Strong wind 10 m/s (20 knots) and 15 m/s (30 knots) in the gusts. Very difficult to launch from shore. As soon as I raise the sail, the boat is capsized by the wind or the clew starts fluttering violently and I fail to fasten the clew to the boom.
I resort to the “wet launch”: I lay the boat on the side in the water. There I raise the sail and fasten the clew to the boom. Once everything looks good, I raise the boat, jump into the cockpit and sail away. Once I am in the cockpit, I can handle the extreme wind.
This is a problem with Vareo, difficult to launch in extreme wind. In a traditional boat, I would raise the main sail sitting in the cockpit, pulling the halyard.
Returning to the beach in extreme wind is easier. If necessary, I can capsize the boat on shallow depth, release the halyard, retrieve the sail, and then bring boat up on beach.
Viking Vareo 