Heavy weather

Preparing for heavy weather

Look ahead, secure, reef — before it gets serious.

Heavy weather begins with the preparation, while it is still calm:

• follow the weather, weigh up shelter or harbour against sea room.
• get the boat ready: hatches and seacocks closed, loose gear secured, bilge pump checked.
• crew: warm waterproof clothing, lifejackets and harnesses on, jackstays rigged.
• reef early, prepare a hot meal and drinks, take precautions against seasickness.

Acting early leaves you the strength and the overview for the worst of it.

See alsoReefing · Lifejacket & harness · Marine weather forecast · Storm canvas

Storm canvas

A small, low sail area for control.

In a storm the sail area is reduced sharply and the centre of effort kept low and amidships: a deeply reefed main or a storm trysail instead of it, plus a storm jib. The aim is not speed but steerage and balance, without overloading the boat or letting her heel out of control.

See alsoReefing · Heaving to · Running before it

Heaving to

Bringing the boat to rest and drifting slowly.

To heave to, the jib is backed (against the wind) and the helm put to windward; the deeply reefed main balances her. The boat comes almost to a standstill, drifts slowly to leeward at an angle and leaves a smoothing slick to windward that takes some of the force out of approaching seas. Heaving to brings calm on board — to catch your breath, eat, navigate or ride it out, provided there is enough sea room to leeward.

See alsoRunning before it · Riding it out: which tactic? · Sea anchor & drogue

Running before it

Running with the sea — keeping the speed in hand.

Running before it means the boat runs off with wind and sea. That eases the rig and the crew, but it demands active steering: take the waves slightly on the quarter to avoid broaching and griping up into the wind. If the boat gets too fast, or threatens to bury her bow in the wave ahead, slow her with trailed warps or a drogue. Running before it needs plenty of sea room to leeward.

See alsoHeaving to · Sea anchor & drogue · Riding it out: which tactic?

Sea anchor & drogue

Holding the boat to the sea, or slowing her down.

A sea anchor is streamed from the bow and holds the boat bow-on to the sea — she drifts only slowly. A drogue, by contrast, is towed from the stern; it slows the boat when running, keeps the stern to the sea and steadies her against broaching. Both need strong tackle, well secured and protected against chafe.

See alsoHeaving to · Running before it

Breaking seas & broaching

The real danger in a storm.

It is not the wind alone but breaking waves that are dangerous in a storm — especially in shallow water, over bars, or with wind against tide, where seas become steep and break. If a breaking sea strikes the boat beam-on, she risks broaching or being rolled. That is why you keep the boat bow-on or stern-on to the sea (heaving to, running off, sea anchor or drogue) and avoid shallow, tide-swept areas.

See alsoSea state & swell · Heaving to · Running before it

Riding it out: which tactic?

Sea room, sea state and the state of the crew decide.

The choice of storm tactic depends on the situation:

• Heaving to — when there is enough sea room to leeward and the crew needs rest; good in moderate heavy weather.
• Running off — when the sea becomes too high to lie to, there is plenty of sea room to leeward and active steering is possible.
• Sea anchor or drogue — when sea room is short or the crew can no longer keep going.

There is no single recipe: hull type, wave pattern and the exhaustion of the crew decide what works best.

See alsoHeaving to · Running before it · Sea anchor & drogue