Big winds just hit Sydney, gusting to 48 according to SB and it feels like it too! So I dutifully checked my swing moored boat. Now she is a modern fin keel style with, compared to traditional long keel jobs, low wetted surfaces and lots of topsides. But too the point, she is really lively compared to other yachts next to her. I don't know if my mooring has less rode, but the yacht is tacking, quite frequently. She is riding up on the mooring and swinging from Porto starboard about every 30 seconds. I have been in some strong winds at anchor, but did not notice it. Most of the big and smaller other yachts are much more benign!
I have my stout new rudder lock holding the rudder centred, would that make her sail up more.
It was about as strong and rough as I have seen it at Gunnamatta, quite a challenge to wander out on the floating Marina.
cheers Richard
If you want to stop the "sailing " on the mooring you need to increase the windage on the aft part in order to get her to line up with the wind. Do a search for "wedgie" and you will see one version of aft area to help the weathercock effect
Hi Stockie,
You could try hanging her off a bridle on the stern. Should fix the yawing, but you need to be a lot more careful about wave action if there's any about ie: if you have an open transom. Its annoying on my boat if I'm onboard sleeping for the slapping against the square transom, but it's worked for me as I seem to swing a lot more than my neighbours when the wind gets up.
so what would happen if you lashed the rudder to port or starboard ??? might fix it ????
My fin keeler tends to sail up a bit on the anchor/mooring. I see that as a good thing as it tends to reduce the load on the on the rode. My tiller is always firmly secured amidships and other windage things are as port/starboard neutral as possible.
The proviso of course is that you have sufficient anti chafe at the bow roller.
Interesting topic and worth hearing of other's experience.
It is tough to find one solution that works in all conditions with changing winds and currents. Sometimes I tie of the anchor snubbing line to a midship cleat so the boat points slightly off the wind off the wind, but I wouldn't want to leave a boat unattended on a mooring like this, especially if it is crowded.
The "wedgie" sail sounds like a great idea. There is more info here:
www.mysailing.com.au/news/how-to-give-your-boat-a-wedgie
Anchored recently in 20knts, the anchor chain banging on the bob stay as we yawed was becoming annoying. So I made a long snubber and set it off the bowsprit no more banging and yawing was much reduced.
The wedgie / riding sail sounds like a good bit of kit
after doing a fair bit of sailing around the anchor recently, i'm going to have a go at replicating the FinDelta riding sail design...
The other option to increase feathering into the wind is to install cloth spray dodgers on the lifelines. This at least has a dual purpose, but might give you a bit of weather helm when sailing.
(Semantic note- in Oz we tend to call a Spray Hood a spray dodger. They are two different things.) A spray hood will also help moving the wind pressure aft, but also increases the total windage and load on the mooring apparatus.
My Bavaria sailed to its anchor in strong winds.
I always thought it was because the rig was a long way forward (sort of the opposite of a wedgie). Off to port and then tack to starboard; all night in an open anchorage. Thank goodness for the Rocna.
But one thing to watch for is what that does to your bow roller. Originally ours was bolted through the deck, but that started to enlarge the bolt holes and let the roller move about.
I tried snubbers and all; but that couldn't change the dynamics of the anchor lead and center of windage/ resistance. Just soften the blows at the end of each tack.
riding sails have a long history of usage in places with nasty weather - surely minimising the sailing at anchor would be the best solution?
