[Rhodes22-list] Higher winds

[Mark Kaynor]

Michael,

We've got a new headsail w/ a luff pad and have been very happy with it's
performance both furled and unfurled. Our main, OTOH, is the original 1988
Lee Sails main. It's pretty baggy. When I tighten the outhaul all the way
and tighten the main sheet, the sail definitely doesn't flatten. In fact,
the leech gets nice and tight and the sail becomes a nice wind catching bag.
Hence the thought that if we raise the boom a bit w/ the outhaul, the looser
leech would allow it to spill more air.

We've started having problems getting it fully furled because the clew is so
low the foot of the sail starts rubbing on the boom slide assembly at about
2/3 furled and the sail bunches and wrinkles the rest of the way in. We can
mitigate that somewhat by raising the boom to just slightly above level when
we furl and not applying much tension to the outhaul as we furl, but I'm
thinking it's probably time for a new main.

Maybe someone who has replaced a baggy IMF main with a new one can tell me -
does it really make all that much difference?

Mark Kaynor

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Meltzer" <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 11:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Higher winds


> it happens, that one of the problem with the big jib's, you can reef down
about 25% before it looses all shape, a little more with a
> good fuller and luff pads, after that it become a "wind grabber" more that
a sail. one of the reason for the 135%, 100% and the
> harken on the boat. Unfortunate it also happens with the IMF, it likes to
belly when reefed, it get real hard to flatten it, have to
> real pull on the out haul and side the car, also make sure the toping lift
is not holding the boom up, need to use the main sheet to
> pull it down. Also the boom needs to be over the traveler, again need the
tension.
>
> When it get that bad I try to run with it, the hull will give you a nice
heal around 35+- knots, at that point you have to stop
> sailing for course and sail for conditions. but that a longer story than
now, still at work.
>
> MJM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mark Kaynor" <mark at kaynor.org>
> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 12:19 PM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Higher winds
>
>
> I'd be interested to learn how other Rhodies w/ IMF and furling head sail
set their sails in windy, gusty conditions.
>
> We had our second regatta of the year last Saturday. At the start the wind
was 18 gusting to 25. an hour later it was 23 gusting to
> 32, finishing up at 17 to 23, gusting to 38. Friends who have been sailing
on the lake for many years say they've never seen winds
> like these on the lake. Going from 17 to a gust of 38 with a 20 degree
shift will wake you right up!
>
> Five out of the fifteen boats that started finished the course. Three
boats capsized (dinghies all - one Laser actually went over 6
> times, but persevered and went on to finish - the other two were towed
in), a J/22 lost a crew member overboard (he was recovered
> safely in about 10 seconds by a nerarby coastguard auxiliary boat), a
Seafarer 22's tiller snapped, a Catalina 22 broached pretty
> dramatically on a spinnaker jibe in the first downwind leg, then continued
on to finish. Two 1"x1/8" stainless straps that connect
> their tiller to their rudder cracked but did not fail completely, though
they will require replacement. A homemade canoe rig got
> swamped before the first mark and had to be towed in. One boat's headstay
broke, and several other smaller failures also occurred on
> other boats.
>
> We didn't break anything on Raven. Julie and I completed the first leg (an
exciting wing-on-wing downwind sleighride) and part the
> second windward leg before deciding to drop out. We had the 135% genoa
fully deployed for the downwind run to the first mark, then
> furled it and the main to slightly more than 1/2 full just before rounding
the first mark. We did okay, but the gusts were making
> the main flog pretty badly, and it wasn't worth it to us to continue if it
meant ripping sails or breaking equipment. Several other
> boats dropped out at this point, so we decided to quit and see if we could
help some of the boats that were having real problems.
>
> We'd never sailed in winds much over about 20 mph. We knew the boat would
handle them - we were the weak link, so we went home and
> studied up on it. Then we went back out again yesterday (17 gusting to 29)
to experiment and mess around. We started w/ the 135%
> genoa about 2/3 out and no main. We gradually deployed more genoa until we
had it fully out, and got the main out to about 1/4. On a
> beam reach the gusts heeled us a bit, but at no time was the boat out of
control. It was a bit trickier on a close reach but still
> manageable, much more so than when the main was out 1/2 way or more.
>
> We were surprised to find that we were able to tack on just the jib from
close reach to close reach in about 110-115 degrees. With
> the main fully deployed we're generally able to do it in 90-100 degrees.
The wind died a down bit (to 12-15 or so) and we fully
> deployed the main. While we had the main fully out on a beam reach one of
the highter gusts laid us down pretty well. We headed up,
> furled the main most of the way, fell off and continued. Succeeding gusts
powered us up well, but we didn't bury the rail again.
> When we came in, we had a nice talk w/ the winner of Saturday's race. He
suggested that we also try fully deploying the main, but
> raise the boom a bit with the topping lift to loosen the leech and let the
main twist off up high. We're going to give that a try
> next time we get a chance.
>
> Mark Kaynor
>
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