Beaching My Cat

I almost always have onshore winds on the beach where I launch. I've been under the impression all along that in these conditions I MUST turn into the wind and back her to the beach, rudders first, in order to de-power the rig and control the beaching.

This obviously makes for a slightly more complicated return, especially if there are fishermen and swimmers out, and it puts my rudders in more risk than necessary.

I believe(ed) that I couldn't come ashore bows first under power like that even if I did travel out the main and release the main sheet all the way out.

When I did this stern first with an old salt recently he thought it odd but went with it anyway and it made me question it.

Is my assumption wrong? Can anyone layout the risks?

Thanks in advance!

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

How strong a breeze are we talking about? I would think your chances of damage a far greater coming in backwards. Myself I would sail it as powered down as possible into the beach. If it's really blowing you could always drop the main and come in under the jib only.

I think it depends on the strength of the wind and the size of the waves. Have you tried running with the wind until the last moment then turning to 90º from the wind and releasing the sheets. That should work too to depower the boat. For lowering the sails though you'll want to be facing the wind.

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frank pichel, H16 Veribold, #71146

I launch from a beach on the intracoastal waterway. The prevailing winds there are usually 8-12 knots steady. I usually approach on a run or a broad reach. Just before beaching I turn up, release the sheets, step over the side and walk to the bow and hold the bridles. From there the wind will back the boat a few feet right to the beach. There are many other boats on this small stretch of beach so we have to back in carefully so as not to run over a fellow sailor or bang up any boats.

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Big Dan
1982 H16

Hot Flash #68984

These are beach cats folks! If it's a sandy, muddy or grassy beach release the main and jib, take a couple of hard turns just before you reach the beach to kill some speed, and sail up on the beach. If you are really conscientious you could raise the rudders before they hit, but they will pop up on their own. I routinely sail into a concrete ramp because the rest of the shore line is big rocks. I have had my current boat for 6 years and sail at least once a week during the summer and fall. I also go up to Bear Lake in Utah and sail the East beaches for a week each summer and those beaches are gravel and sand mixed. Again I routinely sail onto the shore. My hulls are still gel coated on the bottom and when they look to be getting a little thin I will re-coat them. For now, 6 years and counting, they look great. These boats are incredibly tough (See "Got Trashed" in H16 forum). Sail these babies like you mean it. They are much more fun than if you are always worried about scratches and damage and baby them. Go for it. Blast up onto the beach a couple of times.

If the beach is sand (real sand, no pebbles or other hard stuff), you can run the boat up, no sweat. It's actually kind of cool to do it. I've run boats up on beaches so hard and so fast, I didn't have to pull the boat up any further - it will even turn into the wind eventually.

But you'll be doing bottom jobs every year or so, depending on how often you do that.

To preserve the bottoms, the accepted practice is to approach at a broad reach, release the sheets and then at the last minute, turn into the wind. The crew hops off and holds the bow into the wind while the skipper hops off and gets the rudders all the way up and the tiller extension out of the way.

Then back the boat up on to the beach (or put the wheels on it, then pull up the beach), making sure to lift the rear end up to keep the rudders from accidentally dropping.

The way I pull up the boat is to stand at the back crossbar, facing backwards. I reach back under the rear crossbar with the hand closest to center and wrap my fingers around the tramp strip. The outside hand grabs the deck lip, right next to the rudder. Lift and pull. Works really well with another person on the other side doing the same thing.

Many years ago when I was a kid I saw a guy flying a hull sail all the way up onto the sand, still flying the hull and keep the hull in the air for a few min before gently easing it down. He had to play the sheet. I was very impressed and decided I wanted to sail hobies when I grew up. I now have a H18 but have not tried this yet.

I think it's the de-powering I want to manage most when I have my kids and non-sailors aboard. I had visions of coming ashore too hard and either damaging something or someone, and I want to preserve the bottoms.

What I'm hearing is that traveling and sheeting everything out de-powers the rig sufficiently (up to ~15mph) once aground when I thought that wouldn't be the case. I thought even doing that meant risking a dry capsize which would not endear me to my sunbathing and fishing landlubber neighbors.

I have a line tied to a rear grommet that I use to temporarily secure the tiller crossbar to keep the rudders up as she backs onto the beach. I also installed a foot strap/grab handle on the rear outboard hull lip on each side which has been a godsend for backing her up the twenty or so percent grade.

My beach is on the Chesapeake Bay, we don't have large waves . The kicker is having all the shells and rocks and other flotsam mixed in with the sand that would be pretty hard on the bottoms. I do rake the beach every so often which makes for a nicer beach day with the family, with the added benefit of being easier on the boat.

Sounds like either approach is fine for me as long as I pick my spot carefully where I've raked, don't do it too often and plan for a bottom job every other season or so and all will be well with the world.

THANKS GUYS!

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

If you don't have any sizable waves (less than 2 feet), then it is definitely better to do a controlled landing where you turn the boat up into the wind about 30 to 50 feet offshore, then kick up the rudders, and walk the boat backwards into the beach. This is a safe way to land in any windspeed and has the least amount of risk of damaging the boat or injuring beach-goers.

If there are waves (ocean surf), then you often have no choice but to sail the boat right up onto the beach. Turning broadside to the waves is an invitation for capsizing or otherwise damaging the boat. In this case, pick a spot that is clear of people, sail the boat up as far as it'll go. Once it stops, QUICKLY hop off, pull the boat above the surfline, and then spin it into the wind. In a strong onshore wind, this can be very tricky because the boat will want to capsize when it hits the beach.

sm

Thanks. I guess the key is "strong." How much wind does it take to dry capsize?

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

About 15 mph I'd say. Depends on the angle and where the sheets are set. When the boat's on the beach with sails up, it needs to be turned onto the wind.

sm

Thanks srm, I should have asked a better question:

When coming ashore and beaching bows first, traveled and sheeted out all the way, how much wind would it take to dry capsize her?

Definitely, once I'm ashore I turn her into the wind and drop canvas.

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

Can't say I really know the exact answer to that one. It depends on your angle to the wind and how much crew weight you have on board. Of course you're going to have to hop off to spin the boat anyway, so at some point there will be zero crew weight.

The point is that you're much better off spinning the boat into the wind while on the water and walking it in if possible. This is a much safer way to land the boat unless waves are an issue and they would prevent you from rounding up safely.

sm

Makes sense, I guess "time will tell!"

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

I lay a couple of 2x10's perpendicular to the direction of the boat across the beach to reduce wear and then beach as hard as possible. This cuts hull wear in half, letting me go 2 years between bottom jobs.

Depending on how well protected your beach is from the wind you might not even have to worry about a dry capsize which has happened to me once or twice (4 times) without any damage to the mast or boat

-Joe