Storm Tactics Q & A

In your (absolutely fabulous!) Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia, you talk on page 46 about using a "Fortress to back up the Bruce in a hurricane" Would you link the Fortress to the Bruce via a chain trace? if so, what sort of length would you use? or would you run the Fortress on a completely separate chain back to the bow (with the risk of the chains winding around one another)? This is important to me because we have both anchors, plus a delta on our Fisher 32, and may be going into the tropics next year. Whilst we would aim not to be there in the cyclone season, I won't go until I know what to do if we get one!

I will be very grateful for your suggestions. Best regards, Stuart

Hi Stuart: My preference would be to use the anchors separately. This way you have some freedom for moving the boat away from danger - perhaps somebody drifting down onto your present position.

While the issue of twisting the rodes around each other is not to be lightly dismissed, you will typically have a pretty good feel for how the winds will vary during the storm and set the hooks accordingly.

Using two anchors on a single rode is typically done when you are leaving the boat unattended. The easiest way to do this is to shackle a short chain rode off the fluke of the Fortress to the head of the Bruce.

Lets hope this discussion stays theoretical! - Steve Dashew

Most catalogs show drogue requirements are based on size/length of the boat. We have an 8,000 lb., 36-foot catamaran. Wouldn't the weight be more of a factor than the length in determining the proper size? -Roger

Hi Roger: This is a tough question - one about which the data is sparse and that from manufacturers somewhat biased in one direction or the other. We are just finishing a book on heavy weather tactics ("Surviving the Storm") in which we have a great deal of data on this subject. In general I think you can say the following: 1-Windage and/or hull area for waves to grab hold of is the first factor, rather than weight. These are typically size related, but not always. You could have a 35-foot cruising cat with a lot more windage than a 60-foot racing cat. 2-Once a wave has started to accelerate your vessel, the issue becomes displacement as it is the weight times speed which creates the load. The type of device which is appropriate is a far more complex question, one which is based on the structural integrity of your cat, the buoyancy of the hulls, and type of fins (i.e. if you have fixed keels or removable boards). The book will be out towards the end of November and we'll be starting to post excerpts on setsail.com in the next week or ten days. Good Luck - Steve

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I enjoyed your book Surviving the Storm very much - essential reading - but wonder about how much is possible at night when visibility is poor. Perhaps the sea anchor is needed here, especially if shorthanded. A chapter on methods for retrieving a man overboard would be useful.

Yours Sincerely, Bruce C.

Hi Bruce: Funny thing about heavy weather (or any sailing for that matter) at night. You often have pretty good visibility. Also, a great deal of what you need to respond to can be felt, rather than seen, which is true in the daytime as well.

However, there are no magic bullets in storm tactics and you need to be ready to adopt a different approach to the storm as requirements change - that's one of the things we are trying to get across in the book.

The worst blow we've been in was off Cape Hatteras - I believe we talk about this in the book - and the majority of it took place at night.

However, we could always see the waves as they were breaking, and if we were not looking, you could feel the leading edge start to lift the stern, and, of course, hear the roar of the crest.

Regarding man overboard, we cover this procedure in great detail in our new book (Practical Seamanship - Essential Skills for the Modern Sailor), which should be out in the next few months. - Steve Dashew

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Dear Steve & Linda: I have a NONSUCH 30, and would like to know if you have any comments about modifying your storm tactics for a catboat rig. The large forward mast makes it nearly impossible to stay into a heavy wind...and heaving-to is not an option. At anchor, as would be with a sea-anchor, the boat wanders at right-angles to a heavy wind. While I thankfully haven't had to try it in heavy seas, I have found that anchoring off a stern corner keeps the boat headed downwind pretty steadily...of course it causes extra windage, and makes the cockpit area a wet and windy place. I am eagerly looking forward to studying your book...overcoming anxiety is worth a lot in being able to think through a stressful situation...and your spouse having greater confidence in you and the boat is PRICELESS!

Hi Byron: Between the wide beam of your boat, and all of that windage on the bow, I'm not sure there is a "proper" answer for heavy weather. You might think about - and experiment with - some form of drogue off the stern. Perhaps a Jordan Series Drogue, but you would have to make sure the cockpit had big drains and the companionway was heavily built as you'd probably have breaking seas sweeping you from the stern. Another approach that might be worth a try would be to fly some sail area off the stern. Maybe a free-flying riding sail, using the main halyard (I assume you have no standing backstay). You could test this out by borrowing a storm jib from a 30-footer (or thereabouts), tacking it to the stern, hoisting it with the main, and sheeting it hard to somewhere on the boom. If this helps to settle the boat down at anchor, then it will also help if you are lying to a parachute. Keep in mind that not all boats are good for heavy weather - in fact most are not. The design/construction tradeoffs are made for the way they are used 99% of the time - and there is nothing wrong with this approach - as long as you understand the limitations, and are cautious with when and where you sail. If you find a good solution, let me know. Steve

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I received Surviving the Storm for Christmas, and have found it to be a very informative and useful book. It is great that you provide specific advice on what to do in different situations. You also inspire a great deal of confidence in the boat - that most modern boats will survive if the crew is careful.

I do have a couple of questions. How do you maintain active tactics like running off or heading up into large waves when 1) you are shorthanded with a husband and wife only on board and/or 2) it is night and you can't see the waves coming? Regards, Hank

Hi Hank: You've hit the two bottom line questions on the head. While these are covered in some detail in the book, and there are no easy answers, here's what we think:

1. At night, even under the blackest of conditions, you can usually sense by feel or hearing the waves as they are coming at you. In addition, unless you cannot see because of the wind velocity or amount of water in the air - and in the worst of conditions diving goggles help - you can see the waves on very dark nights.

2. There always comes a point where two people can no longer physically cope, and at this point passive tactics may be necessary. If this is a risk factor, a major issue becomes husbanding your endurance. Do this by resting when possible, by avoiding dehydration, by being in good physical shape to begin with, and perhaps most important, by being secure in your knowledge that you and the boat are prepared - so that fear doesn't sap your will to fight.

It is often better to conserve your energy during the early part of a storm by adopting passive tactics, so that you will be as rested as possible if and when it becomes necessary to steer. The tricky part here is knowing if pushing on would get you out of harm's way.

Regards - Steve

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Re: your article in Cruising World some editions ago concerning crossing a harbour bar. As a last advice there could be the option of using a drogue from the stern for stabilizing reasons (I also use a drogue as a steering device).

What do you think about this? The first one who mentioned this method was Captain Voss in 1901 (in "The Venturesome Voyages Of Captain Voss). Best Wishes Yours, Jens

Hi Jens: The US Coast Guard has used drogues for years when towing to keep boats aligned and drogues used to be used all the time by small, slow speed fishing boats. In a last resort situation it would make sense.

But if a drogue were required, it means the bar is already breaking heavily and you are crossing at displacement speeds - a dangerous combination. In this case, it is almost always better to stand offshore and wait for calmer bar conditions - even if this means heaving to in a gale for a while. Obviously, crossing a breaking bar is not for the inexperienced! Regards - Steve

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Typically, in a race such as the Global Challenge, do you think it best to avoid the severest of the weather by working one's way to the safer side of the fronts, or is it quicker to just batten down and 'go for it' ? I look forward to hearing from you . - Chris

Hi Chris: There is no pat answer to your question. Depends on the capabilities of the boat - performance polars reaching and beating, and where you are relative to the storm system. On boats that reach really fast, like Open 60s, Whitbread 60s, or our Beowulf, it is typically better to stay reaching and sail a few extra miles. But my guess is that, with the heavier boats you will be sailing on, this might not pay in a racing context. Regards - Steve Dashew

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