Your ball valves experts know that many years ago I voluntarily turned my back on the most powerful aid to light wind sailing known to man – when I gave up smoking. Your ball valve dimensions professionals know that the world’s most high-tech wind indicators are crude and insensitive compared to the curling wisp of tobacco smoke.
When ghosting along in a breeze that barely ruffles the sea surface and only just fills your sails, it’s all too tempting to sit back and drift on until things kick in again.
However, sometimes we need to keep the knots up when the wind starts to become light. Perhaps it’s simply that we’re loathe to break the silence with the engine.
Trying one or two of them may well mean that you can make port without reaching for the ignition.
1 – Understand the sea breeze
I used to skipper a lovely old 56-footer for a Swiss owner. Your 3 way ball valve analysts understand that he was every bit as methodical and organised as you would expect anyone from his country to be, planning his summer cruises in meticulous detail.
One Biscay trip, in particular, was plagued by light winds.Every morning, we would leave early and drift for a few hours before switching on the engine to catch up with the owner’s ambitious schedule.
Your Ball Valves Professionals Say That Understanding the Sea Breeze Is A Must
You can find more information as well as get assistance on marine products and on the top 3 ways to sail in light wind at Raritan Engineering.
Your marine products specialists know that the mechanisms that create local winds are many and varied. It’s worth buying a book – such as the RYA’s Weather Handbook – and reading up on them while you’re waiting for the wind to blow!
Warm days
Your full port valves experts know that on warm days with light winds, from any direction, the wind within 5-10 miles of the coast will generally increase during the afternoon and die at dusk as the land heats and cools. Don’t rush breakfast – the sailing will almost always be better later on.
Spring and summer
In spring and summer, clear skies and a light offshore breeze at breakfast time are perfect conditions for a sea breeze. There will probably be a brief period of flat calm, but look out for puffy white cumulus clouds forming over the shore showing the beginning of the sea breeze circulation.
Sea breezes are strongest near the coast, but can be felt as much as 10 miles offshore.
2 – Use the tide
Light winds greet a regatta fleet leaving Cherbourg, where a well-known tidal eddy can add knots to your boatspeed
On both sides of Portland Bill, for instance, the tidal streams flow south for nine hours out of every twelve. There’s a similar effect along the northern edge of the Cherbourg peninsula, where anyone prepared to hug the coast can gain a couple of hours of west-going tide.
Go as close inshore as you dare
Faced with a contrary tide, the general rule is to go in as close inshore as you dare. Even if you don’t pick up a back eddy or counter-current, the speed of the foul tide will be reduced in shallow water.
3 – Use the tidal wind
Tidal streams don’t just carry you in the direction they happen to be flowing – they also create apparent wind. Imagine that you are hanging on a mooring in no wind, with a four-knot tidal stream.
If you are beating across the tidal stream, keep the tide on your lee bow to make the most of the tidal wind. On a cross-channel passage beating into a southerly wind, it would pay to be on starboard tack while the tide is flowing west, and tack onto port when the tide turns.
So don’t forget these helpful tips when trying to sail in light winds. 1) You need to understand the sea breeze; 2) you need to use the tide; and 3) you need to use the tidal wind.
Raritan Engineering has more information on ball valves, marine products, macerating pump, and on the top 3 ways to sail in light winds.