Dealing with Groundings

Running aground is a major part of sailing. If you have a fin keel, this will usually be followed by a haul out to inspect for damages, but if you have a full keel, it will usually be followed by a nice meal.

Full keels are much stronger, so they can bear the force of the boat colliding with the bottom better and also the weight of the yacht resting on it as the tide goes out. This is due to the increased mating area of the keel to hull. A fin keel only meets for a small area while a full keel runs the length of the hull. 

The ICW is a narrow and shallow waterway, where venturing out of the channel is swiftly punished by a firm smack on the bottom (see what I did there?) .

You might think that now you need to call the tow boat to pull you off because you are stuck, but the truth is running aground can be much less inconvenient if you time it properly. 

The tides occur four times a day, controlled by the moon. The earth has two tidal bulges on opposite sides of the globe. One bulge occurs on the side of the Earth that faces the Moon, the other occurs on the side of the Earth away from the moon.  This is why they are called "Lunar Tides".

They occur for two reasons:  

1. The bulge facing the Moon is caused by the Moon's gravity pulling the water off the Earth.  

2.  The bulge on the side without the Moon is caused by the Moon's gravity pulling the Earth away from the water on the other side.

Remember that the mass of the Earth is being pulled in all directions, by the Sun, Moon, and every other celestial body. Water just flows around, but the forces pulling on the Earth's mass are all affected by this. Water just has the ability to flow and demonstrate where these forces occur. But enough about physics and our solar system, lets get back to navigating the ICW. 

If you run aground at low tide, all you need to do is wait for high tide. That doesn't take much thought. The tides run on a cyclic schedule, and if you navigate the waters on this schedule you will not have any problems! There are two high tides, the one facing the moon and the one not facing the moon; most importantly, they are not the same intensity.  

If you leave on the higher high tide and sail through the following low tide, you will probably be tired and ready to anchor by the following high tide (which is the less intense high tide). If you run aground as you leave the channel to anchor, it isn't that big of a deal as you weren't going to be moving for the rest of the night anyway. The tide will go out and you will be stuck on the bottom until the next high tide comes around that is more intense and will float you off. 

It is imperative that you leave with this tide, because if you don't, you will be stuck an entire day until the next "higher high tide" comes around. 

Following this schedule, running aground will be but a temporary thing for the night. By the next morning, you will be floating again and ready to continue on your cruise! 

ICW vs. Offshore

When heading south on the East Coast of the United States, you are faced with two choices: ICW or going Offshore. 

You many be wondering why someone would chose one route over the other. The ICW offers many scenic views and towns to stop into along the way while the ocean offers none of this. 

Having done a little bit of both at this time, it seems that the biggest difference that could sway your decision on course is above all else: time. 

Storms, weather, and scenery are all secondary to time. If you need to get somewhere in a hurry, the straight line non-stop path is always going to be the quickest way to go. Sailing offshore grants you the ability to relax and enjoy the ocean as your yacht powers through the seas in steady and consistent wind around the clock, ticking off many miles a day towards your destination. There are no obstacles, no detours, and no traffic to worry about as you sail right along. 

When calculating your voyage duration, it is common practice to plan 100 miles per day. This means that Norfolk to Florida is about 7 days!  

The alternative to the offshore path is to go the ICW. This is the inland waterway that cuts down the east coast. Here, you can not sail around the clock, as there are many obstacles in your way. It is crowded, shallow, there are bridges, and strong currents to contend with. We have been sailing an average of 20 miles per day down the ICW, and only on days when conditions are good. The wonderful part about the ICW though, is when conditions are not good, you just stay anchored until they improve. 

The waterway is so small and narrow that waves can not form, meaning that the worst you will contend with are currents and wind. Both of these are easily overcome by a strong anchor and lots of chain! 

Having a 6.5 foot draft though has meant many a groundings. Our first day consisted of three groundings. Our second day consisted of one.  

The channels are well marked and if you stay in them, you will not run into trouble. The problem stems from when you venture off the dredged path in search of an anchorage. The water gets shallow very quickly, and letting out enough rode for the scope will usually result in the keel meeting the bottom. 

Having a full keel prevents any heartache, as we simply sit on the bottom for a while until we float off with the next tide. 

The ICW is very pretty, but it is slower than offshore. The advantage is you get to rest and relax as you make your way down.  If you were in a hurry, the ICW would be torture, so make sure you know what you really want before you choose your path. Making a choice for the right reasons will ensure that you enjoy your cruise to its utmost potential.

Sailing in a Gale

When we plan our ocean voyages, we all picture smooth sailing with fair winds and following seas. The truth is, most of your days will be in these conditions; some of your days will not. 

When we first noticed the clouds approaching us, we turned the VHF radio over to the WX channels to listen to the forecast. When we left, the winds were supposed to be from the North to North West the entire voyage! This is great as we were heading South and this would put us on a run to broad reach the whole way. Then the forecast was calling for a bit of a storm for two days, blowing 20-30 knots from the South. 

Maddie and I discussed our options: We could beat into the weather for two days under reduced sailplan, or we could heave to and relax for a few days, continuing our journey once the winds were in a more favorable direction. 

We chose to heave to. 

At first, the winds were just as predicted, 20-30 knots from the South, pushing us North at 0.5-1 knot. We rocked around as we slowly drifted through the water. In a 48 hour storm, our drift would only be 24 to 48 miles, easily recovered on our next day of good sailing. We made the choice to simply wait it out and ride the storm inside the cabin where we would be warm and dry while the boat hove to and looked after us. 

At nightfall on the first day, the winds began to build. They intensified from the 20-30 knots up to 30-37 knots. This doesn't sound like a huge change, but the power of this added wind caused the seas to rise up and we were glad to be hove to! The next day, the winds had climbed even further, holding at a steady 40-45 knots with gusts over 50 knots. The seas became huge towers that made our home bob up and down like a cork in a washing machine! 

This is when the situation changed. The winds were different from the forecast, blowing stronger and also blowing in a different direction! Instead of being blown North, we were being blown East. Normally, this would not be a problem, but for us it was! 

Our anchor had jumped out of the bow roller and had gnawed on the headstays deadeye. Dyneema is very strong, but its weakness is in chafe resistance. The anchor severely crippled our headstay, making it risky to fly any jib on that stay. If we lose our headstay, the mast will want to fall aft and present us with a whole new world of problems. 

Being 50 miles off the coast at this time, we decided that we needed to start limping our way back to shore to carry out repairs of our crippled headstay. This is where knowing how to sail in big seas and high winds pays dividends. 

The first thing you want to do is have the appropriate amount of sail flying. If it's blowing 40 knots with 30 foot seas, don't go full sail! You need to reef down for comfort and for safety. 

The mainsail should be reefed down as far as it can while still providing you drive to windward. Your headsail should be reefed down to balance out the sailplan and provide control to the helm so you can power through the seas. 

If you are sailing off the wind, a trysail would be a better fit instead of the mainsail for a few reasons. First, it spares the mainsail from any stress caused by the high winds. Second, it removes the boom from the equation which makes jibing safer and less stressful. Third, the sheets are run to the toe rail, making the risk of an accidental jibe much less likely. 

With the right amount of sail up, the boat will handle normally, just like if you were sailing along on a nice calm day! The difference between a calm day and your current day are obviously going to be the seas. Large waves present a few problems. They will cause your speed to fluctuate and they will rob your wind.

When you are in the trough of huge waves, they will actually steal your wind! You will notice this if you are flying your trysail, as its head is usually around the height of your spreaders. When the waves are taller than your spreaders, your sail will go limp in the trough as it has no wind. When you climb to the crest again, the wind will hit your sail with full fury! 

The other issue has to do with your speed, and your ability to make way to windward. Your keel depends on speed through the water to provide resistance to leeward. If you are not moving fast enough, you will begin to slide sideways and not move in the direction you are pointing or desiring. You may have to sail further off the wind than you would like simply to keep your speed as you ride up and down the waves. 

When climbing a wave, your speed will decrease drastically. As this happens, you want to fall off to help keep some of that speed and keep your keel working. As you fall down the wave, you will pick your speed back up and can point higher than you need to. Sailing with large seas is a constant give and take as you rise and fall, where you will fall off and then pinch on each wave you encounter. 

This can be very tiring after several hours, not to mention days, which is why we choose to simply heave to and wait for more favorable winds to return. If conditions demand that you sail though, this is the way to do it and practice is the only way to perfect the skill. 

Having a basic understanding of what is needed to make your yacht perform is critical as you will need to interpolate all your knowledge to get your yacht to move in a safe and desireable direction. 

AIS CPA Alarm

AIS is a wonderful invention that allows your radio to display all the vital information of any other vessel that is broadcasting AIS.

This changes a night time encounter from plain navigational lights to something more useful, like the vessels name, speed, and heading. With this information, the computer in the radio can also calculate how close you will come and when this will occur.

Closest Point of Approach (CPA) is very helpful. It will tell you if that ship on the horizon is going to be a problem, or if they will stay far away. Best of all, some radios have alarm features, so if a ship will come too close, it will sound a very loud audible alarm to bring the situation to your attention.

We usually set the alarm to 2 nautical miles when we heave to at night. This gives us plenty of time to wake up from the alarm and rectify the situation. Two years ago, when we set out into the Atlantic, the other ships were very courteous, always responding when hailed and being more than accommodating  to avoid a collision.

This year though, it seems that no one wants to answer. We have done a radio check, and other boats far away can hear me loud and clear, but they just seem to play the silent game.

Seeing a massive tanker approach you at 20 knots can be a bit unnerving, especially when you are hove to with no wind to move you if you needed to. At night, I have found one tactic that seems to get an instant response when words fail: a strobe spot light.

You know, those "tactical flashlights" that they sell with the high powered LED light and focusing lens. These things are bright! I simply shine it in their position and then up at the sails. Then when I go below deck to check the AIS display, they have inevitably changed course and steered away from a collision course.

This alarm does not replace a good watch schedule, as not all vessels transmit AIS, but it does alleviate the anxiety of wondering if you are going to bump into someone while you sleep between watches.

Gulf Stream Weather

The Gulf Stream may seem like a thing of wonders, but it is no different from any other waterway. It has its tendencies and if you learn how to navigate it, you can use it to your advantage. 

The Gulf Stream is a very warm current that flows up the east coast of the United States. This warm water is teeming with life, as the nutrient rich water flows through the ocean like a river on land. At night, the bioluminescent dinoflagellates will glisten your wake as you sail along. By day, you will be escorted by all sorts of marine life that is hitching a ride on this ocean sized moving walkway. 

The current is usually around 3 knots, but at times it can be as high as 4 to 6 knots. If you are sailing along at 5 knots through the water, you will actually be doing 8 knots over ground! Riding this current may seem like a dream come true, giving you free miles as you close in on your destination.  

While this waterway may give you a push, it will also give some punches! When the wind blows with the current, the journey will be uneventful and quick. When the wind blows opposite the current, the waves will build tall, steep, and boxy. They will break quickly as the current pushes them forward and the wind pushes them back. These conditions are only a windshift away and it will change from mundane to hell in a few minutes! 

To avoid a situation like this, it is best to neglect the potential push from the Gulf Stream and always sail next to it. When the winds are good, you will move at an acceptable pace. When the winds are bad, you will be glad you are not in that cacophony of waves. Ideally, you only want to be in the stream when you are crossing it, and you want to keep your time there brief. Make quick crossings when the winds are blowing with the current and the weather looks stable. On average, the Gulf Stream is 40-60 miles wide, so if you enter it in the morning, you should be able to exit the other side by that afternoon. 

To see if you have entered the stream, you can measure the water temperature. The Gulf Stream will be much hotter than the surrounding waters, usually in the 80Fs. As you get deeper into the stream, the water temperature will rise slightly more. As you exit the other side, you will see the temperature decline rapidly.  

The Gulf Stream is a magical place, but it can turn on you with just a whisper of wind.