Sailing Charter World: Global Network - Local Knowledge

Heavy weather sailing

Modern technology and weather forecasting techniques give no excuse to sailors who claimed they were 'suprised' by the arrival of bad weather. A simple VHF radio can pick up weather forecasts and gale warnings from every corner of the Mediterranean. Just keep the machine on channel 16 and connect your attention when you hear the word 'securite''. Even less excuses have sailors with internet access because the reliability of some sites is almost embarrassing, and you can plan crossings in between fronts with the precision of a couple of hours. Still, the precision of modern forecasting is worth nothing if not combined with a basic dose of common sense, which is definitely the main quality of a sailor. And common sense means to observe the sea and the sky around us.
Here is a list of what a captain can use before going out at sea:
- Internet is certainly the best source of information both for the professional and the amateur sailor, just compare a couple of sites and it will be surprisingly easy to be your own weatherman;
- Radio: continuous weather forecast from the Italian coast guard on ch. 68 everywhere in the Med. Excellent bulletins from Meteo Franche on many channels. But just keep your radio on channel 16 and follow the instructions when you hear the word securite';
- books: study the basics of weather, waves and winds from a good book in your cold winter evenings. We recommend, a must have of every sailor 'Heavy Weather Sailing' by Adlard Coles'.

Check the weather

The barometer
This wonderful instrument is among the most precious aboard. It measures the atmospheric pressure that is averagely 1013 millebars, of hectopascals. What is important is not only its value at a certain time but the rate at which this value changes as time goes by. This is why there is a black manual dial to place on top of the gauge every time you take a reading. Best would be to record every reading on the logbook so you can track the tendency of pressure. This is what the logbook is for after all!.
The general rule is that a falling barometer brings a warm front and generally southern winds. This general motions of air much depend on the Coriolis force and difines the motion of masses of air as orchestrated by the Earth rotation that tend to create wide vortexes when air moves from H (high) to L (low) pressure. A warm front is rarely friendly and moreover tend to be sticky, humid and often accompanied by rain. Winds can be strong but southerlies build up relatively slowly.
A rising barometer brings better, colder and drier weather but in doing so the transition can be violent with strong and often sudden northwesterlies like the Mistral. A cold front can raise a gale in a matter of a minute.
The strength of wind is proportional to the speed of variation in the pressure. A fall or a rise of 3 millibars in an hour is a signal that cannot be disregarded with any hope of impunity. a continuous and frequent monitoring of 'the glass' can also help to forecast thunderstorms, that can be vicious even in the Mediterranean, especially in summer in the proximities of Sicily or Sardinia.
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Waves and sky
- Waves: wind turns around a depressionary system anticlockwise in the northern emisphere but waves keep going straight, so they tend to arrive before the wind. If you notice the formation of waves, especially short and frequent, when there is no wind, it means that the latter is coming from the same direction; the same is valid for thunderstorms.
- Sky: the study of clouds is very complex and usually fill whole volumes. But as a general rule a sky that becomes opaque, with high clouds like cirruses and stratuses that create a halo around the sun or the moon, carries warm fronts and southerly winds. In between fronts occlusions, confused winds, thunderstorms and violent phenomena might be expected. This is when the sky is also psichologically depressing, and the morale of the crew will certainly feel it. After all humans are animals and we should not dismiss our instincts even when it comes to weather. A cold front means that low, cold air arrive sweeping like a blade then rise up bringing the moisture with them, almost like a rolling sweeper. Cumulonimbus is the queen of all clouds and it's typical of cold fronts. When the front passes by it leaves those funny puffy clouds that, again, we all like also instinctively because they say that the bas weather is over.
- Temperature: beware of every sudden variation of temperature. As we said warm fronts are heralded by a slow raise in average temperatures, while cold fronts by sudden falls of the value;
- Humidity: again every sudden variation means something, more humid means southern winds and dry air northern fronts.
- Instinct: again, never underestimate your own sensations and feelings, because we are animals and every animal feel bad weather coming. Always.

What is bad weather: where to be
Everything is relative, and so is bad weather, that striclty depends on our position at sea and on our wished direction. True, a harbours is the best place to be in a gale, but there are many factors to consider when a safe dock is far away.
- Lee shores: the more the better. The best tactic to 'face' waves is to run with them, and it will be distressing to find oneself with only a few miles of water between the boat and a rocky, inhospitable coast; a lee shore is a real nightmare for sailors, so plan accordingly;
- Windward shores: the closer the better because land has the appreciable quality of stopping the waves (even if the same is not valid for winds that sometimes can even be accelerated). When in doubt plan a course that sails past a ward shore. A classic example is to choose to sail along the eastern shores of Corsica instead of the western shores.
- lee ports: there are ports where it's even dangerous to arrive in bad weather, others where local knowledge is essential. Landing in a dangerous entrance in a lee port is courting disaster, so if your plan is to run the gale to a port, be sure to know well your point of arrival and to arrive straight at it. Make contact with the port authorities or with someone ashore, and study the characteristics of the haven beforehand. Keep in mind that sometimes you are just allowed a single try so you cannot miss it. Again we will never overstress the point that local knowledge is essential when going out at sea.
- ward ports: try to approash wayward ports without stressing your engine too much, but rather combining some closehauled sailing with engine; make sure the boat will be able to manoeuvre inside the harbour and make contact with the port authorities; give precise duties to the crew and do not save on fenders.
- sea currents and shallow areas: currents have a vicious effects on waves when they run against it, for the very simple reason that waves break. So keep away from areas famous for strong currents when wind is agaist them. Some areas around the world cannot even be faced by the biggest ships when this occur. The same is valid for shallow areas. Keep in mind that the wave 'feel' the bottom when the depth is half the wave length (not height). If the bottom is 20 metres, you just need a wave 40 metres long to see the effect - notably breakers. So give shallow areas a wide berth if you can.

So, we have just experienced a long warm front and the last thunderstorm have just passed, the glass stopped falling and it's probably ready to go back up, the soothwest swell beging to be confused by short waves coming from the right... Wel, that is NOT the time to plan crossing the Bonifacio Strait, because Mistral is coming!

Crew selection, an essay

Prepare the crew
Even unexperienced crew should know what to do and where to stay in case of bad weather and emergencies. They should at least be able to give a hand in reefing sails (properly hooked up). Then things might go wrong, and a minimum of an emergency plan should be at hand. Here follows a clip'n'carry sample. - Keep calm. I know, it's not easy, bur we have a rational mind as well, and it will be comforting to know that sinking is a statistically remote possibility, especially away from land. And if land is close, well, one should be able to reach it, right? Follow the skipper's instructions well and do your best NOT TO FALL IN THE DRINK. Remember that in many situations to stand on a boat is like to stand on a 100-storeys building. If you fall, you're gone;
- Close lockers, hatches and airvents, and fix everything fixable.
- Verify with the radio, without alarming, the presence and the alert level of the stations around (coast guard, ships, army and so on). All stations, all stations, all stations, this is sailing vessel such and such;
- The skipper will decide who steers and who helps manoeuvring. All the others please go inside. If that is not possible, please hook up and stay away from the manoeuvres. Those who stay inside can be of great help studying the surrounding coast for shelter and manning the radio and the pumps.
- It's essential to keep a steerage way. Reduce sail as much as possible and keep the desired and safe course.
- Crew comfort is essential: do your best to stay warm and dry, eat salty, drink no gas, and do your best to comfort the others.
- If there is no lee shore around and you need to wait or rest, or again if the wind is pushing the boat in the wrong direction, HEAVE TO.

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