Sails and Wind

We are having southerly winds for already 2 days now, which means that we have to sail close hauled. This means that the ship is nicely heeling over one side and if you position everything in the right corner, it will remain there as well. The wind is not very constant since in a squall the wind peaks at 30 knots (7 Bfd ) to be decreased only moments later to only 15 knots (3-4- Bfd ).
Since we are also enjoying a swell of 2-3 meters, it is important to retain some wind pressure in the sails. This means that in a squall we have to douse the sails highest aloft, in order to set them again when the squall is over.
I have been frequently asked which sails we carry in such situations. This varies a lot in the current weather. We do however have a rule of thumb to determine which sail we have to take in at which wind strength.

20 kn  sky sail, flying jib
25 kn  royal,  outer jib
30 kn  topgallant, mizzen topsail
35 kn  fore course, main course, mizzen course
40 kn  upper top sails, inner jib is exchanged for the storm jib
50 kn  storm jib, mizzen topmast staysail and trysail

The basic idea is that the more wind, the lower the canvass being carried. As I said this is a rule of thumb. Furthermore some other factors affect the sail plan, such as apparent wind angle, sea and weather, shipboard operations, day or night, estimate time of arrival in the next port, etc. But one thing is for sure, we only start the engine when called for. Either for safety reasons or in order to meet to meet the next appointment.
 

Andi Manser
Captain Clipper Stad Amsterdam