Scaredy Cat or whosthatcrazyguynamedalbiewhogoessailingeveninstorms?!

Ok, so whosthatcrazyguynamedalbiethatgoessailingeveninstorms?! is me of course! But, truth be told, I'm really just a scaredy cat sometimes. The sea can be so powerful that it often sends a shiver of fear running up my spine when the wind starts blowing crazy hard and the sails start whipping and cracking about like cannon fire. Going from a beautiful enjoyable sail last night, the ocean suddenly turned ugly and sent me into 'battle stations'. I went from just sitting and relaxing in the cockpit, to clipping on my life-line, doing acrobatics out to the bow to take down the jib sail (to put up a smaller one, so I wouldn't snap a shroud and lose the mast), and then preparing to batten down all the hatches. All this work is just trivial, however, compared to what happens to you when you have to do everything at top notch speeds to prevent an accident and then things start getting tangled up and you begin to panic and then you crash and then start swimming to shore amidst ten foot breakers...(Sorry, did I just say that? I mean you DO panic but you GET IT TOGETHER and go about each step to get things back in order and save yourself and the boat). So this is how I felt tonight after the wind suddenly came up and 'gave me a run for my money'. I hope you get to feel this someday...especially the part where you beat your fears and your panic and do something important to get everything back in order again! Just make sure you don't go too high above your experience level as things can really go all wrong - and fast. Having said that, happy sailing! :-)

Five Feet from the Rocks, Gale Winds, 6-10 Foot Waves, & Ripped Sails

Three quarters of the way out of the marina and everything was waiting to fall apart. The wind's pressure on the mainsail was intense. And it wasn't so much this that worried me. It was the pressure the wind was having on the mended section of the sail. So far everything was okay. But for how long?

At noon that day, I had got ready to head out into the madness. But the howling wind and fast moving water still intimidated me! I wondered if being patient and waiting a couple hours might help the storm to blow over. But on the other hand, by 2:00pm the storm could be worse! I then added the coastal winds into the equation (they are just heating up by then). The thought then occurred to me that even though 2pm may be worse, the winds would surely be softened a couple hours later at sunset when the coastal winds died down for an hour. Ok, that was the plan. At least then I wouldn't have raging winds the whole time. So I held patient until 2:30 and then headed out.

When I lit out, the winds were strong and gusting and many times turned the boat 30 degrees on its edge. The water was very close to the cockpit when the gusts came and everything in the cabin that wasn't snug, came loose and fell all over the floor. So far Buttercup was doing okay in the v-birth and she didn't seem to mind - at least not yet!

Examining the sails, I then suddenly saw a tear in my front small jib. It was half a foot long. The thought of continuing to sea entered my mind but then I lost all my votes very quickly. But you know me: If there was a way to go out to sea - I would find it. Putting my storm jib up was an option and the winds were strong enough for it. So I went for it. Soon the tiny sail was up and pulling the boat. Almost as suddenly as that was done, I looked up and saw a tear in my main sail - three quarters up. Thankfully the mended part was still holding fine. Man, that mended area had held up in some crazy weather! So now the main sail had to come down. Again I voted down going out to sea. What was I going to do now? I had a backup tri-sail for the main. But it was for 40MPH winds. It would not work today as the winds were about 20- 30 today. Oh hey! I could use the genoa. That would work. So quickly I brought it out and attached the foot, head and clew. I then headed up into the wind as best I could under storm jib alone and then pulled it up with the halyard. But to my amazement and dismay, it began to fly outwards like a mad spinnaker! It had nothing to hold it against the mast. Now What? I have to admit, I was working hard! On every tack the boat made from the port sea wall back to the starboard wall, I had to judge how close I was and stop everything I was doing and turn the boat. But it wasn't as easy as I imagined. With only the little storm jib, I couldn't head up very well into the wind and turn. So my only other option was to jibe - which worked like a charm - except that I lost valuable 'ground' every time I tacked. As I headed the boat downwind and let the jib switch its angle, I then went back up onto the cabin deck and to work again. I had to figure out a way to hold the genoa to the mast. It then dawned on me: I could cut strong pieces of string and tie them around the halyard (which ran up the mast pole) and then clip the sail hanks onto these tied strings. Soon this was done and I pulled the genoa up the mast and behold - my new main sail! Well, it worked alright but then I had a new problem: it was closing in on sunset and just as I had speculated - the wind speed decreased dramatically and now my sails were too small for the wind blowing! So quickly I got to work and fixed my main sail rip. While that was going on, I suddenly noticed I had drifted really close to the port sea wall. So no problem - I should be able to turn with the make-shift mainsail - right?! Well I made a bet on it and it was a bad bet. I only had one chance at this and that was it. But I was so sure the boat would turn - I didn't think. And - you guessed it - it still wasn't able to cross the wind! Ok, now I was in a real fix. And as I looked down at the water I noticed I was only five to ten feet from the rocks! Now there was no jibing as I had done previously - because if I did so the boat would hit. So what to do now? This was it, the time I finally crashed on the rocks! And no time to even call the coast guard. A flash of the agony I was going to feel when the boat hit went through my mind. Suddenly, I remembered my oar. Well it was worth a shot - there weren't any other options! I then paddled as hard as I could. Every stroke, I dug into the water like it was the end of the world! Seconds later - presto - it worked and the boat turned away from the rocks! Thank you Lord!

So now after having avoided this disaster, I still needed to get the mainsail up. Taking the genoa down and putting it up to the front of the bow where it belonged, I then raised the mainsail. After all the endless work, finally the boat was saiing again! I felt exhausted, and my back hurt. It was so great to finally sit down! So now I headed out to sea. I had already got my safety tether ready and now I put it on. The hatches were closed and the front ones locked. My life jacket was ready, the safety line connecting bow and stern was up in case I needed to clip my safety harness onto it, and the kayak had been brought to ride only four feet from the stern.

Earlier the ocean had been a mess with white water and large cresting waves. Now it was dark and it was really hard get a view of how bad it was. But usually when heading into big waves at night you have a couple minutes to turn around if its too bad. So heading out into it, I turned the lantern light on the starboard side to shine out to sea so I could use my night vision without it blinding me. The first thing I noticed was that the waves were generally about six feet and not cresting or white. With the wind having slowed slightly, the fierce waves had been subdued somewhat. Nevertheless, they were still big, but the boat rode up them without any qualms. I was really thankful the waves were not bigger and cresting. I had been in waves like that and it was right on the edge of terrifying. As I got further and further out and the breakwater and harbor lights began to disappear far behind me, the only reminiscence of those breaking seas was the sudden height of a ten foot wave that suddenly came out of nowhere. Just as the boat should have reached the top, I looked up and saw three to five more feet of wave to go! I rode it to the top and then the boat dropped into its deeper trough. It was fun and a little scary at the same time. I then rode as far out to sea as I dare among the dark waves and then tacked back towards the northern entrance of Marina Del Rey. The wind was out of the north west, so coming back was a bit of a beam reach. This was the really fun part as I was going quite fast - almost as fast as the waves - and I would ride the tops. Sometimes those ten footers would come along and the boat would surf! I tried to video it but darkness of night was mostly what you could see and the sound of the wind made up the rest. The distant lights ashore showed up on the video but the size of the waves and the surfing fun was all lost in the darkness.

Tacking twice before arriving in the harbor, I then headed in with a full breeze. Just about the time I was ready to enter my slip, the wind had switched to the north (from behind me) and I had to take the mainsail down and sail under jib alone so the boat wouldn't come in like it had rocket boosters on! All in all a nice ending to a crazy day!

Dancing with the Sea!

As far as dancing with the sea - usually some of my best sails have been right before a low was coming in or right after it was almost over. These times usually give the best winds and the waves are big enough to give an adrenaline rush but not the fear and stress that a storm give. Here's a clip from one of my blogs: "But I wasn't going to be foolish tonight and either wait for the storm to really hit or for the winds to die. So I tacked back. On this reach, I was close hauled heading directly for the red beacon signal, with the big waves thrusting the sailboat forward with every interval. Nothing seemed to be boring tonight. It just kept getting better and better. I had to keep a watchful eye out because at anytime it could cross the line from 'better' to crazy. Ok, at least I was ready..." Feel free to read 'Fear of the Storm' at http://stormsailingwithalbie.blogspot.com or you can also find it in the archive at the bottom of the page. :-)

Gentle Winds, Stormy Memories

Right now I’m out on my boat. There is no wind, so I’m just floating out here watching the ripples of the water and writing this story. As I sit here, I can hear a seal swimming around my boat coming up every so often for air. A few motor boats pass by with their engines revved up and making a lot of noise. The distance I have got to this evening has been from rowing. Fortunately my boat is 22 feet so it is still ‘rowable’ – but only just. There is a trifle of a wind – you can barely feel it but it does empower the sails a bit and I am progressing along – at a snail’s pace. But I am in no rush. The reason I love to get away each week to go sailing is because I love the solitude and the beauty of the water, sky and sea. Just a few minutes ago, before the world turned dark, the sky was this amazing gold and orange afterglow from the sun’s departure. There was still no wind at that time but there’s nothing like being on the water when the sun sets, so I set sail anyway!
You never know what you’re going to experience out at sea. Some weeks I come down to the Marina and a beautiful wind is blowing. These days are fantastic for sailing and I wouldn’t miss them. Other times a thick fog has set in and sailing out in that sometimes makes me disoriented, dizzy and sick. But if there’s at least a mile or two visibility, the water is very mysterious and beautiful. Some days its rainig and the rain drops on the water are captivating. Other times a fierce wind may be blowing. Finding all the courage I can to go out in it, I set the smallest sails and get all my safety gear ready. Then I challenge each new obstacle as it comes. If it gets too fierce and I get really scared, I turn around and come back. But that is rare. Going out to sea on those days, the sea is like a fuming cauldron. The waves are big and engaging them is not for a coward. It feels a bit like riding a bucking bronco except with a twenty five foot mast and sails. Just to keep your balance and stay on your feet is a challenge. The waves come at you with ferocity and boiling over with white water. The boat plunges forward head on to cut through the waves defenses. At first the wave approaches with its ‘head’ lifted high and looks like it will take you down. As it advances upon you, the boat quickly rises with the motion and then you hit its white top. White spray flies everywhere and even comes after me – fifteen feet away in the cockpit! Sometimes I’m able to avoid its wetness but other times it nails me. The boat plows on and suddenly you find yourself on the back side of the wave. The bow pushes onward into thin air and then suddenly slips down the wave at a steep angle. The motion in itself can be an enemy to your stomach depending on how often you sail and your personal tolerance for the sea. Sliding down the wave you then repeat the process again – except that this next time you may have to deal with the angle of the wind having changed and have to pull in or let out the sails too, or find that the next wave is coming in the wrong direction and have to turn the tiller and make the boat face the wave in just the right way. And if anything goes wrong, the stress instantly doubles or triples in force very fast. This is when sailing stops being fun – at least until you come up with a solution to the problem. And a word of caution: sailing in heavy winds can itself be very stressful and dangerous if you’re not prepared and have had experience with it. Of course, I have my limits too. So, all in all, it’s fun to write about – but completely a different story being out in it.
So that is the world of sailing. Right now my world is just extremely calm as I wait for the wind to pick up after dark. As I speak, a little zephyr of wind is starting to blow and it may turn into a real breeze that I can sail with. My sail is starting to gain some shape – so we will see! If tonight is like one of those rare evenings when the wind shuts down for good after dark, then I will soon dock my boat and head out to sea in my kayak. And that is fun too. I could write a great story on that as well – especially the evening I brought the kayak up on the beach and got flipped around by breakers! But when it comes down to it, nothing beats sailing along with three foot waves, a mile off shore; watching the lights on land pass by with the wind in your sails! And that’s what I’m hoping for tonight. Wish me fair winds!