Paul Heiney

Paul reflects back on one of the most spine chilling reads of our times. No, the author is not Stephen King, it’s K Adlard Coles, whose Heavy Weather Sailing is a bona fide classic

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Of all the sounds I’ve ever heard on a boat, the most terrifying is the shuddering ‘crump’ of a heavy something from them, and taking mental notes, in between prayers. at early edition of mine, which to my great regret I no longer have, was the work of K Adlard Coles who did immense service in communicating, wave cascading onto the cabin as well as practising supremely roof. I’ve only heard it once but it well, the art of cruising under sail is truly nerve- shattering. I’m not in the 50s and 60s. e publishing talking about the harmless slap of company which still carries his what might be called an ‘ordinary’ name maintains his tradition of wave against the topsides; I’m being steadfastly enthusiastic about talking about that moment when everything to do with the sea from a your poor boat suddenly feels the cruising boat point of view. I imagine true weight of the sea. It shakes that the boats I read about nearly you to the core. I’ve only felt it y years ago would have been far once, but it was memorable. removed from those of today. Ga I was hove-to in something a bit rig was still hanging on, and I dare short of a gale, west of the Azores. say there were still a few with canvas e seas were far removed from sails. GRP was in its ascendency, but that chilling description, ‘high’, but still not fully trusted. I once owned a it was certainly bouncy and I spent GRP boat built around this time and most of the day in my bunk except when I got my hourly muscular ‘The boat, having ridden over the hull was as thick as a bank vault because the builder didn’t fully trust workout trying to make tea. e the other waves with little that plastic stu .

‘crump’ came in the middle of the night. One wave, bigger than the di culty, was brought to a e latest edition is skilfully edited by Martin omas and Peter rest, must have appeared out of nowhere - I didn’t see it coming. e shuddering halt by this Bruce who have brought their own wealth of experience to the task, but boat, having ridden over the others with little di culty, was brought to concrete-like wall of water’ I wonder what Adlard - who was probably used to cruising with hemp a shuddering halt by this concrete- rope smelling strongly of stockholm like wall of water. e bang was as tar -would have made of the chapter stunning as a canon shot, and to be in the cabin at that on icy, high latitude sailing, now a commonplace activity, moment was to be like a nut in a shell, crackers about to or handling a RIB in heavy weather. ‘A RIB?’ he might attack you. I feared the worst. But nothing happened. e ask, ‘and what would that be?’ ere’s even a chapter on boat was ne, the mast still standing, the portholes sound, sailing with ‘foils’ which, to my eye,and probably his, are although my heart was ogging like a storm jib in a tack. inconvenient sticky-out things which make you go faster e next morning I discovered the Avon dinghy had but prevent you ever putting out fenders. Adlard, and I, gone over the side and may have been well on its way to would probably take a hacksaw to them.

America by then, but that’s a story for another time. e book makes for an instructive read but do we, as I am telling you this because in the safety of my own everyday sailors, need to focus so much on heavy weather? home, a similar thump resounded around the house the Need it spoil a good night’s sleep? When we learn to drive other morning. It was the landing on my doormat of the we don’t fret about coping with a car crashes, so why fret latest edition of that classic book, ‘Heavy Weather Sailing’. about the worst that sailing can throw at you.

As a 22 year old with my rst little 17 footer, and with Seriously heavy weather is quite rare. A wide-ranging no knowledge of how to sail, why was this the rst and American cruising sailor, Beth Leonard ,sailed all the scariest ever volume I purchased? I suppose because the oceans of the world with her husband, keeping careful ultimate storm is everyone’s greatest dread, and while it log of the conditions she encountered. She reported is easy to gather routine experience over the years, there’s that for something over 75% of the time, there was not much that can prepare you for a life-threatening blow. too little wind rather than too much. So enjoy ‘Heavy

So I read what it was like for other people, hoping to learn Weather Sailing’ but don’t let it give you nightmares.

ILLUSTRATION CLAIRE WOOD