I want to get better performance when running before the wind. I have an in-mast furler with vertical battens (which I highly recommend)but requires a baby stay; and a 140 genoa. I have flow an asym on another boat and loved it. Question is will the baby stay impair my ability to get the most of a gennaker? I also can't imagine poling out the foresails with the baby stay. Thoughts?
Downwind sailing
- Thread starter eric g
- Start date
- Status
I don't believe the in mast furling is what requires the baby stay
but the size of the mast and it's section modulus in the fore and aft direction. The baby stay is to stop your mast from pumping out of column and breaking, most especially when sailing to windward in waves. I don't know your particular boat, but I suspect that you would need the baby stay even without the in mast furler. That said, the baby stay will not affect your sailing performance with a gennaker, and gybing without a pole over the stay should not be a problem. It is not common to pole out a gennaker to leeward and if you are tacking downwind you don't need a pole at all. If you pole the gennaker out to windward, and you have a pole topping lift from below the top of the stay, you will have to transfer the pole (dip pole on a mast track, or end for end) inside the baby stay. If your pole topping lift is from above the baby stay, you have to transfer the pole end for end forward of the baby stay. Unless you have a very long dead downwind course I can't see a real need for the pole at all. The gennaker should be light enough to stay full dead downwind with the bounce of air off the main if the main is a little less than full out against the shrouds. Have fun Joe S
but the size of the mast and it's section modulus in the fore and aft direction. The baby stay is to stop your mast from pumping out of column and breaking, most especially when sailing to windward in waves. I don't know your particular boat, but I suspect that you would need the baby stay even without the in mast furler. That said, the baby stay will not affect your sailing performance with a gennaker, and gybing without a pole over the stay should not be a problem. It is not common to pole out a gennaker to leeward and if you are tacking downwind you don't need a pole at all. If you pole the gennaker out to windward, and you have a pole topping lift from below the top of the stay, you will have to transfer the pole (dip pole on a mast track, or end for end) inside the baby stay. If your pole topping lift is from above the baby stay, you have to transfer the pole end for end forward of the baby stay. Unless you have a very long dead downwind course I can't see a real need for the pole at all. The gennaker should be light enough to stay full dead downwind with the bounce of air off the main if the main is a little less than full out against the shrouds. Have fun Joe S
OK, like Joe Said
I don't know what kind of boat you have. However, on my C-387, I have furling systems on both my main and headsail. Sorry Sand Sailor, but you can hoist the main and drop it all you want, I'll take my furling systems any day of the week when I'm single handing my rig. Especially in high wind when it comes to reefing when all I have to do is unlock a spin lock and turn a line on a winch a few turns. I use a 155 genoa and it does just fine running downwind. Like Joe said, I throw it on the leeward side and trim it and swing the boom to windward and she does just fine. I don't have a pole for the head, but there are times that I have wanted one and it is on the "list" of must haves. I have a baby stay and it doesn't get in the way of tacking, with a mast head of near 60' off the water, that baby stay does keep the mast from bending and breaking going to wind, again like Joe said. I know of others that use an asymetric and that baby stay doesn't get in the way. (Another on the "list"). Damn, that list never stops growing. When it comes time to replace my main, the verticle battens will be on my new one, (the "list" again), but for now I seem to do fairly well with the set up we have. I get pretty much the most I can out of the rig I have with fine tuning of the standing rigging with the Loos and fine tuning of the sails with Don's book on Sail Trim, available through the store here at this site. I think you'll do just fine with your set up once you work the kinks out of it. I don't understand why some people foul mouth furling systems since they take so much work out of sailing, allow for single handing with great ease, and are on so many boats. If I'm in that much of a hurry that I think I need that performance of battens and a bit more sail area, then I wouldn't be sailing, I'd be motoring. But then, I don't race my boat and put all that excessive wear and tear and stress and strain of the standing and running rigging and the sail and the boat itself. Enjoy.
I don't know what kind of boat you have. However, on my C-387, I have furling systems on both my main and headsail. Sorry Sand Sailor, but you can hoist the main and drop it all you want, I'll take my furling systems any day of the week when I'm single handing my rig. Especially in high wind when it comes to reefing when all I have to do is unlock a spin lock and turn a line on a winch a few turns. I use a 155 genoa and it does just fine running downwind. Like Joe said, I throw it on the leeward side and trim it and swing the boom to windward and she does just fine. I don't have a pole for the head, but there are times that I have wanted one and it is on the "list" of must haves. I have a baby stay and it doesn't get in the way of tacking, with a mast head of near 60' off the water, that baby stay does keep the mast from bending and breaking going to wind, again like Joe said. I know of others that use an asymetric and that baby stay doesn't get in the way. (Another on the "list"). Damn, that list never stops growing. When it comes time to replace my main, the verticle battens will be on my new one, (the "list" again), but for now I seem to do fairly well with the set up we have. I get pretty much the most I can out of the rig I have with fine tuning of the standing rigging with the Loos and fine tuning of the sails with Don's book on Sail Trim, available through the store here at this site. I think you'll do just fine with your set up once you work the kinks out of it. I don't understand why some people foul mouth furling systems since they take so much work out of sailing, allow for single handing with great ease, and are on so many boats. If I'm in that much of a hurry that I think I need that performance of battens and a bit more sail area, then I wouldn't be sailing, I'd be motoring. But then, I don't race my boat and put all that excessive wear and tear and stress and strain of the standing and running rigging and the sail and the boat itself. Enjoy.
- Status