{"id":50986,"date":"2023-11-02T16:10:37","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T20:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=50986"},"modified":"2023-11-03T10:16:37","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T14:16:37","slug":"high-latitude-sailing-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/how-to\/high-latitude-sailing-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Wicked Weather: High Latitude Sailing Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Sailboat <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Novara<\/i> cuts a tight line in challenging conditions through the Drake Passage, en route to Antarctica. Extreme offshore adventures call for extraordinary preparations.<\/span>\n Andrew Cassels<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n

Steve Brown knows a thing or two about heavy weather. Throughout his sailing career, Brown and his wife, Trish, took on a four-year circumnavigation aboard their Oyster 56, Curious<\/em>, sailed a 30,000-mile circumnavigation of the Americas\u2014sailing north from Camden, Maine, and then an east-to-west transit of the Northwest Passage\u2014and spent more than his fair share of time in the Southern Ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown is up for debating the superlatively inhospitable places on Earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSouthern Georgia, in the South Atlantic, is the most unforgiving place I\u2019ve ever sailed,\u201d he says. \u201cAlthough there was this one time, coming up the Le Mer Strait between Staten Island and Tierra Del Fuego.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sailing was the fault of his \u00admountaineering interests, he claims, and he originally took to the sea for adventure. He followed in the footsteps of mountaineer-sailor Bill Tilman, and decided he needed to learn how to sail in order to \u201cfill in the blanks on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Sailboat <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Novara<\/i> aground in Antarctica.<\/span>\n Andrew Cassels<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

A starter dinghy was followed by a Furia 44, and then by the circumnavigation in the Oyster 56. When he bought the AeroRig Bestevaer 60C Novara<\/em>, an aluminum-hull schooner designed as a research vessel, the expeditions stepped up a notch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, there\u2019s been brash ice and icebergs, rogue waves and drogues, penguins and polar bears. He\u2019s a sailor who\u2019s had the real-life experience of switching from gale-force storm management to survival tactics after conditions transcend control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His current role is as mentor and ice \u00adpilot as Novara<\/em> pursues a multiyear mission in the Caribbean working with coastal communities to educate and \u00adcombat climate change, followed by a planned 2025 Northwest Passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know Your Boat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brown\u2019s first piece of advice on heavy-weather management, offered during the Cruising Club of America\u2019s 2022 seminar in Newport, Rhode Island, was: \u201cDon\u2019t go out in it,\u201d but there were a few more lessons shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake your boat apart from stem to stern and know every inch of it,\u201d Brown told me during a recent call. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be far from marinas and chandleries, ask yourself: If it breaks, can I live without it? Can I fix it? <\/em>If you can\u2019t live without or fix it, then you need a spare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Bjorn <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Bjorn Riis Johannessen in a blizzard in the Bransfield Straits, near the South Shetland Islands. Crew selection and preparation are key to success when voyaging in high latitudes.<\/span>\n Courtesy Steve Brown<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I prepared the boat in Camden for the 2014 Northwest Passage, I spent two and a half months for 15 hours a day on Novara<\/em> getting to understand it and stripping it from stem to stern,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look at what Randal Reeves did, Brown said, in Reeves\u2019 preparation for the Figure 8 Voyage of the Americas<\/a>, he took that boat to pieces. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to do something that demanding,\u201d Brown says, \u201cthen you really have got to have gone through everything. If something goes wrong, then you\u2019re not thinking, Oh, what can it be?<\/em> You know, because you\u2019ve taken the boat to pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirsten Neusch\u00e4fer<\/a>, during her preparations for the 2022 Golden Globe Race, took apart her Cape George, Minnehaha<\/em>, starting forward and finishing aft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to strip down everything and know it\u2019s in good condition,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhen you know every inch of your boat, you know the strengths and weaknesses of your rig, hull, and systems. You\u2019re able to assess problems quickly and are prepared to come up with solutions. The one thing that I didn\u2019t strip down on Novara<\/em> was the steering system. It\u2019s an incredibly complex system, and when we sought advice, we decided that if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it. Unfortunately, moisture had built up on top of an exposed bearing. We got up as far as Newfoundland when the bearing broke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Sailboat <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n When sailing with crew, whether in extreme conditions or in good times, it\u2019s imperative for the captain to keep the crew\u2019s trust and be aware of each person\u2019s strengths and weaknesses. <\/span>\n Andrew Cassels<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Be Prepared<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weather forecasts, man-overboard drills, storm sail management, a hot meal ready to go\u2014each step you take in preparation gives you a greater chance of weathering a storm. Practice until you know what works for you, your boat and your crew. Make sure everyone knows the MOB drill and can perform each role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get regular weather forecasts that extend five to seven days out, of wind and<\/em> seas. Remember, GRIB files have winds but not gusts or waves. Study the areas you plan to sail to familiarize yourself with the depths, sea bottom, landmasses and winds. All of these can play a role in wave size, windspeeds and wind directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a low-pressure system is forecast in your area, study the wind directions and speeds. Try to avoid a blow by charting a safe course that minimizes your time in the path. If you can\u2019t avoid the system, check equipment and chafe points, and remove solar panels before conditions deteriorate. As much as possible, attend to self-care: Get some sleep. Shower and clean up. Prepare meals and coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Harris <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Steve Brown en route to Harris Peak, Portal Point, Antarctica, with Novara<\/i> anchored in the bay.<\/span>\n Andrew Cassels<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

\u201cGet the main down, and get it out of the way,\u201d says Randall Reeves, one of Brown\u2019s fellow CCA heavy-weather panelists. Reeves completed his record-breaking 2019 Figure 8 sail of the Americas aboard Moli<\/em>, his 45-foot aluminum sloop, becoming the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the Americas. \u201cI have two drogues on board, which I flake out and lash down on deck if a gale is in the forecast. I run what-if scenarios in my head and ask myself, What will I do<\/em>?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stormy Weather<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your plan if you are overwhelmed by wind or seas? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the wind builds, reef down, Brown says. Know beforehand what your sail plan is, and have your canvas ready. Know how to heave-to, and practice. And know how to manage your boat under hove-to conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heaving-to is a fantastic survival tactic, and it\u2019s the go-to method for high-latitude experts such as Skip Novak, Brown says, but it\u2019s absolutely essential to test it out. His boat, Novara,<\/em> is an AeroRig and can\u2019t heave-to. \u201cI experimented with possible methods, but with little success,\u201d he says, \u201cso we researched other ways to ride out a storm.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the boat can no longer handle even the smallest of storm sails, take it down to bare poles. \u201cWe\u2019ve had to do this only once, in 65 knots of wind off South Georgia,\u201d Brown says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy Weather Sailing, <\/em>Eighth Edition<\/a>, by Martin Thomas and Peter Bruce, has an excellent section on storm tactics, \u00adincluding shortening sail, heaving-to, \u00adrunning before the wind, and drogue devices. Brown\u2019s advice is included in the book, and he has written several reports on the Jordan series drogue based on his experience and the experiences of other sailors who have deployed the JSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s one piece of kit you need to put on your boat, it\u2019s a Jordan series drogue,\u201d Brown says. During Novara<\/em>\u2019s 2017 passage from South Georgia to the Falklands, while the boat was running under bare poles, wind and seas built to unmanageable levels. The boat carried too much speed running down the waves and was susceptible to a knockdown if it turned up into the face of a wave, or a pitchpole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drogue was ready on deck, lashed down, with the bridle in place, as wind and seas built. \u201cWe put it out off the stern, into 35 knots of wind,\u201d Brown says. \u201cConditions worsened to 65 knots, with higher gusts and monstrous seas. The drogue slowed our speed, and we went below, and slept, ate and played cards for 48 hours. You need sea room to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His exchange with Neusch\u00e4fer before the 2022 Golden Globe Race focused on sizing her Jordan series drogue for her Cape George. Neusch\u00e4fer deployed the drogue during storm conditions off Cape Horn and held on for 12 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"The <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Novara<\/i> beneath the Seven Dwarfs, Port Lockroy, Antarctica. The aluminum-hulled Bestevaer 60C is a high-latitude icebreaker with a self-rotating AeroRig.<\/span>\n Andrew Cassels<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

While competing in the 2008 edition of the GGR, Susie Goodall deployed a Jordan series drogue off her Rustler 36 during a storm 2,000 nautical miles west of Cape Horn. The drogue\u2019s rope gave way at the bridle as she battled 60 knots of wind and massive seas. Goodall pitchpoled, was dismasted, and was knocked unconscious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although she survived and was \u00adrescued, her boat was a total loss. The JSD \u00admanufacturers, along with heavy-weather-\u00adsailing experts, used her experience to update recommendations for drogue sizing, based on boat tonnage. The key is to research and know which drag devices are appropriate for your boat, and know how to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a fantastic database on drag devices<\/a> that offers an exhaustive list of options, Brown says. \u201cIf you look closely at the list, you can see my favorite, the \u2018Milk Churn.\u2019 Who among us doesn\u2019t have one milk churn you could lob?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great thing about this is that there are firsthand narratives of sailors using all of these techniques. You can actually read about some guy who chucked a milk churn. It\u2019s worth taking the time to read. People who have been through this have shared their experiences, or at least those who survived did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Curry on the Shore of Antarctica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During a January 2018 passage from the Falkland Islands to the South Shetlands, after making 685 miles south in five days, Steve Brown and Novara<\/em>\u2019s crew studied the GRIB files showing winds building above 30 knots and the sea state worsening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe changed course with the intention of running before the wind to Deception Island,\u201d Brown says. Novara made a fast passage, but conditions rapidly deteriorated, with 45-knot winds, driving snow, and poor visibility. Ice and snow built on the rig, sails and deck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using radar and charts, Novara<\/em> was able to enter Neptune\u2019s Bellows, the pass into Deception Island\u2019s caldera, but AIS showed multiple boats already in the intended \u00adanchorage of Telefon Bay. In Brown\u2019s words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went into sort of a second choice: Pendulum Cove. We needed to get into the lee and out of the wind. We came around a bend and, as we prepared to lower the anchor, we were hit by a 100-knot gust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Novara <\/em>was knocked down literally as we were preparing to drop the anchor. The blow washed the aft mainsheet over the side, and it wrapped around the prop. The boat popped right back up, which is amazing since we had the centerboard up and the rig was heavy with ice. But once the mainsheet wrapped the prop, all I could do was steer straight up the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, with volcanic soil, there\u2019s almost no rocks inside Deception Island, and we just plowed a big furrow. Novara<\/em> is very round with a big keelson, and the \u00adcenterboard is inside the keelson, so we plowed up the beach and sat there. The wind was raging, it was snowing like crazy, and we\u2019d blown the jib. We tried to tame it\u2014the aft jib\u2014which had broken free and shredded itself, but we couldn\u2019t. So I just said to the boys, \u201cOK, everybody down below.\u201d And they asked, \u201cWell, what happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll put the kettle on and make a chicken curry for tea,\u201d I replied. And that\u2019s exactly what I did. We were inside. We were sort of safe. We weren\u2019t going anywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made a big curry with all the trimmings, Naan bread, and everything, and we waited until conditions eased. Then we went out and had a look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Novara<\/em> has a big cable, three big anchors and a lot of chain. I told the crew that we would drag ourselves off on the high tide. We\u2019d gone aground almost at high tide, but there was another 20 centimeters of tide over the next three days, and Novara<\/em>\u2019s got lots of ground tackle. We have two big bow anchors, with 200 meters (656 feet) of bow chain, a stern anchor with another 60 meters (196 feet), and four shorelines with 100 meters (328 feet) each. The plan was to put out three anchors, connect them to our winches and, at the highest tide, pull ourselves off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a plan. Everyone has a role. We know what we\u2019re going to do. Everybody\u2019s fine, and there\u2019s confidence and optimism in the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you sail with a crew, you have to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the team you put together. When you\u2019ve got a diverse team, you have to understand how best to keep them happy, how best to keep them fit, make sure they look after themselves. This starts before you leave the dock. That\u2019s the biggie for me\u2014understanding the boat, and if you\u2019re sailing with crew, understanding the team that you\u2019re working with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to make sure you have the trust of your crew. You don\u2019t want a skipper running around like a chicken with his head cut off. You tell them not to worry. I\u2019ll start cooking dinner and it will be all right. Cool heads will prevail in these situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to put the pieces of the jigsaw together, when it comes to crew, and if you\u2019ve got one piece that doesn\u2019t fit, then it makes life difficult. The thing is, by and large, you look for people who have that third dimension, who can cope in that extreme situation. The Antarctica crew were, without exception, experienced sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Deception Island, we were up on the beach. When anything like that happens, within the terms of the permit you receive to explore these places, you have to notify the authorities. I notified the UK coast guard, and they picked up the phone to the Chilean n\u00adavy, and it was out of my hands. We could have gotten ourselves off the beach, absolutely no question. But the next thing you know, there was a Chilean navy ship coming down to rescue us. They sent the RIB over, and I went to see the captain on the ship, and he said: \u201cWe\u2019ve come to rescue you. We\u2019ll take the crew off, and we\u2019ll take you wherever you want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I told him that I was not leaving my boat. I needed to get Novara<\/em> off the beach. And he said, \u201cI don\u2019t have permission to do that.\u201d Following approval, he agreed to pull us off the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They had a massive winch on the ship. I mean it was huge, with a big reel of 4-inch-wide polypropylene line. We made a bridle, and they connected it to the back of the boat. The weight of the line alone pulled the boat off the beach. It wasn\u2019t even tight. Novara<\/em> was once again safely afloat. \u2014TN<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

More Info<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For information on the Novara One Planet mission, led by Nigel Jollands and Veronica Lysaght, and the multiyear, worldwide climate awareness project,
visit novara.world<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Steve Brown and the crew on Novara<\/i> have seen a lot. Sound strategies and detailed preparation are key to voyaging in extreme conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":50989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Theresa Nicholson","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[164],"tags":[183,197,1971,181,454],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50986"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}