Michael, Thanks for the posting. Being able to experiment under strong conditions is great experience. "Good weather makes poor sailors". Beware of any obstructions astern if you already have the rudder hard over. It will have no place to go and some part of it could be damaged. Fair winds, Tom B <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=oa-2200-c> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=oa-2200-c> <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sat, Apr 9, 2016 at 6:50 AM, Michael Murphy <paulaandmike48@gmail.com> wrote:
A crossroads community of less than a dozen houses Newfoundland has a surprisingly good ramp. With a front wheel drive vehicle I’m normally wary of dirt ramps but I stopped at the near-by pool hall/bar/Post Office/barbecue place & learned that it was steep and deep. With a tongue extension it was possible to keep the vehicle on flat ground and easily float the M-15. The weather wasn’t the best but if you wait for perfect weather you don’t go sailing much.
Finding low winds in the sheltered waters near the ramp I sailed off under full main and jib expecting to reef and perhaps change headsails later. Later was less than 2 miles downriver the Little Alligator widens from a width of 100 yards to 1/3 mile and I put a 1st reef in. Another ½ hour I put in a 2nd reef and was still sailing at 4.5 -5.0 knots.
I usually heave-to under a backed jib but in some situations (like narrow rivers) the amount of fore-reaching the boat does is a problem. Since I already had 2 reefs in I decided to see how the boat handled under the main alone. I had successfully hove-to once before with the tiller tied slightly a-lee as some books suggest but couldn’t easily replicate a stable condition.
Dropping the jib, raising the CB, and ignoring the tiller, the boat sailed itself across the wind at 0.9 knots which worked better than tying the helm slightly to the lee. In the 16 knot winds I had expected the boat to round up with only the mainsail. However, with a doubled-reefed, tightly sheeted mainsail the center of effort appeared to be right in the middle of the boat. As the hull slipped across the water it created a slick that interrupted on-coming waves.
In gusts the increased slippage caused the tiller to be pushed a little to leeward. As long as I kept my weight centered the boat generally, but not always, kept its course. A more consistent heave-to was possible with the tiller completely lashed over. At an acute angle it failed to steer and acted like a drag. The heading improved a little, boat speed dropped., and the course was more stable.