Weather Helm
There was finally a break in the weather and I had a chance to check on Dash, our Pacific Seacraft 25 sailboat at the Berkeley Marina. I raised the mainsail to dry in the sun, sponged out a little bit of water in the bilge, and ran the engine. In spite of the rough weather lately, she was none the worse for wear.
The clear sky reminded me of the upcoming sailing season and its potential. Even though it is only February, the consistent wind of Spring was blowing through my guts.
The Spring and Summer winds of San Francisco Bay. Westerly, fresh, and consistent wind that builds into the evenings. For a small sailboat on the Bay, understanding the winds and tides, and how the boat reacts to them, make the sailor.
There is a science to understanding the boat's reaction to the wind, its direction, speed, and gusts. The boat heels over, leaning in the direction opposite the wind, which changes the shape of the hull in contact with the water. The shapes of the sails also react to the power of the wind, and the good skipper is mindful of these changes.
This is all to say that these forces combine to propel the boat forward, preferably on the correct course for your destination, wherever that may be.
But, these forces may overwhelm the boat if she's not balanced. If her sails are not at the right angles, with the right twists, she may not be able to sail to her desired heading. If the wind is too much and her sails are too large, she will be pushed over too far and you will struggle and fight and strain to keep her on a straight path.
When the boat is overpowered, she wants to turn to face the wind. If she does, she is stalled and loses her momentum. You can fight the tiller, which is connected to the rudder, to force her back on course, but it is an exhausting, frustrating battle. And worse, she's not sailing to her potential. She's not showing you her strengths. Your arrogance or ignorance or indifference is holding her back.
Her desire to turn into the wind, this fight you have keeping her on course, is called weather helm. Every effort should be taken to resolve the sources of this. Patience, trial and error, good advice from more experienced sailors, all may help you adjust your boat's rigging to reduce weather helm. Reduce, not eliminate. A little bit is good, but that's for another time.
The balanced boat is impressive. She bends to the natural forces around her, and then says to give her more. If she is nurtured, she is capable, formidable, and peaceful. And you, her skipper, share in her peace.