Sep 17, 2001 5:55 pm
In the 18 years we owned NIRVANA 84K we sailed in most types of weather and we thought we had things below secured well. Then, we were given this advice.

Go below. Sit on the cabin sole. Imagine that the boat has turned 180 degrees. Imagine what each object in the cabin do. Now go and secure anything you think might move.

NIRVANA had handholds attached starboard and port to the overhead. But I am short and could not reach them when the boat was heeled over. Tim had extended the bulkhead between the stove and the port settee. He added an oak post to the end of the bulkhead. We installed eyes on the port bulkhead just behind the hanging locker. Anytime we went offshore there was a hand hold line suspended between the post and the eyes forward. We also installed an oak crash bar in front of the stove. This had eyes at either side. I used a vang sling to make a fanny belt. In rough conditions we "wore" this contraption to cook. I also found it helped if I braced myself with one foot against the companionway ladder while cooking in rough weather. In spite of all of these items I found that sitting on the sole with my back to the stove and my feet braced against the ladder was the most secure place to be during the hurricane we experienced in November 1995 while in the marina here in Horta. At one point the boat heeled over so far that the rub rail was below the edge of the floating pier.

Sep 18, 2001 12:35 pm
Excellent advice!! Something we did was to take our boat to experienced circumnavigators and have them go over the vessel to determine if it was Ocean ready. We thought it was, but then two items were caught, larger cockpit drains, one at least 6" diameter to drain quickly when a wave sweeps over the cabin, and the other was the ability to change your fuel filter in less than a minute in complete darkness. We made those changes but having these experienced folks go over the vessel our vessel was great!! After coming through a survival storm, our only one, we found that the thing that saved us was the Monitor steering vane. It permitted us to go below and keep the vessels bow 60 degrees off the huge waves moving at 1 to 2 knots, storm lasted over 14 hours at blistering wind values. One was strapped into a bunk with the lee cloth holding her in, the other lay on the cabin sole. It required a half hour of extreme effort to just plot our position on a chart and one was exhausted from the effort, so we alternated this. My wife thought she broke her nose on the lee cloth at one point, and we heeled 70 degrees on two occasions and pitched 30 degrees on two occasions with the water coming over the coach roof frequently. Anyone who thinks they will be happy steering from the cockpit in these conditions will soon find out its much to dangerous in these conditions. Thus my suggestion for anyone contemplating an ocean voyage of more than a week to have a steering vane of some type installed.

Date: Fri Sep 21, 2001 5:17 pm

Thanks to Paula,Paul,Don and Silverspray for the good advice and suggestions. I will move most weight out of the bow and stern next time and hope my future experience is better.

Date: Fri Sep 21, 2001 10:04 pm
Subject: Re: [Allied_Seawind_II] rough conditions

Hello Paula of Faial, so good hearing from you again, and an excellent contribution. For my shorter crew (you met Xiane), I have put rope handles on the stove bulkhead, the edge of the forward bulkhead, the inside of the shower/head compartment, etc.

As to the 180 turn, I have strong sandows ready to set on eyes for every drawer and trapdoor, and the icebox coer as well. That is part of the emergency plan, although our half of perfect storm, a "developing gale" came so swifthly, and we were so busy with no working windvane autopilot (Windhunter + bum) that we never took the time: When finally a gybe destroyed our lower main track, we lowered the deeply reefed main sail and put in the storm jib instead of the rolled cruising genoa, the storm abated from 65kts down very fast. I'll put up that jib much earlier next time, won't wait 30 hours...

Date: Tue Sep 25, 2001 6:01 pm