Winter sailing

I tried some winter sailing this weekend. We have snow here in Sweden now and temperatures just below freezing, but the water is still soft. The wind was around 10-15 knots so we could double trapeze without problem, but it was difficult to stay on the boat due to ice build up on the sidebars and the tramp. I took some photos to document it, as ususal....



I will probably avoid sailing in temperatures below freezing in the future, at least in higher winds, it was a bit to dangerous!!

More pictures on the link below:
http://www.webbo.dyndns.org/sailing/winter/

cheers
Hakan

Im complaining that its 50 degrees faranheit here in south FL. With a wind chill factor diping into the low 40's. Yet you are sailing in ICING conditions!! Now that sir, is hardcore sailing!!

My hats off to you!

Geeesh. I bet you had to watch out when you tacked - less you get pounded with a huge sheet of ice from the mainsail!?

Several years back there was an amazing article in National Geographic about a couple of guys sailing thru the Northwest Passage in a Hobie 18 (if I remember correctly). They had to climb the mast to scout for soft water and be constantly on the lookout for growlers (small icebergs). This story puts a lot of warm weather cat sailing in perspective and made me realize that there is always someone crazier than you would imagine-out there on the water.

is this saltwater or freshwater?

We had a beautiful day last weekend and though the temps were in the 40s, the wind was perfect and the sun was warm. I was so tempted to rig my boat and go out but opted not to for fear of freezing to death if I went over. I now feel like a total whimp. You have given new meaning to cold-weather sailing.

Hakan, You are nuts! I don't want to be reading your obituary, like that poor guy on the old Hobie list a few years back! Stay dry and warm in that kind of weather! Or don your drysuit in Newport Rhode Island with the H14 Frostbiters, so you'll at least have plenty of company.

Hi, those are great pictures! I, too, feel like a bit of a wimp, although at -20C there's no soft water left around here. Looks like fun.
Merry Christmas
Al

Brian is right, don't try this unless you know what you are dealing with!

I might be a bit crazy, but before we launched the boat into the cold water we made som risk calculations.

* Boat is in good condition.
* I've raced Hobie 16 for 15 years.
* The crew has raced Hobie 16 for eight years.
* We have sailed as a team quite frequently.
* We headed back to the club when we still had energy left, in caze of a capsize.
* We didn't sail 100% for speed, we slowed down the manouvers a bit and sailed with a bit more nose up on the downwind.
* The water we sailed in is almost a lake with a diameter of 1.5 Nm with houses around.
* We had a cell phone in a waterproof bag, a vhf would be better, and we have good signal strength all around the lake.
* We had "fresh" dry suits that didn't leak.
* We live in a cold country....

/hakan

Hakan,

I enjoyed the pics.

The winter is definately here, in the Caribbean. It gets down to the low 70's (F.) at night and we need covers at night.

But, seeing those pictures, I will not complain.

We hit the low 80's(F) everyday, but the ocean has cooled, to about mid 70's(F)

When racing, we wear light wetsuit (1.5mm)....when goofing off, bathing suit is fine.

Come on down!

regards and Happy Holidays!

Bruce
St. Croix
US Virgin Islands

I have raced (a Dart 18, it was a long time ago) in what I would call 'Icing' conditions and the problems are numerous.

1, Sailing up wind, the spray (it was about F4-5) was freezing on the tramp/ mainsheet and sails, the only way to sheet out was to kick the multi-block system at the back of the sail.
2, Tacking was very difficult as when the crew came in from the wire, there was a real danger that they would just slide out the other side
3, The traveller line was icing up too
4, Spray was icing on the sails, each tack resulted in the ice cracking and sliding onto the tramp/crew.
5, Gybing close to other boats was dangerous as the ice would fly about 15 feet as the battens popped.

I was actually not [too cold, but I was wearing :

Thermal underwear
Silk socks
Skisocks
Polartec 200 Ski-pants
Cotton T Shirt
Cotton sweatshirt
Polartec 300 fleece
Bull dry suite
Spray top and trousers (and of course life jacket
Sailing gloves.

Some of the people with high-tec boats could not go out becasue they could not get the dagger boards into the hulls as the slot tape was freezing back up as fast as they could thaw it out.

Low tec is good sometimes

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...amp;Main=16905&Search=true#Post16948

That's always a sobering read. I remember when he was posting on the beachcats and on the old forum here. It's a wise read this time of year.

I was out sailing today in Michigan, but the water was frozen.

Hakan,are you practicing for the Australian nationals.Saw your name on the entry list

The main reason for the winter sailing is that we are heading south in a couple of days to sail the Australian Nationals in Hobie 16. That will be a tough fleet to sail against!

/hakan

But Warm.

Matt...I'm interested in iceboating. Can you contact me regarding? Thanks.

John Bauldry
Hobie Tiger 1317
Clarkston, MI

Hakan, Best of luck! I will be rooting for you! Thanks for posting what gear you wear to stay warm, and safer, in such harsh winter conditions.

Hi Hakan,

your winter sailing will be good practice if you get a southerly buster during Hobie 16 Australian titles at Port Melbourne, temperature can drop 30 degrees celcius on these days. All the way from 40 degrees to 10 degrees, still above freezing though.

Seriously years ago I flew fom West Australia to Melbourne same time of year as your titles for a sailboard reggatta and a southerly buster came through and some guys got hypothermia because they didn't have decent wetsuits thinking it was summer. The weather can change very dramaticaly in Melbourne. Same day guys were surfing along the jetty at the yacht club and the waves were breaking over the roof of the old clubhouse located on the jetty. Makes launching of the beach good fun!

I haven't seen photos like your's in OZ though, apart from two guys that sailed a 30 to 40 foot open bridge deck cat to Antartica. It's a bit further south than Port Melbourne though.

Regards Gary.

Fantastic pictures - Thanks very much for posting them. I will use this as amunition to persuade my friends to come out more often in winter.

I noticed in the pictures on your site you are wearing Gill dinghy boots. I use them through the (mild) Texas winter and have never had cold feet out on the boat. I also wear a similar hat. I haven't tried full ski gloves, but fleece windstopper gloves work well (wet or dry). Some guys wear ski goggles to keep the spray off their faces.

I'm hoping Santa brings a dry suit. It will beat my current wetsuit / foul weather gear combo for comfort after capsizing.

Chris

I'll never say its too cold to sail in winter again!

seriously though, us sandgropers don't how good we've got it sometimes , with 12 + knot winds 90+ of the time during sailing season and the unspoilt pale blue coastline stretching for miles either way..

we'll see the rest of you for the 2005 hobie nationals , hopefully there'll be some light days for the S.A. boys