how much is too much wind?

how much is too much wind for a Laser?

  • 20-25 kts

    Votes: 6 9.1%
  • 25-30 kts

    Votes: 17 25.8%
  • 30-35 kts

    Votes: 21 31.8%
  • 35-40 kts

    Votes: 14 21.2%
  • 40-45 kts

    Votes: 3 4.5%
  • 45+ kts

    Votes: 5 7.6%

  • Total voters
    66

geenus

New Member
i personally don't have fun in more than 25 knots, and that's on a lake with reasonably little waves. also because i don't really have the money to replace broken things.

how much is too much wind for you?
 
I have only been sailing my laser for a couple of months but have had it out in 25 knots 1.5-2m swell and had a ball.

Probably wouldnt like to be in a long race in too much more but that is more for fitness reasons than safety. Cant really see that there is too much to break compared to other boats I've sailed.
 
I have been out 4 times in 25-30 (never over 30 steady) and all 4 times I capsized multiple times, and in fact finally went in when I was tired enough that I didn't know how many more times I would be able to climb back in and keep going

-- but especially after I learned a little about sailing by the lee, these were the funnest days I've had going downwind!!!

Oh by the way I was no where near competitive, just had a lot of fun

any more wind & I would be too worried about breaking stuff
 
Out recent open was held in a steady 25kts plus with gust up in to the low 30s. Was not much fun until you got ashore having survived and had some of the fastest and scariest reaches and runs (and Gybes).

Our lovely PRO had set a course with 2 gybes in it...i survived all except 1 (I was impresed can you tell?). This is on a small inland lake so no waves to contentd with though. I think if there were waves then my ability level would only allow me to cope with 25 kts max.
 
Sail on southampton water, so the waves aren't as big as the solent but still make it fun. Windiest have sailed in there is probably about 40knots (we launched in 20, by the first mark it was stupidly windy) which did result in me bending my bottom section so it looked like a 4.7 mast. Only one laser made it round a lap, the rest of us retired or broke stuff.

The qualifiers here have a wind limit of 25knots but we have still ended up racing in more than this when it has blown up whilst we are already out. Becomes survival instead of racing then. There is a big difference between sailable and race able wind conditions. I love going for a play in big winds.
 
in my laser 35-40 but in the dehler its fun up to 45+

You must weigh 250 lbs? I've seen lasers, (full rigs) get blown over in 40 knots just sitting there with the main flogging and a 180 lb guy sitting on the rail.

I have to question 2 things.

1)- Other than offshore in a low pressure system where the sea state would be too dangerous for most anything under 40-50 feet+ in length to sail , where does it blow 45+ and allow someone to "go out for a sail"?

2)- When you are sailing your Laser in 25-40 knots of breeze, (and assuming now you don't weigh 250 lbs.) what rig are you using? Do you just power reach around?

For me the answer to the question is this: 25 knots is the cut off. Actually, anything above a steady 20 knots is where the "survival mode" begins in RACING. This is where you have to master all points of sail and boat control. In addition it becomes difficult for a lot of RC's to be able to maintain a course, (ocean course anyway) when it starts blowing over 25 knots the sea state becomes difficult for the best of boaters to be able to sit at anchor for hours on end and keep their lunch down and many inlets begin to become impassable for certain types of boats as well.

Many people that post on a regular basis here know this is a subject I stuggle with. I question the accuracy of someone's wind guage when they say, "I sailed in 35 knots today!" As mentioned above by someone else the reality of 35 knots when having to traverse all points of sail is typically broken gear and several vertical turns. When it blows over 25 if I'm not sturck out in it I'm on shore watching it.
 
We can be reasonably accurate with our wind strengths at my club as the wind is monitored and available live online, from the nearby docks. It does tend to over read slightly as it is high up but its a good indication. The race I mention above had readings of 40+ knots.

Don't know about over in the states, but in the UK this year has seemed to be either blowing a gale or really light. I can hardly think of any nice 15kt wind days this year.

For me I think 25 knots is a fair cut off for racing. However, a laser is perfectly sailable in higher wind strengths. I don't chop and change rigs for the conditions and as long as you are the right weight for your rig you should be able to sail a laser in 0-30 knots, sea state permitting.
 
The wind was growing as Hurricane Ike approached during our club's Laser regatta several weeks ago. Gusts of 23 knots with big shifts. One foot chop on our narrow reservoir. Of 14 boats, only 5 finished. I capsized at least 5 times (lost count, really) and retired after my boom "boomed" me. Two boats came in due to outhaul difficulties--one broken fairlead and one failed velcro wrap. Also, I took a chunk of gelcoat off the bottom of my boat next to the centerboard trunk, and a chunk of resin off my Aussie centerboard in a violent capsize in which I got over the gunwale and dropped onto the centerboard. Yikes! Won't ever do that again.

I know I could have sailed it if it had been a steady 23 knots.
 
We can be reasonably accurate with our wind strengths at my club as the wind is monitored and available live online, from the nearby docks. It does tend to over read slightly as it is high up but its a good indication. The race I mention above had readings of 40+ knots.

Don't know about over in the states, but in the UK this year has seemed to be either blowing a gale or really light. I can hardly think of any nice 15kt wind days this year.

For me I think 25 knots is a fair cut off for racing. However, a laser is perfectly sailable in higher wind strengths. I don't chop and change rigs for the conditions and as long as you are the right weight for your rig you should be able to sail a laser in 0-30 knots, sea state permitting.

Your wind guage is accurate. It looks like we agree on the sailing part as the race you mentioned the 40+ they pulled the plug on it and you bent your bottom section. As you also mentioned 30 knots should be the reasonable cut off as control becomes the problem because, as you mentioned in your last post, you are in survival mode. This coencides with my points above.
 
This is something I personally have a serious problem with, because...

Don't know about over in the states, but in the UK this year has seemed to be either blowing a gale or really light. I can hardly think of any nice 15kt wind days this year.

As someone that weighs close to 100kg (220lbs) every time there's been enough wind for me to really enjoy it, our OOD (who is rostered on from the entire club list) decides to cancel the racing!

For fun sailing I prefer 15-20 knots, because I dont have to work too hard upwind to get some fun rides back down.

For racing however, coming from NZ where we used to race in optimists, P Class, Starlings, Lasers etc up to 40 knots regardless (it was an enclosed area), I dont mind how hard it blows.
 
For serious racing, gusts up to 30 are the most you would want to constitute a proper race (that means gusting up to 30, not a solid 30 and gusting higher)

A few weeks ago a few of us went sailing after the racing for the day had been called off in a windometer varified 35-40 knots, 1-1.5m chop. It was alot of fun and helped develop my high wind skills that I can use in races that are 25knots or so.

For the record, I weigh 83kg
 
We can be reasonably accurate ... The race I mention above had readings of 40+ knots.

I believe the problem with discussing (and boasting about) sailing in stronger winds is that people seem to have a very different understanding of what 20, 25 or whatever knots of wind means. Wind strengths usually vary over any given time period. There are always lulls and gusts.

Meteorologists usually look at the mean wind strenght and that's what I like to refer to. A 20 knot wind usually comes with gusts much higher, up to 25 or even 30 knots, which is where most sailors start to struggle.

Sailor chick seems to refer the max reading(s) during the day. That will hardly reflect a mean of 40 knots or even 30 knots.

From my understanding very few sailors, almost regardless of weight, will be able to really sail in 30 knots mean in a laser with a standard rig because in the gusts you will either capsize to lee- or to windward. A mean of 25 usually sees most of the fleet in the water for much of the time, unless they are just blastin around and jibing in lulls only.
 
Good points Der_Dude.

It's also worth noting that different places have different wind characteristics. The winds off the gulf coast of Florida are extremely steady both in direction and strength - so you can deal with higher wind levels.
The winds here in Austin are constantly shifting direction and strength, so a windy day is harder to manage.
 
It's also worth noting that different places have different wind characteristics.

Very true.

Back in the days of lore and legend, way before I got into Lasers, the racing in Wellington harbour (NZ) used to continue after the airport was closed due to high winds. Bet the chandleries loved that!

Where I sail now in England we have a seriously mean tidal flow, anything up to eight knots, running in, or directly against, the 'normal' wind direction. The wind is pretty much constant direction, without many gusts.

In a solid 25 knot South-west wind, the race before high tide is only about 15-20 knots over the water, whereas the one after high tide will be more like 30-35.

Most members of the handicap fleet dont turn up for the second race! or start but dont finish.
 
'too much wind' is when you have to put the shutters up on your house.

Seriously, I find that sea state has a lot to do with it. A 24-28 kt day is a lot different on an enclosed body of water vs open ocean with huge seas. I'm a full rig weight but I love Radials in wind over 22 kts. In Cabarete at the Caribbean Midwinters 2007 I was overwhelmed in a Radial with winds in the low 20's gusting to 30, but with 10 foot breaking seas. I was completely incapable of bearing off to go downwind without wiping out so I gave up and sat on the beach and watched the carnage.
 
You must weigh 250 lbs? I've seen lasers, (full rigs) get blown over in 40 knots just sitting there with the main flogging and a 180 lb guy sitting on the rail.

I have to question 2 things.

1)- Other than offshore in a low pressure system where the sea state would be too dangerous for most anything under 40-50 feet+ in length to sail , where does it blow 45+ and allow someone to "go out for a sail"?

2)- When you are sailing your Laser in 25-40 knots of breeze, (and assuming now you don't weigh 250 lbs.) what rig are you using? Do you just power reach around?

when we raced to norway it blew a steady 45+ and its only as dangeris as the people sailing

any thing above 25/30 i use my radial, na the few times i have raced i found it fun because of the wipe outs
 

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