Next message: Peter Ogilvie: "Re: [world-cruising] Re: Whiskerpole attached to"
On 6/25/06, Len den Besten <> wrote:
>
> --- In , "Bryan Genez" <svcapella at dot dot dot >
> wrote:
> > His downwind strategy was to
> > put the wind at approximately 150 apparent, pole the genny to
> > windward, sheet the staysail to the end of the boom, reef the
> > main, and wing the boom as far as possible to leeward.
> > He steered with his Monitor. Said the boat would lock in on
> > course for as long as the wind held.
>
> It's very useful to hear from people who have had all the time in
> the world to find the best way to go.
> Could you elaborate a bit for me.
> "Sheet the staysail to the end of the boom." The boom is the boom
> for the mainsail, yes?
> Is this done to allow the headsail(s) to fill more effectively as a
> result of the reefed, thus lowered mainsail?
> Is the staysail attached to the boom, reversed, using the line from
> the end of the boom to masttop (kraanlijn, what is that called in
> english?), like is done to "weathervane", in order to lie at anchor
> more comfortably?
>
> I would like to understand what advantage this brings over a full,
> non-reefed main. "The genny poled to windward", this means the genny
> is at the luff-side, where the wind is coming from, right? If so, in
> what way can the main present an obstacle for the genny filling
> properly?
>
> Thanks,
> Len.
>
Len, I don't know two words of Dutch, so please bear with me in English,
OK? :)
There are two reasons to reef the main, but the main one is chafe. The
Valiant 40 has intermediate shrouds that attach on the mast at the same
height as the inner forestay ("staysail stay") and attach to chain plates
just aft of the aft lowers. If you move the boom with a full main out more
than about 30 degrees, the main will contact the inner forestay and you have
a chafing problem. Reducing the sail allows the boom to move much further
out. The reduced sail in this position is probably pushing the boat more
effectively than a full sail would be with the boom further sheeted in. In
addition, the staysail gets more air, so it too is pushing hard. Sheeting
the staysail to the end of the boom allows the staysail to achieve a large
angle similar to the main and the poled-out genoa. In effect, the boom acts
much like a whisker pole.
The poled out genoa to windward will still fill with air, because it's out
of the shadows of the main and staysail. The air spilling off the genoa
also helps the staysail keep shape.
Two other tidbits this couple shared with me.
First, when the winds get so light that sails start to luff, reefing the
sails to a smaller area will improve their shape and the boat sails faster.
Reef in light air!
Second, they had an asymmetric spinnaker, but discovered it gave them no
speed advantage over the genoa. Eventually, they sold it. While it was
aboard, it lived in it's sock on the quarterberth. The captain nicknamed it
the "Dead crew member". :)
--
Best,
Bryan Genez
"Capella" V40-158
New Bern, NC
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