[Rhodes22-list] Ballast vs. Weight aloft

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Rodney,

On my boat, I have the Schaffer genoa T-tracks on the cockpit gunnels.  The forward most hole on the T-track is labeled 100 %.  Going aft, the 2nd hole is labeled 110%, the 3rd is labeled 120%, and so on.  With my 150% roller furling genoa fully deployed, I have the genoa sheet lead car in the 6th hole.  These sheet lead positions each give the optimum geometry on the genoa sheet such that the sail stalls and luffs evenly up and down the leach as the angle of attack is changed and the sail is furled.

100% is an awkward genoa setting for my boat.  Any smaller on the genoa and I need to switch to the inboard genoa tracks on the sidedecks.  If I’m trying to point, I also need to switch the genoa sheets to be inboard of the lifelines and upper sidestays.  Often times, it’s better to just keep furling the genoa to < 90% and switch the genoa sheet lead positions and sheet routing to the inner tracks.  Note, by this point, I will have the mainsail reefed to it’s 3rd reef point.  My boat has jiffy reefing with a fully battened conventional mainsail, not IMF.

Despite the name, it’s not the mainsail that produces the most thrust on a masthead rigged boat.  It’s actually the genoa.  Your best go fast strategy is to deploy as much genoa as possible for the wind/sea conditions and amount of rail meat ballast available and then use the IMF mainsail area to trim the weather helm/lee helm balance.

Remember, if you’re going to try to sail this close to the edge of the performance envelope, you’re going to be very busy if you are single handed.  Every little gust will require you to make adjustments on sail trim and helm.  You can’t just set it and forget it.  You must look to windward to anticipate gusts and lulls, headers and footers, and actively sail the boat.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

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From: Rodney Brown<mailto:rnelson204 at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2022 10:01 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ballast vs. Weight aloft

Roger, what are your general thoughts on the relationship Genoa sheet car settings and The amount of Genoa being used.

Thx a ton,
Rodney

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 31, 2022, at 11:19, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:
>
> 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