Kaimusailing

The overnight continued with increasing wind and I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to reduce sail. To drop the mainsail would require turning around into the wind and in the seas at night it would be risky. I decided to wait till daylight.
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There are two modes of broaching, that is when you lose control of the boat due to external forces of the wind and sea, the first mode is when the mainsail overpowers the vessel like a weather vane turning toward the wind, the second mode is when the sailor tries to avoid the first mode and brings the mainsail “by the lee”, which means the wind is now close to hitting the leech of the main, kind of like a porch door getting slammed by the wind. If the main gets swung like a porch door it is called an unintentional jibe.
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So, the beleaguered helmsman is spinning the wheel back and forth to try to avoid broaching. There is some anticipation of what the boat is going to do, or rather, what the wind and waves are going to do to the boat. If you anticipate incorrectly, it will make the situation worse very quickly.
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There is also the strange effect of your position on the wave, if it is a big wave, because down at the bottom, in the trough, your boat is totally immersed, set in the water, if you are on top of the wave it is the opposite, the bow and the rudder are more out of the water and the boat is exposed to the full effect of the wind.
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The helm corrections at the top of the wave, when the mainsail is trying to turn the boat forcibly back into the wind, doesn’t seem to have any effect, so you turn the wheel more and more, looking for any sign of maintaining your downwind course. Then the boat plunges down off the top of the wave and the rudder is fully immersed, the boat is out of the worst of the wind, and the helm corrections suddenly take effect, the boat finally reacts to the hem and spins away from the wind and the mainsail comes close to slamming the door. But, our helmsman, who is alert, spins the helm to round up, but the boat is going up to the top of the next wave and the main is taking over again and the rudder is getting less water, the boat wants to round up. Spin, spin, spin the other way, and quickly, helmsman, but watch out, a single stray wave can knock the boat either way, to one side or the other. Be alert.
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This endless stress and lack of control is very wearying. Think overnight and into the dawn.
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When there is enough light I spin the helm into the wind, go forward and release the main halyard. There have been a few unintentional jibes and although the top batten was missing when we set off, now there is another batten, splintered where it succumbed to the wind, the main drops as it is, into the stack pack OK.
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Now we continued with just the staysail and some impressive sailing. Unfortunately there is no relief for the helmsman. The wind has increased some, but now the waves are huge mountain ridges, rolling haymows of water.
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It was exhilarating to sail right over one of these ridges and then accelerate, right on the wave, surfing, and then slowing a bit for the next one. Still no relief for the helmsman.
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Usually I try to get the boat to sail itself, but when the wind gets up and the seas get up it becomes difficult. The ambient conditions are not settled. So the helmsman has to stay at the helm, trying to find a balance, but conditions dictate.
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The picture is from saatchiart.com by Anthony Dalton of Russian sailor cadets at the helm of the tall ship Sedov. It is available for purchase.