How to Steer a Course in Gusty Weather

Easy Steps Series for Boaters

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• sailing
• seamanship
• helmsmanship
• navigation
• compass
• course
• seasensical

[seasensical]

Hi Tony,

Get the boat balanced first. If she continuously rounds up into the wind in gusty conditions, you need to reduce sail to reduce heeling and weather helm. This will lighten the helm and make steering easier. Steering an exact compass course on a small sailboat can cause a lot of eye strain and fatigue. This "averaging" steering technique relieves both of those problems.

Best - Captain John

[seasensical]

Hi,

It's quite difficult to steer an exact compass course when sailing. So, you can use this method to steer an "average of courses" on each side of your plotted course. By using a set interval of time and degrees, you will average a course that's close to the plotted course. This will also cause less fatigue for the person steering the boat.

Captain John

[tonyhr342]

Sure, equal and opposite course variations will average out, but how does this tie in with the tendency of the yacht to round up in the gusts? Is his message simply that the course changes towards the wind, due to the gusts, have to be balanced out by bearing away by an equal and opposite amount for the same time?

[sushimoustache]

I don't understand this video. Is the technique based on a belief that a five-degree variation either slightly close reaching or slightly broad reaching makes a big difference in course stability in gusty winds?