I am a daysailer.I know that when coming about, you backwind the jib thus pushing the bow thru the wind. But on your bigger boats with 150-170 jennys, do you backwind them too? How do you keep from tearing the sail on the mast as it comes thru the wind? It may be a dumb question, we are looking at a bigger boat and would like to know how to do this before I get out there and look like a fool. Thanks
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Generally those big jibs aren't used when the
wind is very strong and you ease them as you go through the wind. As soon as they are back winded you start to let the sheet slip so that the clew is free to clear the mast as you come about.
wind is very strong and you ease them as you go through the wind. As soon as they are back winded you start to let the sheet slip so that the clew is free to clear the mast as you come about.
The shrouds prevent the Genoa from
hitting the mast. Look at a mast rig vessel with a large Genoa and you will see chaffed jib sheats as they are the first and last to slide over the forward shrouds. You can cover the forward shrouds with plastic wire covers to help the sheets and sail slide better. There is a school of thought that claims these wire covers promote and hide corrosion. I have used them for years with no apparent adverse results; on the other hand the chaffing on the sheets is very evident. How do you tack a boat, with a 150% genoa? The answer is very slowly. When single handling I will set the winch handle on the windward winch and give the genoa sheet a couple of wraps. I will hold the end of both sheets back at the helm and I will slowly initiate the turn to windward. As initiate the the turn I will also sheet the main in to prevent boom slam. As soon as the pressure is significantly lessened from thr genoa on the leeward sheet I will unwrap it from the winch and hold it by hand. Shortly after the genoa will backwind and I will continue holding the wheel into the turn with my legs while I release the loose sheet with one hand while pulling on the wrapped sheet with the other. I try to let the wind move the sail from one side to the other while just working the sheets to guide it. Once the sail starts filling up on the other tack I will pull it by hand as tight as I can. I will then turn to the winch handle to finish trimming it out. Odly enough I find it easier to tack the big G in stronger winds than in light winds as it will change itself from one side to the other with hardly any grabbing or hesitation. You do have to rely on the winches more as the force of the wind increases. Remeber the object of the manuever is to change directions of the boat with the minimum wear and stress on the components; if done correctly it will also be the fastest way. This not the only way to do it but it is the one that I have found best suits me.
hitting the mast. Look at a mast rig vessel with a large Genoa and you will see chaffed jib sheats as they are the first and last to slide over the forward shrouds. You can cover the forward shrouds with plastic wire covers to help the sheets and sail slide better. There is a school of thought that claims these wire covers promote and hide corrosion. I have used them for years with no apparent adverse results; on the other hand the chaffing on the sheets is very evident. How do you tack a boat, with a 150% genoa? The answer is very slowly. When single handling I will set the winch handle on the windward winch and give the genoa sheet a couple of wraps. I will hold the end of both sheets back at the helm and I will slowly initiate the turn to windward. As initiate the the turn I will also sheet the main in to prevent boom slam. As soon as the pressure is significantly lessened from thr genoa on the leeward sheet I will unwrap it from the winch and hold it by hand. Shortly after the genoa will backwind and I will continue holding the wheel into the turn with my legs while I release the loose sheet with one hand while pulling on the wrapped sheet with the other. I try to let the wind move the sail from one side to the other while just working the sheets to guide it. Once the sail starts filling up on the other tack I will pull it by hand as tight as I can. I will then turn to the winch handle to finish trimming it out. Odly enough I find it easier to tack the big G in stronger winds than in light winds as it will change itself from one side to the other with hardly any grabbing or hesitation. You do have to rely on the winches more as the force of the wind increases. Remeber the object of the manuever is to change directions of the boat with the minimum wear and stress on the components; if done correctly it will also be the fastest way. This not the only way to do it but it is the one that I have found best suits me.
tacking big gennys
have a crew stand by the mast, inside the shrouds, to help the sail through the foretriangle.... especially effective in light air, when you would normally have that sail up. The shrouds will protect the crew from getting tangled in the sheets.
have a crew stand by the mast, inside the shrouds, to help the sail through the foretriangle.... especially effective in light air, when you would normally have that sail up. The shrouds will protect the crew from getting tangled in the sheets.
Use the Wind
You have received great advice. I use every bit of energy in our 150 jib with a measured slower beginning tack turn followed by an increased turn when wind is spilled. This gives me time to manage the sheets and wheel with mimimun jib hang time passing over shrouds. This timing results a smooth tack with little loss of lift or speed. We try and use all wind to help the jib pass the mast. During last part of tacking with wind beginning to fill the jib we set sheet in by hand and follow with handle adjustments. Good Sailing!
You have received great advice. I use every bit of energy in our 150 jib with a measured slower beginning tack turn followed by an increased turn when wind is spilled. This gives me time to manage the sheets and wheel with mimimun jib hang time passing over shrouds. This timing results a smooth tack with little loss of lift or speed. We try and use all wind to help the jib pass the mast. During last part of tacking with wind beginning to fill the jib we set sheet in by hand and follow with handle adjustments. Good Sailing!
Backwinding The Jib
Rick: No one looks foolish in any sail trim situation as we all had to go through the same learning process. Also there are no dumb questions. In other words, we were not born with sail trim knowledge!! It really doesn't matter the size of the jib from the stand point they all come across the bow the same way and none of them will snag on the mast. Obviously, a 135 will go across easier than a 150 simply because there is more sail area to deal with on the 150. The trick is to complete the tack in under 30 seconds and not lose more than 1 knot of speed. The only way you can do this is by backwinding the jib. It takes a little practice to accomplish this as all boats are different. Even two Catalina30 or Hunters or whatever will not react the same way due to a number of factors - condition of the sails, hull condition, set of the sails prior to the tack and so on. The only way you might get hung up is by going through the tack too slow. Again, you have to practice with your boat to get the timing right. Here's a tip on cruiser practice - you can never be sure of the skill level of your guests so my practice recomendation is to always practice as if you were single handing the boat. That way it doesn't matter who is on board as you will get through any situation you are confronted with. Believe me, that in a situation where your "rear end is puckering" (probably a lot of you mates know what I'm talking about) it is not the time to try to explain some sail trim thing you want done to a friend who has been on your boat - or any sail boat -for the first time!! The normal, realistic max size of a jib is 155 and as a single handed cruiser I found that size to be a pain to deal with. I ended up selling it to another C30 owner, who loved it, and I bought a 135 high cut. I have no idea why I bought that sail. I did not like the high cut aspect and sold that one too. I replaced it with almost a 135 deck sweeper, but not exactly a deck sweeper, and I really liked that sail.
Rick: No one looks foolish in any sail trim situation as we all had to go through the same learning process. Also there are no dumb questions. In other words, we were not born with sail trim knowledge!! It really doesn't matter the size of the jib from the stand point they all come across the bow the same way and none of them will snag on the mast. Obviously, a 135 will go across easier than a 150 simply because there is more sail area to deal with on the 150. The trick is to complete the tack in under 30 seconds and not lose more than 1 knot of speed. The only way you can do this is by backwinding the jib. It takes a little practice to accomplish this as all boats are different. Even two Catalina30 or Hunters or whatever will not react the same way due to a number of factors - condition of the sails, hull condition, set of the sails prior to the tack and so on. The only way you might get hung up is by going through the tack too slow. Again, you have to practice with your boat to get the timing right. Here's a tip on cruiser practice - you can never be sure of the skill level of your guests so my practice recomendation is to always practice as if you were single handing the boat. That way it doesn't matter who is on board as you will get through any situation you are confronted with. Believe me, that in a situation where your "rear end is puckering" (probably a lot of you mates know what I'm talking about) it is not the time to try to explain some sail trim thing you want done to a friend who has been on your boat - or any sail boat -for the first time!! The normal, realistic max size of a jib is 155 and as a single handed cruiser I found that size to be a pain to deal with. I ended up selling it to another C30 owner, who loved it, and I bought a 135 high cut. I have no idea why I bought that sail. I did not like the high cut aspect and sold that one too. I replaced it with almost a 135 deck sweeper, but not exactly a deck sweeper, and I really liked that sail.
I solo sail our boat a great deal and basically...
follow the steps Don suggests. During a tack change I do the following: 1. Ready the windward 150 genoa sheet and winch handle. 2. Remove the leeward sheet from the tailer keeping the sheet in hand. 3. Activate the autopilot tack change feature. 4. As the bow comes around towards the new tack the genoa back winds. 5. I quickly release the windward genoa sheet while trimming the leeward sheet. 6. Set the AP on the new course. 7. Trim the main, then tweak the genoa. This all happens in less than thirty seconds all from within the cockpit area and even with such large sails on our boat. Terry
follow the steps Don suggests. During a tack change I do the following: 1. Ready the windward 150 genoa sheet and winch handle. 2. Remove the leeward sheet from the tailer keeping the sheet in hand. 3. Activate the autopilot tack change feature. 4. As the bow comes around towards the new tack the genoa back winds. 5. I quickly release the windward genoa sheet while trimming the leeward sheet. 6. Set the AP on the new course. 7. Trim the main, then tweak the genoa. This all happens in less than thirty seconds all from within the cockpit area and even with such large sails on our boat. Terry
Adjusting Fairleads
There is one very important MAST HEAD RIG step to add to Terry's list and it is between step 3 and 4. This is easier done with an adjustable fairlead system such as the one made by Garhauer. It also make step 7 a snap - tweak the genny. On a mast head rig you want to tweak the genny FIRST and then set the main. Terry's boat appears to be a fractional rig so he would adjust the main first. As the boat nears head to wind you should notice the luff of the sail. What your looking for will tell you which way to move the fairleads. All the guess work will be taken out of the equation if you follow my suggestion. You also need to know how far to move the fairleads but that comes with practice - you first have to figure out which way to move them. The first thing I have to assume is that the fairleads on both sides were set in the same position. Just before you come head to wind you should look at the jib for the following - if the foot flutters, the bottom luffs or the bottom telltales break first then you need to move the fairleads AFT. If the leech fluttters, the top luffs or the top telltales break first you need to move the fairleads FORWARD. Experience and practice will tell you how far you have to go and it is not 40'!! It will probably be just a couple of holes. What you are looking for is for the sail to break evenly from top to bottom. When that happens you know your in the right position. Without practice the only way you would know you were in the right position would be to tack the boat and watch the sail again. That is exactly what you have to do when you are learning. After you get it down pat you'll know what the sail should look like and with the adjustable failread system you can just dial it in. After you get the drawing fairlead adjusted then re set the other side. You need to do that as a point of reference for the next tack.
There is one very important MAST HEAD RIG step to add to Terry's list and it is between step 3 and 4. This is easier done with an adjustable fairlead system such as the one made by Garhauer. It also make step 7 a snap - tweak the genny. On a mast head rig you want to tweak the genny FIRST and then set the main. Terry's boat appears to be a fractional rig so he would adjust the main first. As the boat nears head to wind you should notice the luff of the sail. What your looking for will tell you which way to move the fairleads. All the guess work will be taken out of the equation if you follow my suggestion. You also need to know how far to move the fairleads but that comes with practice - you first have to figure out which way to move them. The first thing I have to assume is that the fairleads on both sides were set in the same position. Just before you come head to wind you should look at the jib for the following - if the foot flutters, the bottom luffs or the bottom telltales break first then you need to move the fairleads AFT. If the leech fluttters, the top luffs or the top telltales break first you need to move the fairleads FORWARD. Experience and practice will tell you how far you have to go and it is not 40'!! It will probably be just a couple of holes. What you are looking for is for the sail to break evenly from top to bottom. When that happens you know your in the right position. Without practice the only way you would know you were in the right position would be to tack the boat and watch the sail again. That is exactly what you have to do when you are learning. After you get it down pat you'll know what the sail should look like and with the adjustable failread system you can just dial it in. After you get the drawing fairlead adjusted then re set the other side. You need to do that as a point of reference for the next tack.
Hi Don, interesting suggestion. Ours is ...
mast head rigged, so I should be tweaking the genoa before the main? I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip. What usually happens is that when I activate the AP tack change feature it will over shoot to the new point of sail, which is about 40 to 45 degrees. As I steer the boat back to about 35 to 32 degrees close hauled on the new tack I normally trim the genoa, but without much consideration for telltale status until after I tweak the main. I see your point, since the genoa is the primary power source on a mast head rig, I should tweak it first before the main. About the only thing I need do with the main is to move the traveler from one side of center to the other, which is very little. As I think more about it, your point makes perfect sense. Other than a slight change in the traveler position, the main is basically ready for the new tack. Terry P.S. The other point, with genoa trim, all three telltales should stream at about the same time if the fairlead is set correctly? That tells me that I might consider moving the fairlead car a hole or two forward to achieve that effect? Because now the bottom streams first, then middle, then top.
mast head rigged, so I should be tweaking the genoa before the main? I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip. What usually happens is that when I activate the AP tack change feature it will over shoot to the new point of sail, which is about 40 to 45 degrees. As I steer the boat back to about 35 to 32 degrees close hauled on the new tack I normally trim the genoa, but without much consideration for telltale status until after I tweak the main. I see your point, since the genoa is the primary power source on a mast head rig, I should tweak it first before the main. About the only thing I need do with the main is to move the traveler from one side of center to the other, which is very little. As I think more about it, your point makes perfect sense. Other than a slight change in the traveler position, the main is basically ready for the new tack. Terry P.S. The other point, with genoa trim, all three telltales should stream at about the same time if the fairlead is set correctly? That tells me that I might consider moving the fairlead car a hole or two forward to achieve that effect? Because now the bottom streams first, then middle, then top.
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