Hey guys...
This has nothing to do with my boat, but I've seen a couple of boats with 2 forestays. I'm sure each is rigged with a different size jib.
My question is, how does the most fore jib work? Wouldn't the inner forestay get in the way when changing directions?
I started thinking about this last October when I had to heave to in heavy winds to bring the main down. With the jib 'back filled', wouldn't the same thing happen to the sail if there were an inner stay too?
I have tried researching this, but without the proper keywords or terminology in mind, I'm hitting a dead end.
...or am I just over thinking this?
Thanks
Chris
There are several adaptations of rigs that have more than one fore stay.
For what I would call "modern" boats, there are Sloops, Cutters, Solent rigs, Scutters ...
One thing is breaking up total area into more than one sail makes sail handling easier.
You would never heave too with anything other than your "working" headsail. For most boats that is a jib set on the inner of two or more stays.
The notable exception to this is Shannon's "Scutter" rig, the Genoa is set on the inner stay and the jib is set on the outer stay. Part of the reasoning in that the smaller jib can be tacked through the gap between the inner and outer stays better than a Genoa can be tacked through the gap. How you would heave too with that rig is a good question ... back the flying jib against the rolled up Genoa?
A true "Cutter" is designed to fly sails from both stays. The flying sail on the outer stay is small and tacks with ease. These boats can trace their heritage to gaff rigs. The inner or head stay runs from the stem to the mast head, the outer or jib stay runs from the bowsprit to the top mast. In winter, the top mast and bowsprit were struck, leaving the working sails of main (gaff rigged) and working jib set on the head stay.
These same conditions spawned the "Solent" rig. The inner stay is very high on the mast and the normal "working jib" sets there. The Genoa sets on the forward stay and must be rolled in to tack. A Genoa on the outer stay with a hanked jib, gives a place for storm sails. No one wants to short tack a Genoa in and out of a harbour, the Genoa is only used in lighter air and in more open water. One issue with a solent rig is getting tension in both stays without adding running backstays. The outer (Genoa) stay does not need as much tension as the inner stay, but does need enough tension to allow the furler to work properly. Putting enough tension on the inner stay so the working jib used in higher wind set well combine to increase the load on the standing backstay.
One other double headstay rig has two stays side by side from stem to masthead. The idea is to have the ability to fly two Genoas poled out port and starboard when sailing down wind. The reality is that you cannot get enough head stay tension to get good sail shape unless you have a massive backstay and put very large compression loads on the mast. There is also a safety claim in that if you lose a head stay the mast stays up ... poppycock. If there is a jib up the sail and halyard tension will keep the mast up.
How does this apply to a C30? ... I had a solent rig on my boat ... roller furling Genoa on the bowsprit, and an inner stay for the jib and storm sails ... until I woke up and took the furler off the boat. I had to go forward and hank on the jib when the wind came up anyway, so why not get rid of the inner stay and just use hanks on all my sails? ... works great.
Sometimes the old KISS principle is the best.
Randy
