Weather helm

Weather helm is the tendency of sailing vessels to turn towards the source of wind, creating an unbalanced helm that requires pulling the tiller to windward (i.e. 'to weather') in order to counteract the effect. Weather helm is the opposite of lee helm.

Overview

When a vessel is heeling, the lee side of the hull is more under water than the weather side. The resulting shape of the submerged part of the hull in this condition usually creates a force (a turning moment) that pushes the bow to weather so that it is necessary to pull the tiller to weather to counteract this force. Since a weather helm requires pulling the rudder through the water at an angle to the intended course, it produces drag and retards the boat's progress through the water. In the book "Sailing Illustrated", Patrick M. Royce defines weather helm as simply a "heeling sailboat wanting to come head to wind."[1] The principle is the same whether the vessel is steered by tiller or wheel; turning the wheel leeward gives the same rudder effect as pulling a tiller windward.

When a vessel is heeling, the weather helm is caused by the pure moment (force couple) resulting due to the center of sail effort shift to leeward (this center of effort is at about 1/3 of the mast hight, and due to the heel naturally shifts to leeward), while the hull drag remains virtually in place. I cannot tell if the vessel hull under heel really produces any significant turning moment, but the center of sail effort shift is really significant!

A slight amount of weather helm is thought by some sailors to be a desirable situation, both from the standpoint of the "feel" of the helm, and the tendency of the boat to head slightly to windward in stronger gusts, to some extent self-feathering the sails. Other sailors disagree and prefer a neutral helm.[2] Weather helm also provides a form of dead man's switch—the boat stops safely in irons if the helm is released for a length of time.

Mitigation

Any action that reduces the angle of heel of a boat that is reaching or beating to windward will help reduce weather helm. Racing sailors use their body weight to bring the boat to a more upright position. Reducing or reefing the total sail area will have the same effect and, counter-intuitively, many boats will sail faster with less sail in a stiff breeze once heel and weather helm have been reduced, due to the reduction in underwater drag (see Over-canvassed sailing). Easing the sheets on aft-most sails, such as the mainsail in a sloop or cutter can have an immediate effect, especially to help with manoeuvering. Moving or increasing sail area forward can also help, for example by raising the jib (and maybe lowering the staysail) on a cutter.

Sailing off the wind, weather helm may be caused by the imbalance due to fore-and-aft sails all being sheeted out on the same (leeward) side of the boat. Raising a spinnaker or poling out a headsail to windward with a whisker pole can help. Yachts making ocean trade wind crossings have rigged 'twins' - double headsails poled out to opposite sides from the same forestay for extended downwind passages without a mainsail.[3] Square rigged sails also provide relatively symmetric drive off the wind.

Discussion

The fundamental cause of "helm", be it weather or lee, is the relationship of the center of pressure of the sail plan to the center of lateral resistance of the hull. If the center of pressure is astern of the center of lateral resistance, a weather helm, the tendency of the vessel to want to turn into the wind, or to weather-vane, will result.

If the situation is reversed, with the center of pressure forward of the center of resistance of the hull, a "lee" helm will result, which is generally considered undesirable, if not dangerous. Too much of either helm is not good, since it forces the helmsman to hold the rudder deflected to counter it, thus inducing extra drag beyond what a vessel with neutral or minimal helm would experience.

See Sailing Theory and Practice by C.A. Marchaj for a mathematical analysis of the dynamics of weather helm.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Royce, Patrick M. (1993). Royce's Sailing Illustrated: The Sailors Bible Since '56. Prostar. ISBN 978-0-911284-08-9.
  2. ↑ " Some sailors believe that a small amount of weather helm is good, that the rudder at a small angle of attack contributes to the total lift generated by the boat. I contend that the rudder is nothing more than a brake which is applied each and every time it is used. Ideally one wants the rudder to simply follow the boat and not develop any lift and minimal drag." Barney Harris The Complete Guide to Albacore Sailing http://usaa.albacore.org/members/techniques
  3. ↑ Mulville, Frank (1991). Single-handed Sailing. Seafarer Books. ISBN 978-0-85036-410-1.
  4. ↑ Marchaj, C.A. (1985). Sailing Theory and Practice, Revised edition. Putnam. ISBN 978-0-396-08428-0.

See also

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