need boat handling advice for when windward hull lifts

That's a good story spesce. Props to your dad for being out there with you. I hope to make it to 75 and still be riding bikes and sailing. I'm hooked on sailing but the lake nearby is not ideal. I have a pic to show. I can only dream of enough water to stay on tack for 2 miles.

I went out again today. Winds were about 8 knots, N NNW, and mostly steady so it was ok for me to single hand, my only choice right now. I'm not sure if I will go out again in heavy winds single handed until I have more experience. Plus I have issues with the jib blocks not standing up at all. And it's very hard for me to control the cleats. In light winds today I started out with the main only but brought out the jib after I became comfortable with the wind level. Still I was nervous for the first time yet, but calmed down after I realized I wasn't likely to capsize. It's not capsizing that gave me nerves, it was having no way to right the boat. BTW, there was nobody else on the lake today, so I really didn't want to capsize. I think I need a righting bag so I won't be concerned about getting the boat back up. Something else to learn.

Anyway, I know you guys scoff at 8 knot winds but I want to get more experience in tuning the boat and sailing before being blown wild in 20 knots like the other day. Right now I need a passenger, at the least, in those winds, but even the passenger would need to be agile and a bit brave. I made the mistake of telling my friend/crew about my wild single handed day and three capsizes and I think I scared him out of crewing. I told my brother the same tales and it just made him want to learn to crew with me. So I'm hopeful, but he has little time to go.

Here's the lake. The area here is rolling hills and the lake is somewhat narrow compared to what some have available for sailing. It's man made and the dam is in the lower right corner. The red dot in that corner is the location of the ramp, surrounded by rip rap except for a small area of sand nearby. I have to put the boat in and walk it around the rip rap to the small dirt area. A pain, but no charge.



The other red dot in the center right is where I had to turn back today. There is a new marina there and much to my surprise a triple high voltage line stretching across the lake from one side to the other. I couldn't believe it. This was the second time this far up the lake but last time the weather turned me back before I noticed the wires. The lake is full right now and I simply couldn't tell if I had clearance and no way was I going to push my luck with high voltage. I was bummed. I'm going to call the marina or the power company to see if I can learn what the clearance is on the power lines. I watched a pontoon go under with plenty of clearance of course but judging from that it looks like no more than thirty feet in the swag with the water up.

My bother lives on the lake in the upper left corner at the 257 symbol and I thought one day I would go all the way there. But today I wanted to make it to the upper right of the picture to the wider finger of the lake there. I was hoping to find a stretch there to tack for some distance with north wind. The narrow areas are more unpredictable and have steeper land areas that cause the wind to shift regardless of the prevailing wind.

It's 3.6 miles between the two red dots according the google ruler. I don't know how many tacks to get there but it was a lot, beating upwind. Even the east to west area was a pain because of the narrowness and steep land there. I never had wind abeam, always pointing for course made good. When I headed back it was downwind all the way and one forth the time to return. I beached on another small erosion patch on the opposite side from the ramp and ate my lunch and took a nap on the boat. Then headed back to the ramp and hauled out and de-rigged single handed of course.

I had fun but it was a work out. Which is good too.

That type of lake with rolling hills, trees, and fingers has a lot of wind shifts, swirls and downdrafts and are very challenging. Windsurfing these types of lakes are so flukey that unless the wind is funneling up the main channel you couldn't have fun sailing. Pay particular attention to the main direction of the wind and what the wind has just gone over, ie hill, trees, etc. and watch the water very closely for the differing gusts. You can see the gusts, but the swirls and downdrafts are more difficult, but with observing you can call most of them. The Hobie is much much more fogiving than a windsurfer and you generally blast right thru most puffs and downdrafts.The swirls are a little more challenging.

Remember downhaul is your friend to depower the main sail. Also, when the leeward, downwind telltale is luffing, you have completely stalled the sail and is equivalent to a plane stalling and therefore, have lost all lift in the sail. This could be another saving point. As explained by some to turn downwind and by doing this you place the stalls in the stall mode, ie downwind telltale luffing AND you are able to survive this maneuver this is the slowest point of sail. You will be going the speed of the wind and sometimes this is the slowest. Keep playing in the gentler winds and the survival only becomes easier.

Enjoy

You guys don't know how much I appreciate the feedback. Many thanks.

I'm having to learn the lake, the boat, and sailing all at the same time. But it's so much fun, and I like a new challenge.
Even with light winds and no gusts the wind is always "snaking" through like a meandering river, and yesterday the wind vane did some 360's a few times. The vane is better than cassette tape on the bridals in these conditions in my opinion.

Thanks again. You guys are my only hope, Hobieonebonjovi.

Reading these posts takes me back to when I was learning to sail my 18. I learned on an inland lake that looks like yours from the air...really shifty winds.
Don't expect to learn everything in a season, It's like learning to ski, or play most sports. You will be a while learning the ins and outs of your boat....That being said, I have acess to a Hobie 14 T that sits rigged at my lake, and I still go to the trouble of stepping my mast to sail my 18 solo all the time, the 18 gives me A LOT more time to react to puffs and shifts, so don't think that by changing boats everything will miraculously fall into place.
Both boats are fun, but you will still have a similar learning curve with the 14. One luxury I had while learning was three other fools to sail with who were also waterbabies....we flipped our boats several times every day we were out..It does sound like you may have ruined your first crew by taking him out on really wild days, when you weren't quite up to it yourself, no one likes to have their body put in danger beyond their personal control. It's like following someone who has decided that the best way to learn how to ski is to ride the chair to the top of a double black diamond run, and then hoping you both learn everything about skiing before the first mogul or tree pops up in front of you.
I know you won't just FIND three other boats to sail with...It will be a lot easier to find some kid who loves being wet. I find it really helps to take new crew out on a warm mediocre wind day and purposely pull the boat over, and have them go through righting the boat so they can see that with a plan and a good righting system, it's not that hard to right, and that going over is no big deal...
Oh, and Keep reading these forum posts..you'll find that the consensus is that you don't jump off the flipping boat..hold on and LOWER yourself into the water asap. You will have more fun and a lot less bruises.

bamaH18, I know what it is like to have a less that adequate crew. That is why I started soloing a H16 over 25 years ago and for the last 7 years a H17Sport. If you plan to continue to solo you will need a system to right the boat yourself. I use a righting bag with a 4:1 hoist, but there are other methods also (e.g., power pole or shroud adjusters). The main thing is to be able to be independent. The power pole has an advantage of stability if you sail in conditions with large waves or chop. When I decided to replace the H16, I considered the H17Sport, H17SE & H18Magnum. I really like the wing concept. In light winds it makes a great backrest and when it is blowing it allows me to hike out without a trap (I’m 55 and being out on a trap in heavy wind and rough conditions solo is more than I want to deal with). Even without trapping I’ve had my H17Sport up to 26 knots. I decided to get the H17Sport because it had could be righted by one (even without a righting bag), has centerboards (easy to manage solo) and has a jib. I didn’t consider a H14 because it was like a small H16 and I wanted to go with something different.
Now about the hull flying (lift) issue when solo upwind, first off, since you are a river sailor, as I am, if you don’t have one, get a wind vane. The wind direction changes frequently and the vane gives instant feedback. When going to windward in heavy wind (pointing), if you are being overpowered, first furl the jib. This reduces power (~30%) and allows you to point better. Get your weight forward and out, center boards all the way down, sheet in and point as high as you can, but avoid going into irons. You should have a bit of weather helm and the pull of that helm helps you judge the need to head up or fall off (more helm head up less helm fall off). To pick up speed/lift fall off slightly until the windward hull lifts (optimal is when the hull is just out of the water). Too much lift you can either head up a little, sheet out a little or both. I prefer to head up a little first since it takes me closer to windward (the direction I want to go) and it makes for easier tacking. With practice you can maintain the boats heel with just rudder trim, except with big gusts when you have to let out (sometimes let go) the mainsheet. Good sailing.

I'm going to continue with the 18 because it's what I have right now. I'll get it worked out to solo independently. Just to clarify, my friend wasn't out with me on the really wild day in heavy winds, but I did debrief him on the events of that day. I think it spooked him, because he had been out in 7 or 8 knots and then the last time it was 10 and steady with no gusts but he wanted to call it a day even though the hull never lifted that day. oh well. It was a perfect day to sail, at my level, with crew. I've been out once more solo in 10 knots and had a good day but didn't push my luck on capsizing as I was alone on the lake. Then I found the cracked crossbar I have posted about in the 18 forum, so I'm on hold right now.

I must get a righting bag or actually I like the idea of the pole, but need to research that some. The crossbar replacement comes first of course.

I would love to have wings, at 51 I think they would be a great benefit. Sailing really gives my lower back a workout.

I do have a vane, that's the latest mod, and it's been on there the last two outings. I feel it was a great asset.

The discussion of technique you guys are taking the time to post is golden for me. I really feel it's helping the learning curve. I have read the 18 forum completely and much of this section as well. But the discussion in response to my posts pulls it all together for me. In just a few outings I have learned a lot, especially about the need for de-powering and how to stay safe. I can maneuver in the directions I want to go regardless of conditions, get out or stay out of irons, backwind easily, tack without the jib in light winds on the first try. The other day when I encountered the power lines across the lake I tacked over to the side with the most clearance, sailed right up to them and assumed the safety position, assessed the situation, and turned around downwind to egress the area. All within spitting distance of the rocky shore and never felt uncomfortable. If one didn't know better, one would think I knew what I was doing. And this forum gets the credit for my progress. I'm fairly sure my friend would have been freaking out it he had been there.

Now I must get he boat repaired and get back out to learn how to take full advantage of the wind and get that hull skimming just on the surface. Usually the lake's shape and wind direction won't let me stay on tack long enough to get a feel for what's up. And now I'm taking it down a notch because I must deal with the soloing and righting issues.

Hopefully it won't be next season before I get back out. But if so, I'll do a lot of reading over the winter and work on the boat cosmetically and get a little gel coat back on the bottoms of the hulls.

Thanks again for the input guys.

"To stay up, point up."
To go down, point down."

CAUTION: the above only applies to light multihull sailboats. It does not apply to monohulls or large multihulls carrying a large sail plan or very high aspect sails.

That memory aid hasn't failed me in over 3 decades of sailing. What it means is to remain upright, steer to windward. To increase the potential for pitch pole or capsize, steer off the wind (leeward). Yes, sometimes an intentional capsize is in order.

Sheeting out is typically my last resort to avoid a capsize. Playing the wind, power stroking the sheets, reading the water, are methods to forestall an unwanted potential capsize.

This subject needs to be expressed in terms of righting moment, center of bouyancy, and center of gravity.

When the windward hull lifts out of the water, what is happening to the arms and moments? What forces are increasing or decreasing?
BONUS QUESTION: why does the jib usually backwind just prior to a capsize?

The answers to those questions will reveal the correct response to a lifting hull.

To the OP: The torque of turning to leeward acts to decrease the righting moment (and will pass to leeward of the CG--the point of no return). Decreasing the righting moment results to increase to potential of capsize. Also, turning downwind will create a downward force on the lee hull which increases drag. The combination of torque, drag, and wind pressure will act to upend the boat. The motorcycle is not a good analogy because of the different and various forces involved on a boat. Too, the boat rides upon a highly viscous liquid.