Is handling an issue?
Nov.21,2000 Dear Jeff, What is it like sailing a 500 with only two people without a furling main? I’d say “Fantastic!” but I don’t think that is what you are asking. I’d like to know a little more about your question - are you asking are furling mains “better” than slab reefing mains? The answer is they are not better in the performance department compared to a main that has a leech. Are you asking are they easier to furl than a slab reefing main is to reef? Than the answer is yes, furling is easier than reefing. Is the performance you lose with the furling main worth the gain in ease of handling? Not for me, but a lot of people think otherwise- just look at the increasing number of roller furling mains out there. On big boats which have powerful sailplans you need big gear to handle them. Beneteau does an excellent job in this department compared to many other sailboat manufacturers where winches can be a bit small, and running rigging not well laid out. If you are used to sailing small boats sailing a 50 footer can seem overwhelming at first. The 500 feels positively huge thanks in large measure to its15’ 7” beam. When it heels and starts putting its’ shoulder to the sea it feels like a freight train going through the water. You can feel the power. Yet with the sails properly trimmed you can steer the boat with an idle finger. Beneteau has a lot of experience getting things right and these boats are meant to be handled by a short handed crew. My question for you is who are the 2 people who are going to be sailing this boat? You and the wife or a couple of savvy sailors with lots of sailing and racing experience? I can tell you that a couple of well schooled sailors can delight in sailing the 500. Inexperienced sailors are going to find the experience intimidating if not downright hazardous. As Jimi Hendrix asked, “Are You Experienced?” And are you strong enough? Is your crew? The reason I ask is because my mate, She Who Must Be Obeyed, has become a very proficient sailor but She still does not have the physical strength to pull the traveler across with the full main set even in a moderate breeze. Furthermore, manhandling our main during reefing in a seaway really challenges her physically. How practiced are you and your crew with similar maneuvers in rough conditions? The other part of this equation that doesn’t get talked about is the seamanship issue. More and more people are hoping that technology will replace knowledge, thus there is a decline in the drive to learn as many skills of the sailor as possible. Consequently overall levels of seamanship among a certain group of amateurs appears to be in decline. That group is the section that plans to go sailing offshore. Let me give you 2 examples: the Baja HaHa rally has grown bigger and bigger every year, with bigger and bigger boats entering, yet the sailors I have met who are involved in this rally year after year have made the comment that the boats may be better equipped, but the sailors know less about sailing, weather, etc. then ever. The second example comes from the Chesapeake Bay area of the U.S. Friends of ours from that area report that there is a growing group of sailors there who own Island Packet sail boats who will tell you that you are a fool to go to sea in anything else. Their boats are equipped with every bell and whistle imaginable and they enjoy sailing them on the Bay. But you know I have yet to see one of these boats actually offshore, although I’m sure there are a few who have done so. That’s not the boat’s fault. Island Packet builds solid, if slow, sailboats. It’s the attitude and skill of the sailor that keeps them inshore. So what is it that you really want to know? Should an inexperienced person jump onboard the 500 and sail off over the horizon? With or without a roller furling main the answer is the same. The answer is no, but that doesn’t mean you should give up that goal. All the would be experts had to learn the lessons of seamanship at some tiime too. No one is born with a tiller in one hand and the mainsheet in the other. I don’t know how experienced you are, but if that is the issue get yourself and the mate signed up with a reputable sailing school and start getting the knowledge you will need to handle that 500. Sailing schools are the quickest way to climb that learning curve. I don’t know what boat you have now, but take it sailing a lot. There is no replacement for cubic time on the water. I really hope all of this helps. If you have a specific question about sailing, please contact me. Brian Pickton @BeneteauOwners.net Aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Luicia
