Sailing in Heavy Weather

In this video I look at clips and talk about running before the wind and waves. This is just my take and strategy for dealing with heavy weather aboard my Westsail 32, Mighty Sparrow. Always know your own boat as no two sailboats will handle heavy weather the same way. Be safe out there!!!
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[@claverton]

Really good overview. Surprised you don't have more subscribers, an excellent channel

[@petercarley9260]

Great explanation here. Love seeing these after reading your excellent book!

[@wadewall5133]

How the heck have I not seen your channel? Thanks so much for making these videos.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Just getting started a few months back, hope to sort out some of the old stuff from the non-stop circumnavigation soon.

[@williewonka6694]

Hey, thanks for posting your videos! Good info on potential of warps/drogues getting tangled and damaging the vane's rudder.

[@Oceannomad]

Vito Dumas.. Ke we p that boat moving. Bernard learned that when he cut away his warps👍🏻 Your awesome bro.. He’ll yeah!

[@RoryL83]

That was great Jerome, I learned a lot. Thanks for taking the time to teach us greenhorns a thing or 2. Greetings from Michigan.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Hope it sheds a little light on things, I'm not an expert, just have a good amount of experience out there.

[@laurenceholden]

Very, very good and to the point. As a beginning single hander very helpful.

[@johnmcateer3210]

Great content. Lots of common sense.

[@Taichungman]

This is the kind of information I really like, informative and educational. THANK YOU, REALLY LIKE YOUR CHANNEL AND WILL PASS IT FORWARD.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Appreciate it, all the best!

[@mnbsay9548]

Great job on this video. I really enjoy these videos but do stay safe out there. Happy New Years from Sacramento California

[@hughmaxwell8143]

Your microburst tale brought back foul memories. Shredded headsail and stretched steering cables. Good ol’ Gulf Stream. I steered circular the whole time

[@BigRedNZ1]

Awesome wee video. Answered a lot of my questions about why you do what you do. Tight sheets @ fair winds and happy New Year

[@marianoschaller9066]

Thanks a lot. Great video. Lot of information.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Thanks, will try to get some more out there.

[@stevennikolopoulos7070]

it was very simply put. The visuals were a great compliment to point out these strategies. Very helpful having showed different levels of wind velocity and how you adjusted accordingly , you make it look easy and it made sense. Thank you for sharing.

[@svwanderlust9697]

Thanks for posting! As usual I enjoyed and got something out of it.

[@svglorious]

The perfect “how to” instructional video with real life receipts. Definitely shows the performance “wheel house” of the W32 in downwind conditions. Also noticed the position and use of your running back stays on different tacks and conditions. Thanks, Jerome Happy New Year!🎊🎊🍻🍻

[@MrBluoct]

Enjoy the energy, diverse content and details Enjoyable Thanks

[@Tiger_Luv]

My God.. I love it, great footage, well explained. Thank you ⚓️

[@Satorisails77]

I hate those kind of seas. Boat can't decide port or starboard tack and wind vane gets lost in the wash of the breaking seas. Maybe your bro can stitch you up a trysail so those gybes don't stress the boom. Great footage and thanks for sharing

[@mikemcguire4430]

Great perspective and the why of doing it. Much appreciated.

[@tommiller8416]

Great info. I have a WS 32 and look forward to using this info.

[@Jesus_Creation_Channel]

Great explanation for why you do what you do! Thank you!!

[@nearlynativenursery8638]

Fabulous presentation and editing Jerome. Great info and videos of heavy weather sailing and tactics. Really appreciate the Michigander accent as it reminds me a of very good friend who is from kalamazoo, Michigan. Jim Rodgers in Ga.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the insight.

[@wayneedwards5158]

Man, I really enjoy your video's. This one was awesome!!! I learned much more about boat handling in this video than in any other Ive watch... I have watch a few channels. I have never sailed in my life, but have always admired the looks of a sail boat. The more I watch these sailing channels the more interested in learning and doing i become. This one video has motivated me so much more. So, thank you very much. Happy New Year! 🍻

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Thanks so much, time to get out on the water!!!

[@ferry6497]

Great! You answered my question with a video!👍👌

[@robertpomeroy9016]

Jerome, you're awesome. Running downwind in heavy weather is fine up to a point, but if the boat gets going too fast, there's the risk of a pitch pole. I wish you would remind your viewers that attempting to run from a gale downwind is usually a bad idea. I hope you have a sea anchor and have a plan to heave-to when things get really bad.

[@vincentmiceli2554]

Jerome has sailed conditions that I can only imagine. To me, Jerome speaks and I listen. I feel certain Jerome knows about sea anchors and storm tactics

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Great footage, tough old boat and good strategy. I’m with you on drogues, not sailed my boat in Southern Ocean and not sure how well it would cope. Thanks for sharing. Andy UK

[@davidlammas3629]

Another great video, keep em coming 🌊⛵

[@crowdfundcrew]

That was some good information as well as a LOT of rolling. Happy New Year!

[@1irlmike]

Great video thank you very much. Happy New Year

[@crazyhorsetrading8655]

Thanks for a very informative video. I sure learned a lot.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Thanks, glad to shed some light

[@tonynelson2812]

Happy New Year to you. I LIKE this method of you speaking over your video footage A big improvement!!! Keep this up! As you know , I am a fan of your boat and channel. I get your personality, however some recent “first timers” my get scared off by some of your antics. I am not trying to offend you but rather hoping to give you an insight and just my opinion because I want you and your channel improve and continue to get more viewers. Best of luck Ps: I am 76 years old and still solo sailing my Westsail 32.

[@JKevinWilson]

I like the format.

[@thomasmurphy3465]

Awesome video bud great stuff keep the good stuff coming my friend and happy new year c u this summer my friend 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🎆🎆🎆🎆🎊🎊🎊😁✌

[@deborahdoyle6743]

Excellent info.

[@captaindrew3061]

good vid

[@pietvanstom3079]

cool mate that was awesome : )

[@trucedesigns]

Great stuff!

[@jimmerrill5471]

Solo, no para anchor, no help if severe injuries, rolled, full of water. pull the bung hole enjoy a good scotch.

[@Ironboots123]

I just discovered your channel. I’m a YT sailor 😂 On a positive note, I’m learning especially from a master sailor like yourself. I learned of the Golden Globe Race 2022. I can certainly see you undertaking the next GGR. If so, I’m on board to help sponsor you. Cheers 🍻 Skipper ! I’ll be following you.

[@pauledgar7593]

Hi Mr M Sparrow. I have a very similar boat but nowhere near your experience. You say why you can get away with only reefed mainsail in heavy downwind conditions i.e. long keel and mast fairly forward but could you comment on why you fin that sail plan better than just using the staysail alone? Love your vids.

[@cmorgan4515]

Yes you always come off your bowel that way if anything goes wrong you never get in your rudder you completely and totally avoid anything running anything from the stern of the boat

[@glidegirl2]

😃👍

[@laurencevanhelsuwe3052]

As a sailing newbie, it's a little bit confusing to come across diametrically opposed expert opinions on various techniques. You don't carry a drogue, while another YT sailor with tons of experience doesn't leave port without one. Guess in practice sailing is more art than science?

[@regancampbell5270]

I think a lot of it comes down to the boat you're on and knowing what your boat does best and when using a drogue is actually necessary. A lot of people that carry drogues never actually use them, but it does provide some piece of mind to have the option. For example, I watched a video by the sailing triveta guy where he lost the use of his rudder 1000 miles from Hawaii and used his drogue to steer, so for that reason I would have one for survival conditions or emergency steering if your boat can steer with a drogue.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Everyone has their own method for sailing, best advice is know the boat your on and what you feel comfortable doing.

[@dulls8475]

@@regancampbell5270 I carried both a drogue and a sea anchor. Hove to in the Tasman and used neither, I had an old jib that we hung off the bow with 100 m of nylon. My sea anchor was an old cargo shute so big i thought i would never get it back in.

[@kenttegneskog]

Just tie a bucket on a rope and let it drag and u have a drogue 😂

[@georgewashington7444]

I personally carry a JSD for survival conditions (I’ve not had to deploy it yet just in training) it’s relatively cheap insurance. One of my sailing hero’s Roger Taylor “Ming Ming 1-2” @23’ highly modified Trailer sailors carried one and used it off the Greenland coast F9. It worked well for him. Another consideration singlehanding is getting injured or sick. A JSD can effectively “park” the boat leaving it requiring no active input from the skipper.

[@autonomousindividual7780]

This and How to sail Oceans have got to be the best channels I've found. I'm sure there are others. The soft porn couples down in the warm weather get old pretty quick. As someone that is dying to get into sailing ASAP I am learning that there are a lot of people that are overly impressed with their own knowledge and will try to give you detailed instruction on what's a good boat and everything downstream of that. This is not one of those people. All real substance. There should be a racy poster like you find in a mechanics garage somewhere. I'm gonna plaster an old Claudia Cardinale poster somewhere.

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Thanks for that, Im trying to keep the channel unique, glad you enjoy. Hoping to get back out soon!

[@billhanna8838]

No Vang o to keep the sail off the rigging ?

[@robertalexander2478]

What’s your thoughts on the fair weather 39?

[@pwedza]

Do you have a preventer set up?

[@Yeaitstemp]

If you can afford it you get a boat that can sail around the weather or be able to outrun it

[@galloglass6176]

How do you get the main down when it goes over 40kts downwind? Any advice for doing this with a furling main?

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Taking your time is the key, when Sparrow surfs a wave it takes the pressure off the sail. Normally it would already be deep reefed. I would think with a furling main as long as you were on the right tack you should be able to downsize. Staying ahead of the game is the goal, smaller sails sooner. Hope that helps

[@ferry6497]

Couldn’t see it well, but did you use a preventer on the boom when sailing downwind in heavy weather?

[@andreaclarke2745]

He said he did

[@johnlares1479]

If you’re running, and decreasing sail, why would you trim a storm jib tightly?

[@SailingIntoOblivion]

Good question, the winds are high enough to keep good speed with just the mast, the hard sheeted Storm jib acts as a windvane to keep the bow downwind and prevent the boat from rounding up when pushed by an odd angle wave. At least that is what I found on my boat in really heavy weather.

[@johnlares1479]

@@SailingIntoOblivion thanks for your reply - so interesting!!! I’ve not done really heavy wind sailing (35+ knots), but I know the boat acts differently in such conditions. These nuances are very interesting to anticipate for those of us expecting to eventually sail in heavy weather. Thanks again.

[@miguelcourel]

mainsail rubbing in the rigging NO GOOD!

[@cmorgan4515]

You always come off your bowel