[Rhodes22-list] Ballast vs. Weight aloft

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Bob,

So, about how much were you heeling over and how much weather helm did you have?

The more the boat heels over, the more weather helm is developed by the hull.  This tendency to develop weather helm can be countered by deploying more genoa and less mainsail.  The Rhodes 22 will point highest if it can sailed flat with near neutral helm.  But, at any angle of heel, the boat will point highest if the sail area is distributed fore/aft to produce near neutral helm.  Also, your genoa sheet lead position should have been all the way forward on the track.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 30, 2022, at 11:13 PM, C. Robert Lester <C.Robert.Lester at dartmouth.edu> wrote:
> 
> I'm looking to learn something from all of you if I can advocate for myself and my ORION '84 R22.
> It's my opinion that there is a technique I have not mastered yet on sailing an '84 R22 with little ballast in high winds with all the weight aloft from the 155 Genoa + IMF sail with its vertical weight.
> Today's 3 hrs trip around Lake Sunapee in 8 to 25 mph wind gusts proved a test of my ability to sail efficiently with reefed headsail and main.
> 
> SETTING:
> Main = 4' of sail at the foot
> Headsail = 4' - 6' of sail at the foot
> 
> Skipper (solo) at 195lbs for mobile ballast.
> 
> I love the heel of the boat in high winds (hobie cat sailor) but I want for higher speed / higher pointing at those angles.
> The boat heels but never reaches a strong flat speed so I can point!
> I feel like the answer is more ballast?
> 
> Bob
> ORION '84