Weather and solo sailing!........"Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm!" ........ If heading out solo sailing for the day it is only logical you are going to chose favorable weather and winds, some times this means light winds. Light weather sailing can be satisfying and enjoyable; it can also call for patience and a keen eye for signs of wind on the water. If on a longer voyage you may encounter heavy weather, which is challenging and when solo sailing it is vital that the boat be made as easy to handle as possible, this is were advanced preparation is essential.
It may be safer gritting your teeth and riding out a storm at sea rather than trying to enter a harbour or anchorage where waves and rocks can be hazardous. Navigation may also be impaired due to pour visibility.
• Check the decks are cleared and everything is secured and tied down, or stowed below, better than doing this in the height of a storm. • The boat should be water tight. Close and fasten all hatches, make sure sea cocks are off. Be prepared to put the washboards in place, and secure.
• If you have time get some food into you, and a flask of soup or coffee prepared with some snacks. • EPIRB, flares and
hand held VHF
and GPS should be at hand any way … check. Check bilge pump is working.
It may not always be that you are out at sea when a storm hits … may be you're at anchor in a tropical bay … one minute you think you are in paradise .... then whammo!!! In a fabulous book of short stories called ‘Out Side the Bucket’ by Rusty Salmon ... he tells his true story! “In Airlie we had our own 2-11 … this year 2008, and no, not a terrorist plot … but a freak storm! A 'monsoonal trough' hammered the North of Queensland. The equivalent of a cyclone! The real problem was it came from the North and Airlie copped a flogging by the seas created. Airlie lost 77 boats in total and you guessed it, Jessie (his boat) was among those lost … in fact it still hasn’t been found! 26 in total have just disappeared off the planet!
There is no doubt as to where Jessie is, under 5 meter of mud in tiny pieces, in a mass watery grave of boats! ............ This was disastrous for many; it was the biggest maritime disaster since the war! Walking around the seashore the morning of the storm, seeing people on their knees, slowly shaking their heads and crying was in a word, heartbreaking." This book is by no means just about disasters, it’s full of tales and yarns laced with a big dollop of humor, written, I think …… by a menopausal male!!
Click to ... Learn about sail preparation when solo sailing!
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