Learn to Sail for Newbies - Three Steps to Sail in Gusty Sailing Winds!

If you are anything like me, when I first learned how to sail, I hoped that all the days would be perfect, sunny, with light breezes and flat-as-a-pancake water. Sounds like a picture postcard, right? But what do you do when the winds get gusty? Follow three secret sailing tips.

One thing I had to get a grip on was the reality of the sport of sailing. And like any sport, if you want to excel, you want to experience a bit more challenge now and then. And guess what happened?

It turned out I loved the breezy days when the boat skimmed across the water, sliced through the waves like a hot knife through butter. It was fun and kept me on my toes.

So, now that you know the basics of sailing, how do you handle those gusty days? First, all good sailors develop a sense of the wind, weather, and waves. That means being aware of what's happening with these elements. You can expect gusty weather if you:

* see dark splotchy patches on the water to windward.
* sight white caps (white foam on wave tops) to windward.
* fight the sailboat tiller or wheel tough to hold on course.
* start to heel more.
* feel the boat "round up" when in a gust.

All of these are signs that it's time to put your boat into "gusty sailing mode" so that she remains balanced, heels less, and becomes easier to steer.

Reefing your sails will always give you the best solution in gusty weather. But here, we want to discuss other methods to use until you are able to reef your sails. Follow these steps:

1. Pop the Mainsheet

Small dinghy sailors are always "playing" the mainsheet. When I first started to sail, I had a small 14' O'Day Javelin. I held the mainsheet in my non-dominant hand and steering with my dominant hand.

When the boat began to heel a bit too much, I would "pop" the mainsheet out of the cam-cleat, ease it out, and the boat would flatten right away. As soon as the gust passed, I would jerk the mainsheet back into the cam-cleat and sheet it in again. This sequence of "pop and sheet" continued all the time in gusty weather.

You can use this same a similar, but slower method on larger, more stable sailboats. Pop the mainsheet, ease the sheet out a few inches, and re-cleat the mainsheet. This spills high octane wind higher up off the water and decreases heeling and makes steering easier.

2. Feather Up in a Gust

If a gust hits before you have time to pop the mainsheet as described above, allow the boat to round up just to the point where the forward 1/3 of the mainsail luff begins to flutter. This "feathering" technique de-powers the mainsail, dumps the wind, and flattens the boat.

Take care not to let the boat round up too much--you don't want to go into "irons" (the boat points into the wind, stops, with all sails fluttering). Keep your boat speed up and maintain good steering control of the tiller or wheel.

3. Push the Mainsheet Downwind.

Larger sailboats have an athrwartship (a direction across the boat from side to side) track called a traveler track. Your mainsheet attaches to a "traveler car" on the traveler track. You can slide the traveler car (or "car") along the traveler track.

You keep the car in place with stops, which are either plunger-type pins or screw pins on each side of the car. In lighter winds, you keep the car centered along the traveler track. But in gusty winds, you want to re-position the car downwind to de-power the mainsail.

Move the stops and traveler car down the traveler track to leeward (downwind). This helps your boat sail with less heel and it will be easier to steer.

Learn to sail like a pro when you use these three, fast temporary control techniques to keep your small sailboat balanced and under good control. Experience the thrill and excitement of gusty weather sailing to gain the confidence you need to sail anywhere in the world!



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