I don't have to trim anything for, say, a whole five minutes! So ditto the part about a couple hours in blustery choppy conditions is plenty, especially when one is still getting used to it. If you're lucky, back to your mooring/slip is not always upwind..for me it is, in normal prevailing winds. In that case, factor that in to your plan for each outing...it will take a spell of tacking and close-hauled sailing to get back 'home'. cheers, John On 9/8/22 15:40, Alex Conley wrote:
We sail on a rather windy mountain lake prone to hard gusts and rapid wind shifts, and I'll second all that's been said here. In some ways the M15 is the best of both worlds- she is super responsive to helm and sail trim like a light dingy, but with the solidity of a larger boat once she's pushed over a bit. Her responsiveness means she can be initially scary in a breeze to folks not used to her- but its also what makes her a fun and absorbing boat to sail (let the others bob about in heavier boats around with too little sail up trying not to spill their drinks...). I will say that when it is gusty and shifty, an hour or twos sailing can be plenty, and that upwind in a chop she can be a wet boat (wet feet too)- we're lucky to have a quiet dock we can retreat to when wind and waves and constant attention and splashes in the face are enough. So specific thoughts- most just consolidating what others already said: 1) Sail trim is huge- tighten the halyards, down haul, boom vang (if you don't have one, get one) and especially, out-haul to flatten sails as the wind picks up. Rig an out-haul with some purchase that can be adjusted while sailing and use it (tighter as wind is up and headed upwind- loosen as wind drops and/or off the wind). Learning how to tweak sail shape makes a huge difference but is often ignored by casual sailors 2) With flat sails, the M15 does a great job of feathering (depowering when going upwind by sailing just a little closer to the wind than where you would in a lesser breeeze). Set the slot between the jib (sheeted pretty tight) and main so the front third of the main is backwinded but the sheet is still tight, let the windward telltale on the jib lift a bit (if you don't have jib telltales, get em and learn to use em- one of the cheapest big improvements you can make!)- there's a magic spot where the forces shift from pushing you over and tugging on the helm to surging you forward, the bow biting into the waves, you making microadjustments to keep in the sweet spot- those are the moments I dream of when bent over this computer mid-week- 3) Learn to read the water and anticipate puffs and the direction they'll come from- anticipate lifts and headers and steer accordingly, and depower in anticipation of puffs, knowing (at least on our lake) they tend to hit hardest right off then ease off a touch. Use your body weight- not just to flatten the boat when needed (but not too early- the M15 sails best at a moderate angle of heel where wetted area and waterline beam are reduced), but also to move your weight forward and lift that fat stern. With 2 to 3 aboard, as the wind rises she sails best with one person in the standing in companionway (and not just cause less water fills the cockpit from the drain then) 4) Reef when it gets uncomfortable (if the tiller is really fighting you, and you have to pull it hard to windward to sail straight, you'll probably sail faster and easilier with a reef in- look aft and you can see all that drag/turbulence on the rudder is slowing you down). Also read up on adjusting the mast rake for a well balanced helm- a few inches of rake can really change how the boat feels- and when set right, the boat will round right up and depower if you drop the helm but not fight you unnecessarily. 5) Pay attention to all the above about sail trim when you reef too- and make sure the after reefing line is pulling from an angle that pulls the reef cringe aft as well as down, so that you can get the foot of the main tight tight. Baggy sails are not your friend when it blows. 6) My wife loves "Baby jib", an 85% heavy weather jib- not only does it reduce sail area, it reduces the flapping mayhem and amount of muscle needed sheeting the jib when it is blowing, really reducing her fear of tweaking a bad shoulder. A second reef is also great even if you don't use it a lot- when things are rollicking with a reef in you have the security of knowing you can always calm things down- so if you don't have a second reef now and face high winds often, start dreaming about a new set of sails (old sails also don't hold their shape as well, making them baggy even when tightened- and baggy sails aren't your friend). I like the balance of the boat best with the regular jib (Bubba jib now)- but if hanking on baby jib instead means my wife is smiling as we round the point into a lake full of whitecaps, I'm all for it! 7) I find the M15 a joy the sail upwind in a blow- and well behaved on a beam reach or below- but close reaching in gusty/shifty winds can feel unnerving due to the way the sails fill quickly (and the mast moves forward) without a backstay. Just pick your course accordingly and ease off in a controlled manner! 7) Get comfortable heaving to in a breeze- sometimes when its getting unnerving, just resting hove too for a minute or two gives everyone a change to collect themselves. Anyway, enough of this distraction from work and the overly long missive it resulted in- Jerry, thanks designing such a great sailor's sailboat- she's put a lot of smiles on our faces!
Alex
On Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 9:56 AM <casioqv@usermail.com> wrote:
I have knocked down my M15, and it stands right back up on it's own quickly, especially if you release the mainsheet. The boat cannot be capsized by strong winds- once the sails are in the water they're out of the wind and the boat won't go over any further. When this happened with my friend and I onboard in the California Delta, it wasn't really a scary experience, the boat still felt in control and we were having a fun time, but quickly reduced sail afterwards.
Going downwind you can sail on the main alone, but upwind you must always keep it balanced. I highly recommend a smaller size heavy weather jib plus a deep 2nd or 3rd reef point if you plan to regularly sail in heavy winds. My M15 can still go to windward on the windiest days in San Francisco bay using this configuration. Unfortunately, I have not found a way to easily change headsails single handedly, but with someone at the tiller to sail slightly upwind on the main alone, going forward is okay.
Singlehanded reefing is pretty relaxing, and can be done slowly and carefully even in the strongest wind once you are hove to, with the reefing line side of the boom facing upwind. I really recommend a WaveFront Marine tiller clutch to make this easier. Also, I don't recommend running lines to the cockpit if your boat doesn't have it already. It's easiest and safest to stand in the companionway for reefing, and you can easily reach halyards on the mast this way.
Sincerely, Tyler
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