You know you
should reef to reduce speed and heeling, but either you can't leave the helm or
there simply isn't room to heave to while you take in sail. So — what to do?
In a puff,
spring a luff;
In a lull
keep her full.
That's the
old advice. It applies to cruisers as much as racers. Feather the mainsail in
the gusts by giving it some sheet and pointing up close to the wind. Then, when the gust passes, fall off well to
leeward.
You'll be
carving a zigzag course and no doubt alarming the landlubbers watching you from
shore, but you will be averaging the required course and your boat will be
under better control.
You can't do
this for long, of course. It's a short-term expedient to get you out of
imminent trouble. If you're planning to continue for any distance, you must
find a place where you can tuck in a reef or claw down the sails and fire up
the engine.
Today's
Thought
All the
first part of a voyage is spent in getting a ship ready for sea, and the last
part in getting her ready for port.— Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Tailpiece
A poultry
breeder noticed that one of his hens was sick. He wrung the bird's neck,
fearing highly infectious fowl pest, and sent it off to a government lab for
testing.Ten days later he received the official report:
"This bird died of a broken neck."
(Drop by
every Monday, Wednesday, Friday for a new Mainly about Boats column.)
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