High Wind Outing

I had two more training sessions, one with Diogo and another with Florian. Thank you both!

On Monday, we had a wind forecast of 6/7 Bft. Even though I was busy, I couldn't resist going out. Fortunately, Florian felt the same way and was able to join me!

We started with a reefed main and full jib. The boat was very stable and fully maneuverable in 6 Bft winds. We encountered 0.5-1 meter waves, which the boat handled well, though every now and then, we got a splash of water on our faces.


I was able to safely perform all the main maneuvers alone, including tacking, gybing, reefing, and shaking out the reef.


Now, the tricky part: the spinnaker! I was able to gybe, but it's still not the easiest maneuver.



I couldn't manage to hoist and douse the spinnaker alone—at least not without broaching or getting into trouble.


The improvised steering mechanism on the boat doesn't perform well in waves and high winds, as I'm unable to apply enough force to control it effectively. Also, controlling the boat with that much power is quite demanding and takes a lot of energy and concentration which I won't be able to sustain for long.

After this training, I don't think I'll be using the spinnaker alone in winds above 5 Bft. However, if the wind picks up, I can still manage to gybe. Hopefully, it will drop again by the time I need to douse it :)

Anyway, looking at the forecast, it seems I'll need to download more audiobooks and get an extra set of rain gear.

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