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cumulus grows into cumulonimbus, with the
highest layers stretching most blatantly into their
characteristic anvil, we can be sure that a storm is
going to plunge down upon the sea (some people
compare the anvil to the grey beard of an old
man).
Before the advent of the first rush of rain and
wind, a calm will reign upon the water. Since
these are summer storms, they are accompanied
by a particular mugginess. Before the wind that
causes the stormhits, a light breeze usually blows
towards it from the opposite quarter, most often
coming from the land, bringing the scent of pines
with it. This does not all take place at once, and
since storms are most common in the afternoon
or just before evening, a look to the west is
enough to foresee its coming.
The most important thing is that a storm is an
integral part of sailing and there is no need to flee
it. And anyway, the speed at which it goes tells us
that there is no way of escaping it.
Today's vessels are so constructed that the typical
Kvarner storm, which usually lasts just twenty
minutes or half an hour, cannot be a real threat.
Unless, of course, wemake some crucial error.
For example. We have sailed out without listening
to the forecast. For if we are in some marina, or at
some safe mooring or at anchor and a storm is
forecast, it is better to wait for it to pass over, and see
what theweather is like after that.
We have to make quite sure that the bay in which
we have anchored is securely protected from the
storm. In principle, unsafe anchorages are those
that are open to the west. In such a case, never
drop yet another anchor. Any kind of doubt about
the safety of an anchorage has to force you to sail
out. You might wonder what the next step is after
you have dropped a second anchor. A third? No,
the next step is abandoning ship. And then watch
terrified from the shore wondering what is going
to happen to it. If you have stuck with one
anchor, then you have to check whether you can
raise it without difficulty. Or get a sharp knife
ready. You have to be ready to sail out.
A second example. If we have already set sail in
the conviction that the storm cannot touch us,
and after some time seen the sky blackening and
dropping right down to touch the sea, then we
don't go back, no matter how scared we are. You
have to sail as far possible from the land and the
islands, because during a storm the only real
danger comes from land. If we turn back in a
fright and attempt to get to the land under power,
the most likely thing is that the first really
powerful gust will get us just before we get into the
haven. And since we are not going to be on our
own, because many will be attempting to take
cover (power craft, primarily, relying on speed
and the power of their engines), anything might
happen. Inexperience is no good as an excuse,
because a great deal of experience is required to
handle a boat in this crush. Everyone will be
attempting to tie up somewhere, anywhere, and
so it ismuch safer on the open sea.
The third example. If we have followed this
advice and stayed at sea, people on a sailing boat
have to raise the sail. The oldsters said that you
had to drop the sails in a storm, but they had
different rigging, different sails. We suggest
raising the mainsail, with two or three reefs taken
in, and calmly wait out the first onslaught of the
wind.
Mistake number four: starting the engine.
All thesemistakes tend to bemade out of fear. But
fear, just like the storm itself, is a part of sailing,
and there is no need to be ashamed of it. For the
experienced, fear is a sign that something has to
be done. And the only thing to be done is to
prepare the ship for the storm.
Well, then, first of all, up goes the sail. The
mainsail, or if it is our intention to sail in the
direction of the storm's own movement, the
storm jib. That is why it is called a storm jib. The
battens have to be checked, and the thin cording
that regulates the tension of the trailing edge of
the sail has to be tautened. Many will say that
they won't raise the sail because they don't want it
torn to shreds. But if the sail is set in this way, the