HEAVY WEATHER SAILING WITH A STANDARD PRODUCTION YACHT - SwT 162 - HOW I DO IT AND MY STRATEGIES

In this episode, I am sharing my experience and knowledge of handling my Bavaria 55 mass-production yacht safely through a violent storm.
It’s a big difference between racing and being on a long distance sail in remote places. Some might jump to conclusions thats wrong. This is a defensive way of sailing in winds above 55 kts and preparation for above 60. I have a huge responsibility as people watching can and often will copy my strategy. Hence the fact this is not bragging or over selling. It’s realistic and safety in mind m. This is a more technical video where I reveal my strategies in real-life heavy-weather sailing. We are talking above 55+ knots of wind where things really starts to happen. My strategies with a storm sail and reefed Main has proven to work above 60 knots of wind. The last episode I was not rigged with storm sail as it was not predicted. So I’m showing the limitations and what I did when seeing 57. Not knowing how much it was going to be, I took a break to decide next move. If it was going to reach 60 I would have to either continue with my safety mode, or go with reef 3 only, meaning going up against the wind to get Main up with my violent storm reef. Without telling you how to, I am sharing how I do. This might not work for you or even with your boat. And this is my point. I recommend knowing not only your own limitations but even your boat’s limitations. I even share why a heaving to strategy could be the fast track to send your rig into the ocean.
The same goes for a furling genoa. This does have some limitations and can be dangerous. Lots of dismasting incidents occur for some obvious reasons but are somehow rarely talked about. Human error leading to serious problems is often mistaken for poor quality, and very popular to point at production yachts instead of looking in the mirror. Lots of myths false information, and even dangerous advice. Not all strategies work on all boats. Different sizes and hull designs often give different results. If I did not know my boat’s limitations, if I had not been on top of maintenance, and even having experience my rigg would come down. This is key to understanding sailing safely and surviving a violent storm. Hopefully, some will find this valuable and even point some of you in a new direction learning more about how to deal with situations on your own. As normal I do not claim to have the blueprint, and nor do I say this is how to. I’m sharing what’s proven to work for me.
I am even pointing out the biggest and most frequent misunderstanding. A cutter stay is good but not the best solution for heavy-weather sailing either. Unless you only have a small storm jib there for above 50 kt sailing. I still have not met anyone with this permanently, instead, they have slightly smaller genoa mostly used to fly wing on wing. Meaning we would have the exact same challenge. Changing sails is my biggest challenge alone at sea, and this means my violent storm solution does have an Achilles heel. I can not handle a violent storm as I want to if not planned. So what I share is the consequence of a weather prediction turning out to be seriously out of target. European models on predictions are normally extremely good. However local phenomenon can sometimes be missed. A storm jib in a bag attached works fine, but my experience is it can not be furled in. So as a solo sailor with a storm jib thats not possible to furle create another challenge. What to do when it reach 75.

You can also read about this episode here in the Norwegian Sailing Magazine https://www.seilmagasinet.no/hardvindseil-rigg-sikkerhet/slik-mister-du-masten-i-storm/849106

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ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:
Sailing around the world in a Bavaria 55 Cruiser, making videos whenever we have time for it.

Even though this is season 6 on YouTube I did not make that many videos in the beginning. Before full-time sailing, I sailed several seasons in the Mediterranean prior to, and obviously also in Scandinavia. I have been traveling the world before and have also been an active regatta sailor. I had my first sailboat at age 7 and have been sailing ever since. Also, more than 10 years of experience in Search and Rescue at sea in Norway.