the wind was blowing 25-35knt last night (midnight) so i decided to go out and expierement with my newly installed roller furling, i ended up sailing with my main double reefed and my headsail reefed to about 90% this got me 4-5kts. this worked well until the gusts started hitting (up to around 40kts), during the day when you can see them comings one thing but at night another, at that point i pulled in my head sail and went with the double reefed main, my h35.5 sails well with just the main and it handled the suprise attacks from the wind gods better. what are some of the proven tactics others have used in like conditions? real world expierences please, not something you just read out of a book or overheard on the docks.
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red coles
My method
Hello Ted: I thought it stayed lite all night in your neck of the woods. Anyway, in heavy weathr, I find my h27 goes better with headsail only and if thats too much I'll motor. Good luck red
Hello Ted: I thought it stayed lite all night in your neck of the woods. Anyway, in heavy weathr, I find my h27 goes better with headsail only and if thats too much I'll motor. Good luck red
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Colin
Reff genoa early
Went out in 25 knot winds which later built to 35 knots. I started with double reefed main and full 110 genoa, then found it almost impossible to reef the genoa!!! Will always reef the genoa early from now on cuz if I had not had four strong guys wrestling with the genoa that day we would have have been in big trouble (early days of owning a keel boat). Like the old saying goes, "If you are wondering if it's time to reef, then its time to reef. Now in such winds I sail with very little genoa out and the reefed mains set quite free. That way if I am hit with a gust the boats rounds up a little causing the main to luff early before the small amount of genoa pushes me back on track.
Went out in 25 knot winds which later built to 35 knots. I started with double reefed main and full 110 genoa, then found it almost impossible to reef the genoa!!! Will always reef the genoa early from now on cuz if I had not had four strong guys wrestling with the genoa that day we would have have been in big trouble (early days of owning a keel boat). Like the old saying goes, "If you are wondering if it's time to reef, then its time to reef. Now in such winds I sail with very little genoa out and the reefed mains set quite free. That way if I am hit with a gust the boats rounds up a little causing the main to luff early before the small amount of genoa pushes me back on track.
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Henryv
Use a winch
I have been caught in sudden blows when the reefing load exceeded what I could manage by hand but on my Beneteau 331 the reefing line is positioned in line with one of the jib sheet winches so I simply use the winch to reef the jib. As the loads are high I prefer to reef before the winch is needed but it is a important to have the method available paticularily since I often sail without crew to help.
I have been caught in sudden blows when the reefing load exceeded what I could manage by hand but on my Beneteau 331 the reefing line is positioned in line with one of the jib sheet winches so I simply use the winch to reef the jib. As the loads are high I prefer to reef before the winch is needed but it is a important to have the method available paticularily since I often sail without crew to help.
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ted
head sail reefing
one of the enteresting things i noticed about my rig was, with the direction i wanted to go to get back home i had to sail a tight relative wx angle 25-35 deg. i noticed the when a gust of wind came up it made the boat round up just enough for the jib to stall out, with 30-40 kts of wind the jib would flog way to much. the main sails better at tighter angles then the head sail, i had never noticed this before.
one of the enteresting things i noticed about my rig was, with the direction i wanted to go to get back home i had to sail a tight relative wx angle 25-35 deg. i noticed the when a gust of wind came up it made the boat round up just enough for the jib to stall out, with 30-40 kts of wind the jib would flog way to much. the main sails better at tighter angles then the head sail, i had never noticed this before.
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Michael McCann
High Winds
I know that it works differently on different boats, but the general rule for decreasing sail area as the wind picks up is, reef the main (1st reef point), change to a smaller jib (roll it up some?), tie in the second reef point, change to a smaller jib (roll it up some more). This should keep the sail area balanced between the main and jib. Too much jib gives more lee helm, too much main gives more weather helm. Too much of either is dangerous, and I would lean to having a little weather helm.
I know that it works differently on different boats, but the general rule for decreasing sail area as the wind picks up is, reef the main (1st reef point), change to a smaller jib (roll it up some?), tie in the second reef point, change to a smaller jib (roll it up some more). This should keep the sail area balanced between the main and jib. Too much jib gives more lee helm, too much main gives more weather helm. Too much of either is dangerous, and I would lean to having a little weather helm.
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R.W.Landau
Tri sail
Ted, I have been on boats that did not do well at all with just a deeply reefed main. The helm was almost worthless. I have not tried this but a trisail is one sail I intend to own. The trisail puts the power of the sail aft and with a small sliver of a furled jib I think it would balance the helm better and yet still take the gusts. I also think night sailing is abit like the first time the boat heeled under your feet, you were probably a bit uncomfortable. I think through time you will become better equipped mentally for those uncomfortable moments when that controlled, worried, helpless feeling hits you out of the night. Alaska is one place my wife would love to go. Now if I could just convince her to sail there........ Good luck in your quest to conquer the night. r.w.landau
Ted, I have been on boats that did not do well at all with just a deeply reefed main. The helm was almost worthless. I have not tried this but a trisail is one sail I intend to own. The trisail puts the power of the sail aft and with a small sliver of a furled jib I think it would balance the helm better and yet still take the gusts. I also think night sailing is abit like the first time the boat heeled under your feet, you were probably a bit uncomfortable. I think through time you will become better equipped mentally for those uncomfortable moments when that controlled, worried, helpless feeling hits you out of the night. Alaska is one place my wife would love to go. Now if I could just convince her to sail there........ Good luck in your quest to conquer the night. r.w.landau
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TED
R.W
YOUR RIGHT, THE PRECEPTION AT NIGHT IS ALOT DIFFERENT THEN DAY, IT DID FEEL LIKE A RUG WAS PULLED OUT FROM UNDER US, WHEN THE FIRST GUST HIT FOR A SPLIT SECOND I THOUGHT OUR KEEL MUST HAVE FEEL OFF, THE THE BOAT RECOVERD AND ALL WAS BETTER, IVE GOT A FAIR AMOUNT OF HEAVY WX SAILING ON BOTH THIS BOAT AND HEAVY DISP BOATS, MOST DURING DAYLIGHT, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT DURING OUR SAILING SEASON UP HERE ITS DAYLIGHT OF TWILIGHT MOST OF THE SUMMER, IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR WIFE UP HERE HAVE HER TALK TO MINE, ITS NOT AS COLD AS YOU WOULD THINK, YEP MICHAEL IM SEEING THE VALUE OF A STORM JIB AND TRISAIL MORE AND MORE.
YOUR RIGHT, THE PRECEPTION AT NIGHT IS ALOT DIFFERENT THEN DAY, IT DID FEEL LIKE A RUG WAS PULLED OUT FROM UNDER US, WHEN THE FIRST GUST HIT FOR A SPLIT SECOND I THOUGHT OUR KEEL MUST HAVE FEEL OFF, THE THE BOAT RECOVERD AND ALL WAS BETTER, IVE GOT A FAIR AMOUNT OF HEAVY WX SAILING ON BOTH THIS BOAT AND HEAVY DISP BOATS, MOST DURING DAYLIGHT, YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT DURING OUR SAILING SEASON UP HERE ITS DAYLIGHT OF TWILIGHT MOST OF THE SUMMER, IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR WIFE UP HERE HAVE HER TALK TO MINE, ITS NOT AS COLD AS YOU WOULD THINK, YEP MICHAEL IM SEEING THE VALUE OF A STORM JIB AND TRISAIL MORE AND MORE.
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Tim Schaaf
furling genoa in high winds is easier,
in general, if you run off and blanket the jib with the main. Apparent wind is less, and the headsail is in a windshadow. By the way, you will probably get a better shape to your reefed jib if you furl the sail completely, and then let it back out the amount you want. Also, be sure to move the blocks forward the appropriate amount. Otherwise, you will get way too much twist in the jib, and either the leech up top will be fluttering its way to death, or the lower part of the sail will be overtrimmed and pushing you sideways and over.
in general, if you run off and blanket the jib with the main. Apparent wind is less, and the headsail is in a windshadow. By the way, you will probably get a better shape to your reefed jib if you furl the sail completely, and then let it back out the amount you want. Also, be sure to move the blocks forward the appropriate amount. Otherwise, you will get way too much twist in the jib, and either the leech up top will be fluttering its way to death, or the lower part of the sail will be overtrimmed and pushing you sideways and over.
T
ted
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