Thanks dj. I will give both of those a good read. I appreciate your feedback as i think you have mentioned in the past having sailed in that region. Much appreciated. Some of this I guess i wont figure out completely until I have more time with the boat in different conditions. Eventually I will get a feel for the boat in heavier weather and then be able to make a better decision. You might be right and i may not need to do anything except add a sail or two.I've been following this discussion a bit. There is a critical statement you've made in my opinion - you say you don't have enough experience with either the cutter rig or the solent rig. I'm attaching two links on a short discussion of the differences between the two rigs. You can get to the second link via the first link but as I had read these some time ago I just wanted to know if I was remembering them correctly before posting them so I just attached both.
The writers state they feel the cutter rig is better for off shore sailing - an opinion I agree with just to be transparent. However I have sailed with folks that prefer the solent rig so it is really a matter of preference.
It's a fair amount of work and expense in both cases to design, build and make the sails etc. to create either of these as it is a redesign of your boats current rigging. The solent rig may be less work, but it's still not trivial.
In my opinion you don't need to spend the time, money and work to redesign your rig. Just make sure you have a good small sail option for high winds setup. If I were in your shoes, I would spend the time and money on a proper installation of a Jordan drogue. The rig you currently have is more than adequate for what you want to do. Is it the very best? Well, perhaps not, but definitely a good rig and sufficient for what you are planning to do.
Bluewater Cruising - Cutter Rig vs. Solent Rig (Part 1)
Here at Upffront, we are aware that many people are searching for the perfect bluewater cruising set up. Two popular options for off-shore cruising are the cutter rig and the solent rig, both sporting their own pros and cons.www.upffront.com
Bluewater Cruising Rig - Cutter vs. Solent (Part 2)
In a previous blog, Upffront evaluated the pros & cons of a cutter rig as a popular bluewater cruising set up. Now, it’s the turn of the solent rig. Like the cutter rig, the solent rig also utilises two headsails; different sized genoas sit close together. How does a solent compare to a cutter rig?
dj
Dyneema halyard for hauling storm jib?
- Thread starter BAD ORCA
- Start date
Have you installed a Jordan drogue? Have you read John Harries Attainable Adventures on the Jordan drogue? A proper installation is not trivial.
I believe you are sailing a Mariner 36 - I'm not overly familiar with that boat. What is the design of the companionway hatch boards? Got photos? As far as I'm aware it's a vee shaped companionway with boards that drop into that vee. You would do well to make sure your companionway is really rugged. Think about hitting your companionway with a sledge hammer - repeatedly. Will it stand up to that? I'm not a fan of the vee shaped companionway boards for ocean sailing as all you need is a small displacement vertically and a board can pop out.
I haven't sailed in the southern ocean. One of my best friends however did sail there for a number of years. He and I had long in-depth conversations about it after he got back. I may be doing some southern ocean sailing coming up but not sure yet. I have researched it a fair amount.
dj
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Yes I have read his articles and also the one about the failure on Susie Goodalls boat in the GGR. I absolutely will be adding one before shoving off when the time comes. I think the hardest part of that installation will be distributing the chainplate loads to the side of the hull without creating any serious stress points. Many have done it though successfully, so not a huge deal although i agree, not trivial.
I do have the traditional 'V' shaped hatch boards and i absolutely hate them. I have already been mulling over design ideas with aluminum framing and heavy (0.75 - 1") thickness plexiglass or polycarb. I'd like to reinforce that general area around the companionway, although on my boat the structure the boards slide into is fairly significant. The trick would be more to keep it aesthetically appealing, but sturdy enough to take a serious beating.
That being said, i dont plan on rounding the horn or going too far south. I'm more interested in exploring the beagle channel area on the pacific and atlantic coasts, although that part of the atlantic coast can get some pretty severe weather.
I think John's assessment of Susie's drogue failure is about as good as we can get given what information we can access...
It's been said, once you deploy that drogue - that is your pan B - there is no plan B after that...
I had a sailboat that the previous owner had setup for off shore sailing. He changed the vee shape opening to a vertical opening so hatch boards had to come all the way to the top to come out. The boards were dense high pressure treated wood so they were bullet proof.
3/4" to 1" thick polycarbonate should work. However you make the framing, it has to be up to the task, as you clearly understand...
The Beagle Channel is pretty far south... I have another close friend that picked up a Canadian boat in the Beagle Channel to bring back to Canada. That was a trip from hell. After leaving the Beagle Channel on the Atlantic side, they got hit with some severe storms. One member of the crew broke their arm, another became non-functional so it ended up that my friend practically single handed that boat from the Falklands to Uruguay while taking care of all the onboard needs....
Do you have a route thought out yet? Sorry if you have already answered this, if you have, I missed it...
dj
OOF! Damn thats a tough trip. The GGR is getting some really gnarly lows this season coming from the SE. and moving high into the Southern Atlantic. A couple of really bad ones so far. I think Damien was getting 60+ kts.
I do have a general route. I'm considering doing Nao & Laurics (SV/Tupaia) route in reverse. They came from the Atlantic side, I'm planning to come from the Pacific. I would change my route when i got there to any particular places of interest, but would mostlyfollow their course and most of their route/stops. They used the Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego Nautical Guide for a lot of their trip, which i have a copy of, so their journey was really well documented and easy to follow if you have a copy.
That's one awesome trip! How long to you hope to spend on this trip? You are planning on single handing, no? I sure hope you plan to keep us up to date!
dj
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,888
Yes, single handed open ended trip. Im still several years away at least from it, as boat is still going through modrate refit, and i'm not ready to leave work yet, plus i need to hone my sailing skills quite a bit more. Will do many trips before then to local islands/ up and down coast and hopefully a trip to hawaii and back in the meantime.