Heavy weather sailing

Came across this pic in a book I have,
kinda know how it is to reef, from the deck, in 50-60 knots, but up here?the sea state although not huge yet suggests over 40 constant, so that lower top'sl must be made of strong stuff
Anyone else got pics of heavy weather sailing

 

They did not need extreme sports in the old days.

Daily life was extreme enough.

 

Kach
Actually this was in the latter days of sail Canadian barque, Garthsnaid Photo taken 1920
And you are right My guess is that this pic is in summer Atlantic and even if the apparent wind is 45, she still has lots rag on
They lost a lot from the yards, imagine doing that in cold weather, half frozen canvas, wet bunks or hammocks, damp streaming conditions below

 

They didn't call them iron men for nothing.

 

You know how pictures flatten the sea visually?

The sea does not get streak white like that in 40 knots.
Those ships had a sail with a wire running up the leeches which were meant to be never taken down at sea.
Also due the scaling effects those ships are able to hold canvas in stupendous amounts of wind.

The streaking white lines , the flat water camera effect and the little sail that ship has all are good evidence that it was blowing a lot more than 40 knots in that shot.

Iron men?
I think cromolybdenum/titanium alloy men with plutonium balls the size of footballs is closer to the mark.

 

Anybody who likes that picture will greatly enjoy this remarkable documentary filmed and narrated by the great Irving Johnson.
My father had the pleasure of meeting him on one of his voyages when irving had the 'Yankee'.

 

Part two;





When i see our future generation locked onto nintendo , their parents who do not even let them ride a bicycle around for fear of whatever garbage the mass media has been ramming into their tiny minds.....
No, real men i think went extinct a while ago.

 

no it does not T cubed, I have been in full 80 that blew for 3 days on aa ship Chittrel from Sydney to NZ the sea was this way But given the sea state, there it may have come up suddenly as in 80 the ship would not be JUST handing her main, and still be running under lower topsails, so that is why I gave the very conservative figure
chhers let me see the video
also T cubed
I do not believe a man with a camera would be up the foremast in full storm winds or even above 40, I also looked at the mens clothing, it is not being whipped around
In 80 you can not stand up. But I take your point abt the camera and flattening effect, I have many pics of yachts running in gales in Southern Ocean, it never does the sea state justice does it?
Wow just watched that, fantastic, yes men were men, now we have to fence our swimming pool and nobody takes responsibility for themselves, they all look for someone else to blame

 

Very true could not agree more.
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Hmm (my italics) believe? That would mean that if the captain did not get his order to furl all sails before getting to forty knots then everyone is cowering on deck while the ship is doomed.....

Notice how there are only four people on stbd yardarm?
You think they just a little while ago furled the main?
I think more likely they were told to lash it better, coz the captain saw a few bulges in it he did'nt like.
If they had just furled it, it means that everyone else is through lashing and already back on deck and these four sluggards are still up there dealing with their section..

And yes taking a good picture meant a great deal. How do you think Irving took that film of 90 knot stuff?

Remember that on these big boats the g forces are very mild, and off the deck you are safe from a wave washing you over. In 80 you certainly cannot stand, but you can hold on.

These guys were all tough and so they could certainly hold their own weight dangling from their hands , even with someone else hanging on them for a short while.
In freefall terminal velocity is about 120. So 120 is about bodyweight.
And you always have your legs to help.
I think clothes flapping is a bit deceptive because the foulies back then were essentially tarred very heavy canvas, which does not behave anything like the modern gear. Also , unfortunately the film back then was very coarse and a certain amount of detail is lost.
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Hard to tell
But if i'm to hazard a guess i would say the pic is somewhere between 50 and 60 knots.

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Anyways no point arguing about trivialities ,
The point is tough men - Great photo.
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I have a copy of that film, what i posted is incomplete. It used to be on google video but now i could not find it.

 

50-60 was my orig estimate,I just went conservative,
I remember living on Great Barrier Is. NZ we had a cyclone, I stood on top of the farm and leaned into the wind, I could not fall over it was holding me up
About the rest, that looks one tidy ship, whereas the one Irvine is on, looks not so. Remember only the best of the sailing ships survived, the advent of steam and until steam got its act together , things like sidewheelers could not compete at sea with the sailing ships
All very fascinating, and sometimes even given the hardships I would have liked to live in the heyday of sail

 

Great stuff.
Actually given what is going on with the world , sailing will return in a big way.
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Remember i said that in twenty years.
Fossil fuels are getting scarce. Only the strong will survive. The wind is forever.
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Already all the motorboats are for sale here with dirty bottoms , accumulating fees. For years i have been lamenting the bozo mentality of the mindless stinkpots, and now it seems we're on the way back to saner (but it will not be easy!) times.
The nintendo players will be lucky to reach thirty.