[Public-List] Dolor sailor on Alberg 30 made it to Hawaii, broken rudder

Thu Sep 23 07:48:32 PDT 2021

Funny you should mention Hornblower…

When I was working on Master and Commander, part of my job was to choreograph the action sequences.   I did my best to describe to the my good colleagues on the production that loosing the rudder was a fairly minor inconvenience in a square rigged sailing ship, particularly when se was free to sail downwind.  The reason is that the complex rig is almost infinitely adaptable with regard to adjusting balance.   It is only holding a precise course that is impeded.   In the first battle scene… losing rigging forward would have made it impossible for SURPRISE to turn away from her antagonist.  She did not need her rudder to pile sail on forward and by that means turn her head away.  In a sailing ship 80% of steering is done with the rig, the rudder is only a trim tab.   Next time you look at a drawing of a sailing ship, note how small the rudder is.  Modern sailing vessels tend to have much larger rudders because they have to operate as powered vessels much of the time.

I explained that losing the foremast and or bowsprit is what would have created the emergency we were depicting.  But the production correctly decided that we didn’t have the screen time to explain this to the audience, who would instantly associate a loss of the rudder with an emergency.

In the storm sequence, losing the upper part of SURPRISE’s mizzen and having it dragging astern would actually have been a great aid in her survival.  Losing rigging forward would have caused her to round up and broach as we depicted.   And of course, towing some spars would not stop her as we depicted… it would have slowed her from the twelve knots or so she was doing, to eleven or eleven and a half…  and would have steadied her steering wonderfully…Warley who went overboard might have been seen for an instant swimming… but then gone in an instant astern.  I explained all this, but  ah well… movies… 

Gordon Laco
426 Surprise

> On Sep 23, 2021, at 10:24 AM, Mike Meinhold via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> I learned the same sailing with my Dad on an old wooden boat on Bellport
> Bay, pretending we were Horatio Hornblower and our rudder had been shot
> away. We would ship the rudder and balance the sails .
> I use an auto helm for Singlehanding, and it has limits, so I can quickly
> see if the balance is off. It is generally faster to load the rudder less .
> 
> I have learned a lot racing with different skippers. The best skippers play
> the main , or as main trimmer you can watch the helm angle to guide trim.
> 
> Mike
> Rinn Duin #272
> 
> 
> On Thu, Sep 23, 2021 at 09:49 Daniel via Public-List <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
>> Beneficial observations, Gordon,
>> 
>> From reading your insights, I’ll be considering my sail trim even more
>> next season on Lake Ontario. Sometimes I allow for too much weather helm
>> myself, so these are essential things to think about.
>> 
>> - Daniel
>> 
>>> On Sep 23, 2021, at 09:00, Gordon Laco via Public-List <
>> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Good morning friends,
>>> 
>>> I watched his video in which the rudder failure occurred and have a few
>> observations.  I am in no way bring critical of his courage and spirit of
>> adventure, but reckon that despite his many sea miles of experience, he
>> does not have a great depth of understanding of seamanship.
>>> 
>>> On the passage to Hawaii, before the rudder trouble, I noticed that he
>> was sailing with at least 20 degrees of weather helm on his boat.  When
>> sailing down wind, he always had his sails close hauled, and there was a
>> sequence where he was trying to reef his mainsail while it was full and
>> drawing… sailing downwind.  He eventually gave this up with the clew only
>> partially drawn down, leaving a very deep curve in the sail.  When next the
>> point of view included the tiller, it could be seen that the weather helm
>> was much worse.
>>> 
>>> This of course is perfectly natural given the condition of the mainsail
>> and point of sail, with the sails close hauled despite the course.   The
>> boat was sailed for days in this condition… sailing quite fast so the load
>> on the steering must have been tremendous.  At one point in the video, you
>> can see the tiller is absolutely hard over for a long time as he was trying
>> to hold a course… the point of view pans back to the rig and again, despite
>> sailing downwind, the sheets are in as if close reaching.   While watching,
>> and knowing the shaft later came adrift from the blade of the rudder, I
>> thought to myself ‘ah’.   I might have thought the rudder head might have
>> come adrift before the blade broke due to the prolonged abnormal strain…
>> but there it is.
>>> 
>>> Again I wish to emphasize I do not snipe at his courage, resourcefulness
>> nor his spirit… all of which he has in spades.  And although steering by
>> sail trim might have been a lot easier and probably more effective in an
>> Alberg 30, his rigging of the drogue system showed great resourcefulness.
>>> 
>>> As part of my own instruction when I was a kid, I was taught to steer
>> the boat by sail balance… the intention was to teach us not to sail with
>> unbalanced rigs and particularly with bad sail trim with an eye toward
>> racing, but for the cruising sailor being able to sail ones boat without
>> dragging the rudder at a needless angle is just good seamanship.  And I am
>> of the opinion that being able to sail the boat well is MORE important to
>> cruising sailors than racers.  Perhaps that video is an example of the
>> consequences.
>>> 
>>> With regard to the damage… my thought is that perhaps the impact
>> happened at some time before the voyage.
>>> 
>>> I thought of writing all this right after watching the video a few days
>> ago, but hesitated because I do not wish to be misunderstood as ‘dissing’
>> the sailor.  I am not.  But your question Wade made me decide to write for
>> the benefit of all of us.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Gordon Laco
>>> 426 Surprise
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Sep 23, 2021, at 8:27 AM, Wade Wall via Public-List <
>> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> 
>>>> A few weeks ago I posted a link to an Alberg 30 sailor who was sailing
>> to
>>>> Hawaii and broke his rudder. He made it to Hawaii by sailing with a
>> drogue
>>>> to steer. Video is here:
>>>> 
>>>> https://youtu.be/1AZXXKj0p0s
>>>> 
>>>> He discusses how he thinks the rudder broke toward the end. Basically,
>> he
>>>> thinks something hit it on the aft edge, but I just don't see how that
>>>> could happen without the tiller being lashed to starboard or port.  I
>>>> haven't asked him if his tiller was lashed, but just curious if anyone
>> had
>>>> any thoughts.
>>>> 
>>>> Wade Wall
>>>> Sophie #421
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