4 pitch poles last Saturday. Mostly during gybes with the spin up. Singlehanded with wind conditions of steady 18 mph with gusts to 27 mph. Good news is - nothing is broken and under the right conditions 155 pounds can right a Blade fairly quickly.

Looking back on it, I think I was "crash gybing". Would low and slow be better????

The 4th pitch pole was old school without the kite up.

Tom, if it's blowing in those sorts of wind ranges and you're solo, I'd go for low and fast. Keep the main stalled and gybe through just a really small angle, use your kite to keep your speed up as much as possible. Once the gybe is completed you can start to heat it up again.

If you gybe through too large an angle or too slowly or have the main out you'll capsize - almost guaranteed.

Yep,

I'm with John on this one.

My best advice to newbies in these conditions is that follow that big sail in front (spi) and keep that happy all the time. You can then largely forget about the rest.

Keep the spi pulling at all time and have it fill very quickly on the other side. This will pull you back down again "bearing off" and keep speed up. Only when it is fully pulling again and you're comfortable on the windward start to head up, NOT before this time.

So in effect the spi is not pulling for something like 2 to 3 seconds when it is pulled out and that is it.

If you have to the leave the main in the upwind setting; maybe let the traveller out only some 10 inches. That sail in front, the spi, that is the most important thing. Get that right and all else will more or less fall into place EVEN if it is still on the upwind trim.

On downwind legs it is paramount to keep that spi pulling all the time. Flogging it or have the power switch from on to off and back regulary will really makes things wild very quickly. Keep that spi filled, keep it pulling and follow it where it wants to go. Only resists its nature when you are looking to heat it up or when you know what you are doing.

Best is to work up skills in 10 knots or so and then slowly move up to more winds. Funny enough you get the hang off pretty quick that way. Once you know the few basic facts and do's/don'ts then it becomes quite easy.

Wouter

Wouter

High wind singlehanded gybing--been there, done that, got the badge for pitchpoling.

My advice:

-Keep speed up as much as possible through the gybe. This is most important!!!
-Keep the mainsheet fairly tight and the traveler at least inside the toe straps
-Fly the kite--believe it or not, it is easier to gybe with it because it keeps the speed up and the hull up

That sounds intimidating!<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I have visions of the entire rig sailing off to Oz, while the bows attempt a voyage to the bottom of the sea!

How high are "high winds"? At what point do you just work to remain upright?

The wind calmed down to around 8-10 mph on Sunday and I sailed without incident and flew the spin in each race. My personal experience this weekend can confirm that the most damage/uncontrollable attitude comes when going from depowered to fully powered in a very short time (spin filling and trying to accellerate from a dead stop). Flogging also relates to this, as Wouter said, it can get hairy VERY fast when the spin is filling-collapsing-filling-etc.

Consistent effort from the spin seems to be the best way to go - IF I can just figure out how to manage it. I tend to pull the trigger on bearing off too quickly - just need some practice. It'll probably become fluent like sailing upwind and pinching up in the puffs (hopefully).

Since a year or so I'm pulling my spinnaker singlehanded in anything that I find myself out in.

This is nothing macho, the boat is just more controllable under spinnaker then without one. The first few times it takes some balls to pull it up but when you have gotten the basics down you'll find that the boat really likes being under a spinnaker and so you will too.

The most I pulled a spinnaker must have been around 20 knots.

Wouter

Tom:

How have you rigged your righting line?

It's not too late for JPOR!

The righting line is just a little bigger in diameter than the mainsheet. I tied it to the dolphin striker post and throw it over the top hull. I tied a knot in the right place so that I can "trapeze" to right the boat.

Good things I learned:
1. The way the spin snuffer line is positioned makes it very easy to snuff the spin when the boat is on its side....LOL.
2. Don't completely release the downhaul b/c you risk the sail coming unhooked at the head...PIA when on open water.
3. These pitchpoles were fairly non-violent, don't be afraid to push it a little. Obviously, take into account your location and weather patterns. I was on an inland lake with comfortable water temps (and crash boats nearby).
4. My mast doesn't seem to leak!!

No JPOR for me (I'd like to, but that is one very long trip - approx 650 miles each way), but I will be at Ocean Springs Yacht Club this weekend for the Slip-to-Ship regatta.

Does anyone use shackles, sister clips or quick release gizmos to attach the spin pole "stays" to the bow points or bridle ends? Seems like I spend most of my prep time tying the spin pole down......does my question make sense?

yep I use a pair I purchased from ebay.

22-28. Above that, my superwing mast is all the "sail area" I need.

Again, the key to staying upright in a gybe is keeping speed up. The human tendency is that when things get hairy you want to slow down. You definitely do not want to slow down going into a gybe. You want to keep boat speed as near wind speed as possible so that when the main pops across the rig doesn't get ripped off.

Another big issue is sea state. Big seas often accompany big winds. Most of the trouble I've had in big winds was due to sea state.

For example--surfing down a big swell so fast you overtake the next wave and stuff the bows into the back of the next swell...rapid hull deceleration...rig keeps going at the same speed...guess what happens next...

Or, you carve into a nice gybe but hit an unexpected white cap that knocks you off balance...nice carve turns into a sudden turn...premature gybe...you're on the wrong side of the tramp...you know the rest.

So I've found 25+knots with smooth seas--no problem staying in control; 25+knots with the large rolling swells and wind chop/white caps on top--very challenging. That's when you just hang on and try to keep the boat flat and upright.

See photo at

http://www.catsailor.com/bb_files/58026-MVC-003S.JPG

That's Paul righting his boat before the start and me in the distance with inverted main. Yes, I flew the kite. Yes, I capsized, but only once! What you can't see is the conditions at the windward mark: >30knots measured at the bouy, big Pacific Ocean swells.

Not yet! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I use special knots and loops to quick fit or quick release the spinnaker pole lines.


I made a large post about on this forum some 1 to 2 years ago, but I can't work with the new search engine so you have to look for it yourself.

Wouter

Why is this an issue? Do you frequently un-tie the pole? I leave mine on unless I'm transporting the boat, at which point it's just another few knots.

Paul

I don't un-tie the pole often, but I do like to make the setup such that is can be quickly assembled and dissassembled for regatta's etc. Also I wanted to find out how quickly it could be done with the right setup. In the past there was some argument about the pole being such a hassle. I found that with the right setup it can be fitted very quickly. You just have to be smart about it.

I hadn't thought of sister clips yet and I had one issue that wasn't entirely satisfactory, the sisters clips are a very good solution to this. I'm talking about quick release of the midpole support lines here. This system I had worked and was extremely simple but you had to push the line through a small opening.

Wouter

My "beach cat" is really a "dock cat". Dry storage on the trailer. The mast stand on the trailer gets in the way of spin tie downs (and eventually the yard cover with conflict with the bow tangs). I have to tie the last spin pole tie down after I move it back on the trailer whne the boat is almost in the water. Just a small complaint. Looking for something small and strong.

Docking the "dock cat" in 17 mph was fairly exciting - no damage and it helps boat handling skills.

I have to rig down after each sail. Over time, "another few knots" becomes tiresome.

"So I've found 25+knots with smooth seas--no problem staying in control; 25+knots with the large rolling swells and wind chop/white caps on top--very challenging. That's when you just hang on and try to keep the boat flat and upright."

It will be some time before I do much sailing >20.<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Ah! Same here, but I have... a removable mast support. My only problem is avoiding putting the pole through the back window of the car.

Pete - I'm impressed by fully derigging after each sail. That must take some dedication. How long does it take you?

Paul

"... a removable mast support." Any pictures?

I just got this boat so the first time took between 2-3 hours. I was more interested in learning the rigging than going sailing.

From past experience, I'd guess the norm will be 30-40 minutes. Back in the day, I could do a H16 in 20 minutes. But that was for very casual sailing and no spin.!<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />