Heavy weather instruction?

[OldFrog75]

I've been reading the thread "Thunderstorms while Coastal Cruising" with interest all morning. 17 pages of posts is a lot to tread through - many interesting and helpful, some of the tit-for-tat, not so much. Hard to assimilate all the information.

We don't get weather like the posters are describing out here in Southern California. Might sound crazy, but are there sailing schools in Florida (or anywhere else for that matter) that offer heavy weather instruction during the season when weather is expected? Not that I'm looking to sail in a hurricane or anything close to that for jollies, but it might be interesting to be on the water and actually watch these weather systems develop and learn how to deal with them under the tutelage of a qualified instructor.

[Crimea Cruiser]

I am not aware of any schools teaching in actual heavy weather conditions, but I am sure there are schools that will fill you full of all the practical knowledge and also run through mock or simulated scenarios in decent weather.

[neilpride]

Some years ago i remember see the famous Pen Duick VI ex tabarly boat sailing in Gibralatar strait with youngs crews in gale conditions , if i remember the boat is based in Cadiz or Gibraltar , dont remember and ofert positions on board to sail in bad weather to people willing to sail and learn in such conditions, you can google if there is something similar close to your location, there is also people chartering boats in places where bad weather is the norm,i guess this is the safest and best way to enjoy bad weather in a boat build for that and with experienced crew..

[Jim Cate]

IIRC, some of the RYA Yachtmaster courses do indeed feature heavy weather tuition. Likely one of the CFers who have done those courses will chime in, but in general they are not for newbies... rather for already experienced skippers. In the USA I suspect that liability issues might cloud the horizon for such instruction.

Cheers,

Jim

[scotty c-m]

Good question! Sailing in SF Bay in the summer offers challenging winds (20+ knots) on a regular basis. It's close to your area and might have some sailing classes that could go towards your goal.

[Mystic38]

I don't think any sailing school that deliberately goes out in heavy weather will get insurance nor last long...

as for ther target customers?... speaking as someone who has had to by circumstance (ie have sailed into foul weather on a passage) I suggest that anyone who actually desires to go onto the foredeck in 45kt winds and 15ft seas to change sails/fix something/set a sea anchor has a genetic screw loose...lol

You can practice everything you need to know in 15kt winds and 5ft seas...then just hope you never need to repeat it in 3-5x the conditions.

[Hud3]

You might think about trying to get a crew berth on a boat in one of the East Coast-to-Caribbean sailing rallies that take place in early November each year (Google: Caribbean 1500, NARC, Salty Dawg). You're pretty much guaranteed to get a gale and sometimes storm force winds on the passage.

You'd likely be on a boat with more experienced sailors, which would offer a good learning experience. That's how I got my first offshore exposure.