|
Author
|
Topic: Downwind Sailing
|
RyanS
Member
|
posted June 14, 2005 08:48 AM
   
Hello,When going directly downwind the spreaders interfere with the sail going out, by this I mean you can not go out to 90 degrees with out seeing the shroud pushing on the sail. Am I to assume that with this boat you just do not let your sail out that far or have people found that it is okay to have the sail sitting against their shrouds? IP: 65.95.255.162 |
whited
unregistered
|
posted June 14, 2005 09:05 AM
I've read that some sailors don't like to sail directly downwind. They would rather the wind be a couple of degrees over an aft quarter.
In that case you would have your main all the way out on the 'lee' side. (without touching shrouds). This is probably a bit safer way to sail to avoid unintentional gybes. IP: 156.34.94.243 |
whited
unregistered
|
posted June 14, 2005 09:06 AM
unintentional repeat....[This message has been edited by whited (edited June 14, 2005).] IP: 156.34.94.243 |
Richard
Member
|
posted June 14, 2005 09:27 AM
It appears to me that on the sandpiper the shrouds also act as the backstay, so they are angled toward the stern a bit.
I just let the sail push against the shroud, making sure the spreader is well taped up so that nothing sharp is touching the sail. If it is not let out, I worry about jibing. As Don mentioned, it is safer to have the wind quartering from behind, but the winds on the lake we sail on change constantly. Even while trying to keep the wind over the quarter, it can quickly shift to directly aft.
Similarly, the foot of jib rests against the pulpit when going downwind.[This message has been edited by Richard (edited June 14, 2005).] IP: 207.200.159.173 |
Roger
Member
|
posted June 14, 2005 09:00 PM
Ryan, you can tell by looking at the mainsail of the people that have learned the downwind gybe lesson the hard way. They all have little patches on their mains that line up perfectly with the ends of their spreaders as a result of unintentional downwind or 'slam bang' gybes. The reason is that when you are sailing dead down wind (DDW) any gust or steering error can move the sway the boat so as to backwind the main causing it to swing over to the other side. By sailing with the wind off the aft quarter, and the main as close to the opposite shroud as possible without touching it, you get slightly more speed, and a gust or tiller error will not cause your boat to 'round up' onto the wrong side, backwinding the main. You could also rig a preventer from the boom to the rail to 'prevent' the boom from swinging over causing the sail to gybe.IP: 216.55.211.82 |
Darcy
Member
|
posted June 15, 2005 01:43 AM
Before getting into the luxurious cruising Sandpiper, we sailed mainly cat rigged boats like Finns and Lasers. They are very stable and sail well by the lee. The Sandpiper tends to jibe a bit faster. When the wind is relatively steady (not shifty) you can sail nicely wing and wing though. We use the spinnaker pole as a whisker pole. The trick is steer to the wind direction not the actual course you want to go. The Windex is a useful tool to do this. If it's shifty, we sail on more of a broad reach to avoid surprise jibes. You end up zig-zaging downwind. Use the compass to determine when best to jibe. It will help you sail the closest course to your destination. D'Arcy, "Shortwave" IP: 65.95.109.140 |
Dougster
Member
|
posted June 19, 2005 01:39 PM
I recently completed my CYA basic cruising on a C&C 25. The boom vang was attached to the mast with a carbiner. When we were running we unhooked the carbiner from the mast and clipped to the toe rail to act as a gybe preventer. It was quick and easy. IP: 65.48.213.102 |
Darcy
Member
|
posted June 20, 2005 08:38 AM
We have the same arrangement on "Shortwave". Good for long running legs.
D'ArcyIP: 65.92.96.13 |
Ken
Member
|
posted June 21, 2005 11:41 AM
The "preventer" that D'Arcy has was made of strong shock cord, permanently attached to the boom at the vang shackle, and equipped with a snap shackle. The bungee is connected to the shroud's deck "U-bolt" when running downwind in heavier air.
http://www.thechandleryonline.com//product.asp?dept%5Fid=1712&pf%5Fid=151%5FHTMS829216
On Silverheels III we will install a boom-brake to help prevent the dangerous and damaging effects of an accidental jybe.
http://www.mvbinfo.com/dp_03_BB_brochure.html
IP: 141.117.228.250 |
