Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything for the group - I've been busy working on the boat, and of course sailing a lot.
How to avoid this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf7FddPO5QM&NR=1
LOL....
The weather continues to be unusually strong on the bay - I have subscribed to "Predict Wind" a proprietary weather modeling service that is uncannily accurate. It's 8KM regional predictions consistently show North Santa Monica Bay as having some of the strongest winds on the entire west coast - often as strong or stronger than Point Conception, the "Cape Horn" of the west coast. This is due to land effects from the headland and Point Dume, and the 3000 foot Santa Monica mountains that plunge straight into the sea, funneling the afternoon winds across the north bay.
Typically I'm seeing 20 to 25 knots in the afternoon.
The fetch is short and the water shallow, so a steep nasty wind chop often builds that opposes the prevailing SW or S summer swells. These can be as large as 7 or 8 feet, with a crossing 3 to 4 foot wind swell.
Upwind is not a problem - as long as the wind blows and you carry enough sail to stay rail down, the Flicka will bash to weather quite happily, though it is a bit fatiguing.
The really exciting ride comes when you bear off for home in over 20 knots of wind:
Even under just a poled out 80% jib, the boat will occasionally start rolling gunwale to gunwale, as it resonates with the short fast chop, and she tries to broach. Forget about keeping the main up at this point, unless you want to experiment with your broaching drills.
I have found the following strategy to be remarkably effective at taming this downwind instability:
1) Heave to, and run both headsail sheets inside the shrouds.
2) Trim the jib close hauled, release the main sheet as though reefing, (make sure the topping lift supports the boom) then drop and furl the main on the boom, top the boom up, and sheet it hard amidships so it doesn't present a hazard.
3) Quickly bear off under headsail alone.
4) Sheet your headsail FLAT amidships using BOTH sheets tensioned on your cockpit winches.
5) Depending on the wind strength, use your motor to maintain steerage in the troughs. In heavier winds you probably won't need it.
The change is remarkable - the flat headsail sail creates great roll resistance and keeps the bow from rounding up - blowing it back downwind if a wave catches the stern quarter and tries to spin you around.
Robin Knox Johnson used a similar tactic when running before storms in the Southern Ocean. I also suspect this was the secret to Slocum's self steering on Spray. My boat will hold a remarkably steady downwind course with the tiller lashed under such a configuration. It's also very easy on the autopilot.
I have used this tactic in winds up to about 25 knots, and seas up to about 8 feet with great success.
I used to sheet the main flat also, but this was asking for trouble. If you start spinning out, the main will continue to push the stern around. I found this out in the harbor in 35 to 40 knots last spring.
Not so the jib - it keeps the bow pointed where it belongs - downwind. Think of your boat as an airplane flying backwards, and you will get it - the jib is the tail. You also have the option of heading up, raising the main, and heaving to with this tactic, assuming you time things correctly and maintain steerage.
One more point:
Be careful messing with the jib downwind once it gets above 20 knots or so. Keep tension on both sheets so that it does not wrap around the headstay and foul. It's bad enough when this happens with a small hank on sail. Will a furling Genoa you could lose the sail - I see it happen a lot around here.
Good luck!