[Rhodes22-list] Partial Mainsail
Leland
LKUHN at cnmc.org
Mon Jul 27 12:42:22 EDT 2009
Michael,
Raising and lowering the boom at the marina is definitely smart, but for
some reason I only need to do it when I'm by myself out in heavy wind and
chop. Go figure. Furling the mainsail away is also smart, but I don't do
that either. The entire sail slides up and down the mast so you can raise
and lower the boom with the sail deployed which is how I typically do it.
Here's my method. To lower the boom first lower the poptop. Remember to
always ensure the sliding hatch is open when lowering the poptop to prevent
the hatch from accidently sliding forward and scaring you to death. Loosen
and set the topping lift so the boom will hang level after you lower it.
Face the boat into the wind and pull the mainsheet tight so the boom is
centered. I use the motor for this. I'm 6' tall and standing on the step
in the cabin I can reach and pull the pin supporting the boom. Gravity will
allow you to easily slide the boom down the mast; it is surprisingly light.
When the boom is lowered your mainsheet will be loose so be careful of the
flapping sail and boom until you tighten the mainsheet or come off the wind.
The only good news about raising the boom is that you're normally doing it
in less wind. Face the boat into the wind so the boom is centered. You'll
need to loosen the mainsheet enough so it won't hold the boom down while
you're trying to raise it. Once again be careful of the flapping sail and
boom. No need to worry about the topping lift if the mainsail is deployed.
If not you can raise the back of the boom with the topping lift after you
raise the front. At 6' tall I can barely stretch out to the mast to get
enough leverage to raise the boom, even though it is light and easily slides
up. If you're less than 6' tall you'll probably need to leave the cockpit.
I would defintely furl in both sails if that's the case.
No matter what works for you keep in mind that when the front of the boom
moves up or down, you'll need to adjust both the topping lift and the
mainsheet to keep the back of the boom where you need it.
Before you ask, I still find it a little awkward to partially furl my
mainsail. You only do it in relatively high winds and it's a hassle to keep
tension off of the sail while keeping tension on the furling line while
cleating it. That's why I marked my mainsail furling line at 60% and 80%,
but that means I need to furl the mainsail away, cleat the furling line, and
then unfurl the sail.
I'd love to hear if someone has a different method of moving the boom and
furling the mainsail.
In one of the sailing magazines this month there's a good article on
Barneget Bay--looks like a great place to sail except for shallow water,
which makes it a great place to sail a Rhodes. The east side of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge sits on Kent Island, Maryland. I sail the Chester
River which is on the northeast side of Kent Island. It's a wonderful place
to sail but the current and traffic coming out of Kent Narrows can be a
little challenging at times.
Good luck!
Lee
MichaelT wrote:
>
> Lee,
>
> Since I've never brought the boom down to the lowest point. What are the
> procedures when already underway which is likely when you would want to
> make the adjustment? Did you furl the main, drop the boom and unfurl? I
> can see the chaos in 15+ winds. All the while pointed to the wind and the
> topping lift sheeted. I've also learnt to get assistance from the outboard
> when reefing in to stay pointed to the wind. Also does the IMF adjust
> automatically, meaning will it follow in parallel to the dropped boom?
> What do you do to reverse the process and want to raise the boom.
>
> I suppose this would be made simpler if its decided at the marina before
> heading out. Certainly where I'll try this procedure first :)
>
> Btw, Lee where are you? I sail here in Barneget Bay (NJ) and docked at the
> Cedar Creek Marina.
>
> Best,
> Michael
>
>
> Leland wrote:
>>
>> Michael,
>>
>> You're a fast learner. The boat is easier to sail in less wind and it's
>> much easier to furl the sails back in, but you'll want to get all the
>> experience you can in challenging conditions; safe but challenging.
>>
>> As you discovered, running the sheets between the stays makes a
>> significant difference. With the poptop up and a little practice,
>> they're very easy to change from the cabin on the windward side of the
>> boat where there's no tension on the sheets.
>>
>> Yesterday on the Chesapeake the wind forecast went from 2 mph to 16 mph
>> in 3 hours. By the time I got out the true wind was a little over 8
>> knots. Within an hour some apparent wind readings were over 15 knots on
>> a close reach but true wind was probably about 11-12 knots the rest of
>> the day.
>>
>> Thinking about you and your wife's anti-heel preference, I lowered the
>> boom and reefed the main to 60% with the Genoa at about 50% (halfway to
>> the mast). Sheets were run between the shrouds and the board was up. On
>> a close reach of about 50 degrees I was going 2.5 knots. Chop was about
>> 1-2 feet. I let out the main to about 75% and unfurled the Genoa to
>> 100%. Sails were then unbalanced with a little too much Genoa (or too
>> little main) and it pushed the bow of the boat away from the wind. Speed
>> was 3.5 knots. I came off the wind to about a 60-65 degree close reach
>> and speed was 4.5 knots. Most important the entire time the heel was
>> less than 10 degrees with my weight centered on the boat (no railmeat).
>> I was on a starboard tack so I think some of the heel was the weight of
>> the engine.
>>
>> Like you I really enjoy sailing with the poptop up and rarely sail with
>> it down. The wind is stronger at the top of your mast than the bottom,
>> so your performance is probably always improved with the boom down unless
>> you're in very light winds.
>>
>> Lee
>>
>>
>>
>> MichaelT wrote:
>>>
>>> I went out today to try a few of the suggestions made. I think today was
>>> one of my best sailing days.
>>> Wind was about 9-12 mph. I reefed the mainsail to about 3/4 vs 1/2. This
>>> time I let out the jib approx 1/3 about 1-2 ft from the stays. The boat
>>> generally stayed flat. The boat did heel slightly when the wind gusted
>>> 12+. I also had the jib sheets between the stays and I was able to get
>>> an improved closed haul heading better than when the jib sheets were
>>> outside of the stays.
>>>
>>> It was a beautiful time and maybe my best day and it felt like I took it
>>> to hull speed.
>>>
>>> While I've never lowered down the boom, I will someday try just to
>>> experience the effect. My family is very happy w/ the pop-top up and
>>> could how constraining it would be w/ the pop-top down and the danger of
>>> being smacked by the boom.
>>>
>>> I made a connection w/ sternway when I was backing out my slip and then
>>> it popped that when going backwards on a tack on a possible stall that
>>> reversing the tiller to windward may do the job. This too will be
>>> another trick I can try and see if I can judge in the moment of feeling
>>> that I'm going backwards.
>>>
>>> Thanks all,
>>> Michael
>>>
>>>
>>> Leland wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Michael,
>>>>
>>>> You're getting lots of good advice.
>>>>
>>>> You'll have a little less heel with the board up. From the Rhodes
>>>> Owners' Site under FAQs under Rhodes vs. Com-Pac vs. Precisions: 5.
>>>> Retract the centerboard part way in a big breeze. The board is
>>>> intentionally modest in weight, and does not contribute significantly
>>>> to stability up or down. Raising the board part way will reduce both
>>>> heel and weather helm.
>>>>
>>>> The quote refers to Precisions. If I raise the board all the way on my
>>>> Rhodes it usually only reduces heel by about 3 degrees but your wife
>>>> may appreciate it.
>>>>
>>>> In an 8-10 knot wind, lowering the boom will reduce heel also.
>>>>
>>>> As Dave mentioned the boat sails better with two sails. For the amount
>>>> of wind you described you probably weren't going fast enough to tack.
>>>> Come off the wind enough to get up some speed and you'll then be able
>>>> to turn her sharply into the wind.
>>>>
>>>> When I first got my Rhodes I typically had too much sail out. You were
>>>> wise to be conservative in your sail plan, but without any headsail and
>>>> so little main you probably couldn't get enough speed to tack even if
>>>> you had come off the wind. Last week I was in a 12 knot wind. On a
>>>> close reach with balanced sails with the board up and my 190 lbs of
>>>> rail meat, I had less than 20 degrees of heel with the boom up and the
>>>> main reefed to 80%. With the boom down I had the same heel with 100%
>>>> main. I have my mainsail furling line marked for reefs at 60% and 80%.
>>>> If I have to reef the tiny little main beyond 60%, it's too windy for
>>>> me (over 20 knots) and I go home.
>>>>
>>>> Good luck!
>>>>
>>>> Lee
>>>> 1986 Rhodes22 At Ease
>>>> Kent Island, MD
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> david.walker5 wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Stephen,
>>>>>
>>>>> Tacking with the jib, especially very light or heavy wind can be
>>>>> challenging
>>>>> too. The problem is the jib is very powerfull and it wants to push
>>>>> the boat
>>>>> away from the tack. One technique that has worked for me is something
>>>>> I
>>>>> borrowed from sailing a square rigger. When you push the tiller to
>>>>> lee,
>>>>> loosen the jibe immediately, but do not let the sheet fly.(for those
>>>>> interested its called scandalizing the jib) This reduces the drive of
>>>>> the
>>>>> sail and allows it to turn up wind. Just as the bow comes into the
>>>>> wind,
>>>>> tighten the sheet a little. The wind will then backwind the jib and
>>>>> push the
>>>>> bow the rest of the way onto the new tack. As you come through the
>>>>> wind, the
>>>>> wind on the new tack will push the sail across to the new tack. In
>>>>> really
>>>>> heavy wind you may end up "in stays" or headed into the wind and start
>>>>> to be
>>>>> pushed backwards. In that case as I said in an earlier post, shift
>>>>> the
>>>>> rudder (tiller to windward) and the boat will back onto the new tack
>>>>> and
>>>>> start to sail.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> David Walker
>>>>>
>>>>> www.davidwalkerphotography.com
>>>>>
>>>>> Event Specialists
>>>>>
>>>>> 781-639-2707 Office
>>>>> 781-718-8690 Cell
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Stephen Staum" <staum at earthlink.net>
>>>>> To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>>>> Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 3:32 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Partial Mainsail
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Michael,
>>>>>> I too have a wife who likes to sail flat. I have an '87 w a 184 per
>>>>>> cent genoa. I usually start w 1/2 of the genny as the jib really
>>>>>> powers this boat. Even w the full main out (alone) u will struggle to
>>>>>> come about. Also, if u have the full jib out in light winds, it can
>>>>>> be
>>>>>> very difficult 2 get the jib 2 come across when coming about. It is
>>>>>> often easier 2 jibe or roll up 1/2 the jib b4 come about is started.
>>>>>> Enjoy!
>>>>>> Stephen Staum
>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jul 24, 2009, at 12:47 PM, MichaelT <mticse at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Went out with the family on Sunday and wanted to play it safe.
>>>>>>> Drew the IMF mainsail approx halfway on the boom (the letter R on
>>>>>>> the sail
>>>>>>> wasn't showing).
>>>>>>> Wanted to keep things simple and used no jib. Centerboard was down
>>>>>>> all the
>>>>>>> way.
>>>>>>> The boat stayed flat as a pancake which was the desired effect.
>>>>>>> My wife wants no heeling whatsoever. Problem I had was I couldn't
>>>>>>> tack.
>>>>>>> It even had a hard time getting into irons and just couldn't
>>>>>>> cutover.
>>>>>>> The only way I could change direction was to spin 2/3's around in a
>>>>>>> jibe.
>>>>>>> I didn't want to experiment and let out more sail so we just enjoyed
>>>>>>> sailing
>>>>>>> the next hour like this.
>>>>>>> Is this normal behaviour? What am I doing wrong?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Michael
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> View this message in context:
>>>>>>> http://www.nabble.com/Partial-Mainsail-tp24647946p24647946.html
>>>>>>> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
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