Part One:
I am having trouble furling the jib on my Hunter 170 using roller furling and am looking for some pointers.
When setting the furling line, I make a point to wrap it around the inside of the furling barrel twice before passing the line through the tie-off hole on the top. This to ensure I get a nice, tight wrap when I furl the jib. I find this works OK in light winds, but on a more windy day I found that even with the boat pointed dead into the wind that the jib never furled completely back onto the jib stay. Eventually I gave up and just finished my sail with the jib completely unfurled and was only able to furl it manually once back at the dock.
Part Two:
How does one keep the boat pointed into the wind (other than using the auxiliary motor)?
I don't always have an able hand to assist me in keeping the boat pointed into the wind while working with the sails (furling jib, raising, lowering, or reefing main, etc), and need a way to keep the boat pointed directly into the wind while performing these tasks.
I have tried using a sea anchor tied to the bow line (about 30 feet of line all total), but find that the boat has an annoying habit of moving forward through the water even with the rudder and centerboard up (or down) and all sails lowered or furled. It's as though the hull itself is acting as a sail. As a result, rather than drifting downwind with the sea anchor upwind and the bow pointed toward it as was my plan, I often find the boat perpendicular or more to the wind.
I have not yet tried a regular bottom anchor, but based on my experience with my motorboat (slow whipsawing), I don't expect much different results.
What am I doing wrong? The ultimate aim is to come up with a way to keep the bow of the boat pointed directly into the wind for long enough to allow me to deal with the sails.
Thanks!
I am having trouble furling the jib on my Hunter 170 using roller furling and am looking for some pointers.
When setting the furling line, I make a point to wrap it around the inside of the furling barrel twice before passing the line through the tie-off hole on the top. This to ensure I get a nice, tight wrap when I furl the jib. I find this works OK in light winds, but on a more windy day I found that even with the boat pointed dead into the wind that the jib never furled completely back onto the jib stay. Eventually I gave up and just finished my sail with the jib completely unfurled and was only able to furl it manually once back at the dock.
Part Two:
How does one keep the boat pointed into the wind (other than using the auxiliary motor)?
I don't always have an able hand to assist me in keeping the boat pointed into the wind while working with the sails (furling jib, raising, lowering, or reefing main, etc), and need a way to keep the boat pointed directly into the wind while performing these tasks.
I have tried using a sea anchor tied to the bow line (about 30 feet of line all total), but find that the boat has an annoying habit of moving forward through the water even with the rudder and centerboard up (or down) and all sails lowered or furled. It's as though the hull itself is acting as a sail. As a result, rather than drifting downwind with the sea anchor upwind and the bow pointed toward it as was my plan, I often find the boat perpendicular or more to the wind.
I have not yet tried a regular bottom anchor, but based on my experience with my motorboat (slow whipsawing), I don't expect much different results.
What am I doing wrong? The ultimate aim is to come up with a way to keep the bow of the boat pointed directly into the wind for long enough to allow me to deal with the sails.
Thanks!