If I want to head due East in a Southerly swell, can I do that, or am I in danger of broaching.
Should I head East in a series of NE..SE. "tacks" so that I angle the boat to the waves instead
of taking them beam on ?.
I'm sure that you will get many more erudite replies. For my thruppence, it depends. The factors are swell height, direction & period , wind speed & direction and your boat.
In tide/current areas that may have to be considered as it can really change the wave profile.
For example, a 1m swell with a 10sec period would be hardly noticeable with our little 28 footer. Long, lazy swells are like riding a bike in gently rolling countryside, short period swells of the same height are like dropping of a bench.
Breaking waves are always bad news.
I'd try in your boat starting small and building up slowly and carefully to find your comfort zone.
We have often performed this maneuver going up and down the East Coast when you turn in to the coast. Generally uncomfortable and better at a following angle than side on or ahead - in our boat anyway.
You'll then need to figure out what action to take when things get less comfortable. Do watch out when there's a "large and powerful" surf warning!
Cheers
Bristol
A beam on swell is not an issue. A beam swell can give a nice even boat motion.
Beam on breaking waves is an issue depending on wave and boat size. In a big wave small boat situation it would be better to run or take it on the bow depending on boat type/hull shape.
OK guys, got that thank you. I suppose it was a bit of an obvious question to those who have sailed
but I haven't poked my bow out of Pittwater yet and I don't want to get into trouble when I do, especially
with Missus on board. I'm not game enough to head out into breaking waves so it will be done on a
nice tranquil day. Some sailor eh !!!.
For my 2 cents don't go abeam the swell with you missus aboard. I think that kind of rolling is what scares newbies. And technically speaking it is when a boat is most vulnerable to seas. I would do the NE then SE tacks!
And if theres water in the bilge dont let missus see it... my gf did and immediately panicked thinking the boat was sinking 
Select to expand quotesamsturdy said..
Some sailor eh !!!.
A sailor that is aware of their personal abilities. That make an exceptional sailor Sam.
Thanks Trek. So in my minds eye I did have the right idea on how to tackle a beam on swell. I just
wasn't sure how dangerous it was to be in one. My thinking was, I poke the bow out into a southerly swell.
( I have to head East to get out of Broken Bay ) How do I manage the swell. I can see now that as long as the swell
is smallish I don't have a problem, or, I can turn NE or SE to counteract it.
Also, the southerly swell wraps around Barrenjoey until you're outside and even then Whale beach head will still shelter/ turn the waves.
You have to be a good mile out before you get the true swell and by then you can sail the angle you're comfortable with. 
Select to expand quotesamsturdy said..
OK guys, got that thank you. I suppose it was a bit of an obvious question to those who have sailed
but I haven't poked my bow out of Pittwater yet and I don't want to get into trouble when I do, especially
with Missus on board. I'm not game enough to head out into breaking waves so it will be done on a
nice tranquil day. Some sailor eh !!!.
Aim for a day with 10 to 12 knots of wind. Too little wind as in a drifter the boat will be slapping about and will upset the Missus. If it freshens drop in a reef early to keep the boat level. Sacrifice some speed for comfort.
Hey Sam, beam reaching is generally the best point of sailing for most yachts.
Many people make the mistake of sheeting on too much on a beam reach. Ease the sheets, the boat settles down and you go faster.
Thanks all, some good points raised. Yes Jethrow, on the odd occasion I've made it into Broken Bay I could
see that the swell proper didn't start at the entrance to the Bay and at places the water was just going up and down
like it was being agitated.
Good point Ramona. Missus is not a scaredy cat but being 'out there' seems to be a different mind set, and I certainly
don't mind sacrificing speed for comfort.
Thanks for the advice Cisco. I always have taken forum advice even if it's sometimes after the event. I really want to
experience going 'out there' and I have to pick the day, I really love having Missus go sailing with me and I want the
experience to be fun for both of us. No rush however, we'll get there.
Used to love practicing beam reaching up the front and down the back of swells whilst all the time trimming to maintain max. speed
HOWEVER when it comes to maintaining the bosses confidence in your sailing ability pick your day and start with little ones.
Couple of months ago was talking to chap who has a 40+ motor cruiser parked out front of his house and mentioned that although he loves it they are selling and buying a caravan. Turns out his big wish ,As is yours , was to take it out into the Pacific and go whale watching or whatever.
On the day they decided they just got out when he noticed a couple of small boats in trouble with the swell trying to negotiate entry back into the Broardwater so he decided to try and protect them from the swell a bit. No speed ,side on to swell they started rolling pretty violently to extent misses thought they were going to go over.
Result was "sell the bloody boat now"
Yes I can understand that happening and that's the situation I don't want to get in, but, if we
are going to do it then that's the risk I take. When we first went out in the boat and put the sails up
it took me a little while to convince her that the boat was supposed to lean like that, and I explained
how the sails worked, she was happy with that and doesn't mind the heeling now ( as long as it's not
too violent ). So she'll be game to go out as long as I don't spoil it by choosing the wrong day.
Sam, if you want to go outside on a day of your choosing with another boat in company, let me know. You go past us on your way and we are on the water most weekends. As winter approaches and the Westerlies start to kick in, the conditions will get better. Just pick a day when conditions are good and low tide is mid morning so you get help coming back in.
However, we are not available for a few weeks as the boat is going up on the hard for some maintenance. PM me for my number and we can work out some details.
Make sure you get the tides right Sam (if you don't want to scare anyone), when leaving Broken Bay, or it could be a wild ride, until you get out of Broken Bay proper.
You could very well sail down the entire East coast of NSW, and the worse sea state could be off West head, as the tidal flow of the Hawkesbury meets the sea. An incoming tide would be best.
Thanks you two. As I said earlier, there's no rush, but it's really nice to know you're there for me.
