When using one sail only, main or jib?

[Phyrexii]

Up until last summer, when I bought my '76 Venture 25, everything I'd ever sailed had only one sail (iceboats, various lanteen rigged small boats, etc). So, naturally, any time I'm out and want to shorten sail, or just keep things simple, I instinctively loose the jib and sail on main alone. This induces a bit more weather helm, but in my mind, this seems safer than lee helm.

But, when I'm out looking at other boats, many of those who are out do the opposite - they drop the main, and sail on jib (or genoa) alone. I was wondering why? Could it simply be because many boats have roller furling, and it is easier to adjust the jib?

My boat does not have (nor ever will have) roller furling - at this point in time, it is moored on the trailer, and I don't want the extra issues when setting up a furled jib.

Thanks,
George
s/v Heiress

 

[jfmid]

When I first joined this board I asked a question about "Lazy" sailing. I mentioned that it was taught to me in my sailing classes that sailing by jib alone was considered "wrong" and that it was bad for the boat and showed a skipper that didn't know what he was doing. I was quickly corrected by many on this forum that my teacher was completely wrong on this account.
I have a roller furling and I now will throw the genoa out by itself if I just dont want to hassle with the main and want to take it easy. It is a bit easier to tack and we lose minimal speed. Roller or not it should still be easy to tack with just a jib and the adjustments are the same unless you're in heavy weather and need to reef.
Do what ever makes it better for you to get out there as long as it doesn't put you or your crew in danger and doesn't wreck your equipment. As for what others think........... what can I say?????

 

[bffatcat]

it depends

Many older boats mine included are mast head rigs with large jibs and smaller mainsails. for boat like these it makes sense to shorten sail by first reefing the main and if it breezes up dropping it all together and sailing on jib alone. In the case of a newer boat with a large main and a smaller jib this would be a mistake. Most of your newer boats are fractional rigs
sailing under jib alone will cause the mast to pump and since its not supported the same way a mast head rig is could cause damage. These boats with their larger main will sail fine under main alone

 

[Gary_H]

I have a masthead rig and sail a lot with just the jib because, 99% of the time I'm sailing solo and it's simply easier (with roller furling) to deal with deploying the jib than working with the main. My boat sails well and points to windward well with jib alone. That being said, I do need to force myself to sail with the main only because you need to be very familiar with the sailing characteristics both ways. To some degree I admit to taking the lazy way out.

 

[dscribner]

George,

Try both ways and see how she handles. Some folks liken jib only as suicide, but when the breeze was freshening, nearly all the boats here on Casco Bay were rigged that way.

We own a Lancer 25, moored in the driveway. She has a roller furler. The additional amount of work to care for it while towing or stepping the mast is probably far less that hanking on the jib. And the flexibility that it gives while sailing really does out weigh any inconvenience. We sail often, almost every weekend, and we step the mast every time. If you have the money for a new boat toy, I would definitely recommend it.

Don

Biddeford, Maine

 

[sailaway78]

General rule

If you have a masthead rig, then the jib is the power, and sailing with jib alone works pretty good. I do this a lot. If you have a fractional rig, then the main is the power, and sailing with the main alone would be a better option. I have never owned a fractional rig, so have not done any main only sailing, so thats just an opinion from things I have read. But, as was said, experiment and find which works the best for you. Lazy sailing is a good term for sailing with the jib alone, if it's a roller furler. It's the main reason I do it a lot.

 

[Freedom77]

I also have a '76 V-25 but, I have masthead rigged her in '76 in order to fly a big 525 sq ft chute. I don't normally sail with just one sail but if you choose to do so and your boat is a fractional rig the the main is the better choice. The 110% jib on a fractional V-25 is pretty small. If you have a 150% Genoa then it might be okay. experiment a little and see the results. The power on V-25's comes from the big main. Hope this helps. Are you also checking out "Ask a MacGregor Owner" forum on this site. Lots of good advice from other owners. Fair winds and full sails....

 

[cephius (Dave)]

My fractional rig points very poorly under main alone. The jib is very small and does a poor job powering through the weather without the main.

As a result I always sail with both, and reduce both when needed.

As noted by yourself, and others, jib alone seems to be a common default for many sailors.

 

[Deadline]

I agree with Dave

Hunters do terribly under main-only, probably because they're underpowered to begin with. I got a larger main from Doyle by getting it a little thinner to furl into the chintzy Selden mast. North built me a genoa to replace the dinky OEM jib. Now the boat, a 32-footer, sails faster. And I agree: genoa is fine to sail alone, but in-mast main is easier to reef.

 

[Phyrexii]

Thanks for the insight. I hadn't considered the whole masthead / fractional side of things, and I will try to pay more attention next time I go out. Mine is a fractional rig, so it seems I am doing the 'right' thing, but I will experiment a little and see how it goes.

Because I sail iceboats, I probably work the main sheet more than most people (way more than I need to, or even should), and I get nervous about cleating it off. But I like the (false?) sense of control it gives me, so I'm comfortable with it. My jib sheets are cleated to the cabin top, so (for now) it is a bit inconvenient when sailing solo. Someday, I will re-route them to the cockpit.

I'm sure I would love the roller furling, but I want to keep the setup / breakdown time to the absolute minimum. I have small children (which is partly why I bought the larger boat in the first place). We mostly do short trips, and I want to keep the setup time down.

But, because the majority of the boats I saw sailing on one sail were using the jib, I wasn't sure if I was missing something!

 

[Joe]

On a small boat, sail handling is not too much of an issue so I don't get the convenience angle, also I think you need the balance of both sails. However, on boats larger than 25 feet or so... lots of sailors with roller furling will use headsail only because of the convenience.... and perhaps they just don't want to fool with dropping and flaking the main in tight quarters.

A couple of the guys on my dock will sail into their slips with jib only then roll it up just before docking. They claim it's easier. But, I've sailed into my slip with main only.... simply pulling out a lot of mainsheet and controlling the boom by hand so I can dump air quickly.. or feather it to control speed.. or even push the boom out into the wind to back up. I learned that because I started out on single sail dinghies like you... and I'm more comfortable with handling the main.

One thing I've noticed on my boat is that it is easier to get in irons with main only because you don't have the jib to help the boat through the turn. I guess that's why some like Jib only....

So...... I'd give different configurations a try to see what works best for you and your boat. Take what you need and leave the rest in your sailing knowledge warehouse for some later adventure.

 

[Rick Webb]

Jib Alone While Motoring

It helps to dampen out the boats motion

 

[cwkemp]

I've got a masthead rig and have sailed with either the jib or main only but for different reasons. If I have the genoa hanked on and have reefed the main but need to reduce sail futher, I'll sometimes drop the genny and shake out the reef rather than go forward to change heads'l. If my destinaion is downwind and I have no motor, I'll sail on the jib for control in tight quarters, if upwind I use the main. Our boat sails pretty well in either case, actually points well under main alone but is deathly slow. If you lose steering mechanism two sails is almost mandatory. Under most conditions I find two sails is superior for speed and balance given plenty of time and room to maneuver. Like everyone says, experiment and you'll be ready for a lot of different circumstances.

 

[kenn]

We have a fractional rig, and if we're wanting to do a lazy, comfortable broad reach or run back to our club, and we aren't in any hurry, we'll drop the main and have a quiet, easy run on just the jib or genoa. I haven't been particularly worried about rig stress because we're running, the fractional genoa or jib is of course going to pull less than a masthead headsail, and we can pull back on the mast with the topping lift and mainsheet, which is attached to the boom end. When we're close to the club, we just have to start the outboard and roll up the genoa or drop the jib.

If we're heading mainly upwind and motorsailing briefly (eg through a channel), I'll furl the headsail, and go main-only.

 

[Joe]

It helps to dampen out the boats motion

Actually... when motoring it has been recommened by a number of experts to employ a reefed mainsail, rather than a headsail, to help steady the side to side motion. The headsail normally has no battens and would be more prone to flogging that a very flat mainsail with a battened leech. It's also harder to turn the boat with the headsail up, than with the main, while under power.

By experts, I mean guys that write sailing books, like John Rousmaniere, Gary Jobson, etc... but I guess the jib would work too... Just less wear and tear on the main, don't ya see.

 

[mark_swart]

I'm prone to just roll out the genoa if I know I'm going on a short sail and just farting around. Less to put up after I get back to the dock (actually nothing to put up).