PACIFIC GALE SAIL by Andy Cross
24 HOURS OF PREPARATION, ENDURANCE, AND RECOVERY
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I push it on deck, snap on the hanks, and run the sheets. Before lashing it down, I doublecheck the shackles, lines, and the deck fitting to ensure we won’t have any issues when it’s time for it to fly. While on the foredeck, I also inspect the tie-downs for the dinghy and jerry jugs, and make sure the jack lines are clear. Now that the staysail and foredeck are ready, I check the reefing lines on the mainsail and get out short lengths of line that can be used for lashings. Down below, Jill prepares a couple meals that we can all eat easily and so we don’t have to cook when the seas get rough. When that’s done, anything that can move in the main cabin is stowed or lashed, and the nav desk gets tidied up. While finishing these tasks, as expected, the northwesterly wind dies, then switches to the southeast. That’s it, the edge of the cold front is here. Sailing closehauled now, we wait for the wind to start picking up. Like clockwork, by late afternoon it has gone south and risen to 15 knots, then 20 with gusts hitting 30. With the increase in the wind, we hoist the staysail, roll up the genoa completely, and go from one reef in the mainsail then two while plunging onward into rising seas. It’s going to be a rough night.
he triangles on the cold front symbol remind me of teeth — fangs, actually — while I stare at a weather map on my computer screen. Sailing southbound from Alaska to San Francisco, we’re over 100 miles off the Washington coast and are about to get chewed on by the edge of the front. Confirming what I’m seeing, I get a message from a friend on our inReach that reads, “Looks like you’re going to get overtaken by the southern boundary of the low. Winds could reach 40 knots and seas will be 10 to 15 feet, but it won’t last too long. Good luck.” With the weather assessment complete, I note the time on the top corner of my computer — noon — and start thinking forward. I’m fully aware that we’re in for a difficult 24 hours and we need to prepare. Before departing Alaska, I knew there was a good chance we’d skirt this low and I had time to think through what we needed to do. I close my computer and immediately begin talking through the situation with Jill. The two of us have sailed in similar storm conditions at sea before, which makes the preparation a familiar motion. It’s go time. THE SETUP After reaching and running under full canvas for the previous few days, we need to get ready to make the sails small, clean up the cabin, and feed the crew. Yahtzee, our Grand Soleil 39, has a removable inner forestay that we set up for longer passages, so first on the list is to get our small staysail out and rigged on the stay. This job is always best done before the weather hits, and
48º NORTH
KEEP MOVING Slogging our way south, the seas build fast and green water washes over the deck. From underneath Yahtzee’s hard dodger, I alternate between watching the procession of frothing waves and the trim of the sails, periodically peering down below to
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AUGUST 2021
