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ONBOARD CARD 09 - Squall / Frontal Passage

Phase: Any time during the race - most critical in and near the Gulf Stream Warning time: Typically 15–45 minutes from radar detection to wind impact

UNFAMILIAR BOAT NOTES - READ THIS FIRST

This crew is racing Lupo Di Mare together for the first time. The following protocols are adjusted for that reality.

1. If the squall drill was not completed in race week, use the most conservative threshold Treat any echo within 30 nm as requiring kite down, reef #1 ready, and all crew tethered - with no discussion. An unfamiliar crew that hasn't drilled the squall sequence cannot afford to calibrate their response in real time in the Gulf Stream. Conservative is fast here.

2. Squall response requires a pre-briefed sequence - brief it before entering the Stream zone Before crossing the north wall of the Gulf Stream, the watch captain must brief the crew on the squall protocol verbally: what each person does, in what order, on whose call. Do not assume the crew will self-organize under load in 45 kts of wind on a boat they've barely sailed.

3. In a squall, one voice - the skipper's The skipper calls every maneuver during squall response. No committee, no discussion, no counter-suggestions from tired crew. If the skipper is not on deck, the watch captain has full authority and the same rule applies.

4. After the squall passes: wait 20 minutes before re-hoisting Do not rush back to race mode. Confirm the cell has passed, check for a trailing cell on radar, assess all gear and crew, and then set up methodically. The boats that lose miles after squalls are the ones that re-hoist into the second cell.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

React early enough to protect sails and crew. Do NOT try to outrun a squall in the Gulf Stream. The cost of dousing early is a few minutes. The cost of a blown kite or a broach in the Stream is the race.

DATA TO CHECK

Radar monitoring - mandatory inside the Stream: - Sweep every 10–15 minutes minimum while in the Stream - Look for ANY echo within 30 nm W–NW–N: these are the typical approach directions - Rate of growth of any echo: fast growth = fast-moving squall; treat all Gulf Stream convection as potentially violent

Frontal passage (W-PF or W-CF analog): - Pre-brief: know the front's expected timing and where the fleet will be - Pre-brief: know what the wind is expected to do post-front (shift direction and magnitude) - Watch for: backing wind, increasing humidity, lower cloud base, smooth sea going lumpy

CAPE indicator (if onboard GRIB loaded with CAPE field): - CAPE >500 J/kg in the current zone: elevated convective risk - CAPE >1000 J/kg: high squall probability; be at minimum one sail conservative at all times

SQUALL PROTOCOL

30 nm echo detected:

  • [ ] Notify all watch
  • [ ] Begin dousing asymmetric/symmetric spinnaker if flying
  • [ ] Pre-rig reef #1 in mast (if not already there)
  • [ ] Put deck crew in harnesses and tethers

15 nm echo or dark squall line visible:

  • [ ] Kite DOWN - no exceptions
  • [ ] Reef #1 IN - better to shake it out later than need it and not have it
  • [ ] Move to smaller headsail if at a crossover (J3 → J4)
  • [ ] All crew on deck or at stations
  • [ ] Assign jobs: helm, main, kite bag stowage, headsail

Squall contact:

  • [ ] Bear away if possible to keep wind aft and boat speed up
  • [ ] Helm: do not fight the boat; go with the gust direction
  • [ ] Crew: do not try to change sails in the gust - wait for it to pass
  • [ ] Main: ease traveler and sheet in gust; do not fight with the vang
  • [ ] Expect gust to peak at 30–50 kts for 5–20 minutes

Post-squall:

  • [ ] Wind may drop dramatically - do not immediately re-hoist; wait 10 min to confirm the cell has passed
  • [ ] Watch for second cell trailing the first
  • [ ] Assess damage: all sails, all lines, all crew
  • [ ] Set back up methodically: reef off, then headsail up, then kite decision

FRONTAL PASSAGE PROTOCOL

T minus 2h before predicted front: - [ ] Confirm current sail plan is appropriate for both pre- and post-frontal conditions - [ ] Navigator: update routing for post-frontal conditions (which heading and sail will work best?) - [ ] Watch captain: brief the crew on what's coming

At wind shift: - [ ] Expected rotation: ___ degrees (fill from pre-race brief) - [ ] Expected wind speed post-front: ___ kts - [ ] Immediate action: gybe (if appropriate) to new layline; OR tack if upwind post-front

Post-frontal: - [ ] Usually colder, more stable, NW–W wind - [ ] Strong initial gust possible: do not over-sail the first 30 min post-front - [ ] Once established: make the optimal routing decision for the new wind direction

RED FLAGS

  • Squall gust >40 kts: even under bare poles this is serious; attend to boat first
  • Green sky or hail: severe convection; put crew below if at all possible except helms
  • Rapid 30+ kt wind shift without barometric warning: suspect squall line, not just a gust
  • Front arriving 3+ hours earlier than forecast: all subsequent timing is suspect; recheck routing

DECISION THRESHOLD

When to abandon a routing strategy for a squall: Never. A squall does not change the routing strategy - it changes the immediate tactical execution. Once the squall passes, reassess the routing strategy with current conditions. If the squall was part of a front that changed the wind field significantly: then reassess the strategy.

Pre-front decision point: The only question is: should we push fast toward Bermuda to be farther south when the front arrives (and thus in better shape post-front)? Or should we slow down and let the front get ahead of us? This is a route-planning question - see the briefing document, not this card.

WHO GETS WOKEN UP

  • All hands: squall echo within 15 nm, or frontal passage
  • Navigator: any radar echo in the Stream within 30 nm
  • Skipper: squall impact, significant gear failure, frontal arrival more than 2h off forecast

PRE-RACE RESEARCH - NOT race-period routing advice