Tomorrow, I skipper! Maiden voyage, 15 ish wind speeds. I am in a Catalina 22, 1974. I plan to start out with a storm jib and reefed. I heard if I need to drop to one sail I should drop my main and just use the jib. Is this correct? I sail at 11!
High winds
- Thread starter gtg
- Start date
Sailing with just a jib sail is just fine. Less sail area to manage, reduces healing and works great on a reach or downwind. In heavy wind we often sail with a full or reefed head sail only.
You might find the posts in these threads on the same subject helpful:
You might find the posts in these threads on the same subject helpful:
sailing with jib alone
had a strong wind yesterday. reefed both the main and the jib. saw a fair amount of boats sailing with only their headsail up. advantages??
forums.sailboatowners.com
When using one sail only, main or jib?
Up until last summer, when I bought my '76 Venture 25, everything I'd ever sailed had only one sail (iceboats, various lanteen rigged small boats, etc). So, naturally, any time I'm out and want to shorten sail, or just keep things simple, I instinctively loose the jib and sail on main alone...
forums.sailboatowners.com
Sailing with jib only
I have been told that sailing with only the jib can stress the mast. I have also been told that sailing with only the jib is a more relaxed way to sail. Does it depend on how strong the winds are? Any advice is welcome.
forums.sailboatowners.com
Yeah. Your challenge will likely be gust control. You can be well trimmed for the steady conditions, which is unusual for a beginner to begin with, and still be quickly overpowered with a strong gust or gusts. So, you might reconsider the maiden voyage for milder, more steady, conditions. Remember, the boat responds to apparent wind. So, the boat will “feel” stronger wind than what’s actually blowing unless you’re sailing off the wind. Apparent wind speed is the true wind plus (or minus if off) some component of the boat’s speed through the water (STW). There are online calculators to help predict apparent wind.
So, easiest lesson for now is to say bear away in a strong gust (but do not gybe
); ease the mainsheet to keep the boat flat.
So, easiest lesson for now is to say bear away in a strong gust (but do not gybe
); ease the mainsheet to keep the boat flat.
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If I am not too sure if the wind is too strong I will sail on the jib only until I have a better feel for the wind. Having been three sheets to the wind myself too often I have become somewhat of a wimp.
I prefer a double reefed main if possible, or single if that is what you have, it gives you more control, you can go almost straight into the wind at a slow speed.
Some boats sail well on jib alone and others on main alone. I guess you'll find out which your boat does best tomorrow. A storm jib may be too small for those conditions alone, do you have a small working jib? Just keep the sheet in your hand until you are comfortable with the gusts. Remember, you can always let her round up and luff if you need a break, or just slack the sail until it luffs on the course you are on and take a break. Nothing says you have to keep sailing if you need a break. Do carry an anchor, but in situations where the wind is up, sometimes the waves are too, and when anchored,, you are shipping water as the bow dips down.
Good point. Your analysis that followed is spot on.
However, the OP has a C22. I had one, loved that boat (1981, #10496). One day had to return 5 nm, upwind, to our harbor after a race day. It was blowing like stink. I asked the locals what they do, and their answer was use either one of the two sails.
A Catalina 22 is a MASTHEAD rigged sloop. As a result, most of its drive is from the jib. The boat points higher with just a jib than with just a main. And if it's windy, I found it's a lot easier to control the boat with the jib than with the main. There's not much of a traveler on a C22.
We had an exhilarating, and safe, sail upwind with just the 110% working jib.
My Ranger 29, another masthead rig, sailed pretty well with just the 110 jib. That configuration took a lot of the tension while sailing in wind out of the equation. One note of caution: there are significant numbers of sailors who believe that sailing a masthead boat on the jib alone can be dangerous. They hold that the mast is at risk of breaking without the support of the luff of the mainsail. And when the mast flexes as you hit a wave it may buckle. I'm not aware of anyone this has happened to. And if the main has slugs I would wonder how much support the mast would get from the luff. But that opinion exists.
I’m with dave
Well balanced boat will move forward instead of heel and you also punch through the chop instead of pounding
My advice would be to put in a deep (#2) reef in the mainsail and trim your sails to depower them. When sailing upwind, put lots of twist in the leech with the traveler/horse pulled past centerline towards. Ease the vang enough so that the top batten is falling off to leeward, beyond being parallel to the boom. Upwind, trim the jib so there's also lots of twist in the leech, with the genoa cars moved aft so the top of the sail twists open.
Make sure you've got enough backtstay tension to keep the forestay from sagging a lot in the gusts. A sagging forestay in a gust makes the draft of the jib deeper and the sail gets more powerful as the draft deepens,. Keep enough halyard tension on the jib to move the draft forward to provide more accleration/punch to get through chop.
In high winds, pick a flat spot in the water when you want to tack. The chop will stop you dead in the water.
Going downwind, if you don't know how to do a controlled jibe perfectly even in high winds, do a 270 degree tack. That's called a chicken jibe.
In the gusts, feather up as the apparent wind moves aft in the gust. Alternatively, you can ease the traveller (if possible on a C22?). or ease the mainsheet a vew inches evenly. .
If you're still overpowered with your sails depowered as much as you can, try dropping the jib.
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You can sail above a reach with jib alone, but you can't sail as high a course as you can under mainsail. You can point your bow high, but the boat will have more leeway and be slipping sideways. But try it and see how high the boat sails.
Here's my experience with sailing masthead rigs under jib along: I suspect it will go to weather better with the mainsail and no jib. The sail balance will be off, and the boat will have a tendency to turn downwind under jib alone. You will to counter this tendency with the rudder, which puts the rudder at the wrong angle to create lift. So the boat will have a lot of leeway.
The Cat22 is a lightweight trailerable boat with less than 25% ballast ratio, and will require you to reduce sail area in gusts stronger than 15-18 kts, unless you put crew on the rail to hike. I'd recommend getting a 75% LP jib with a 3/4 hoist for sailing in winds over 15-25 knots in a Catalina 22. It will balance well with a deeply reefed mainsail.
Judy B
Semi-retired sailmaker
Make sure you've got enough backtstay tension to keep the forestay from sagging a lot in the gusts. A sagging forestay in a gust makes the draft of the jib deeper and the sail gets more powerful as the draft deepens,. Keep enough halyard tension on the jib to move the draft forward to provide more accleration/punch to get through chop.
In high winds, pick a flat spot in the water when you want to tack. The chop will stop you dead in the water.
Going downwind, if you don't know how to do a controlled jibe perfectly even in high winds, do a 270 degree tack. That's called a chicken jibe.
In the gusts, feather up as the apparent wind moves aft in the gust. Alternatively, you can ease the traveller (if possible on a C22?). or ease the mainsheet a vew inches evenly. .
If you're still overpowered with your sails depowered as much as you can, try dropping the jib.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can sail above a reach with jib alone, but you can't sail as high a course as you can under mainsail. You can point your bow high, but the boat will have more leeway and be slipping sideways. But try it and see how high the boat sails.
Here's my experience with sailing masthead rigs under jib along: I suspect it will go to weather better with the mainsail and no jib. The sail balance will be off, and the boat will have a tendency to turn downwind under jib alone. You will to counter this tendency with the rudder, which puts the rudder at the wrong angle to create lift. So the boat will have a lot of leeway.
The Cat22 is a lightweight trailerable boat with less than 25% ballast ratio, and will require you to reduce sail area in gusts stronger than 15-18 kts, unless you put crew on the rail to hike. I'd recommend getting a 75% LP jib with a 3/4 hoist for sailing in winds over 15-25 knots in a Catalina 22. It will balance well with a deeply reefed mainsail.
Judy B
Semi-retired sailmaker
Yup.
And mostly what Dr. Judy said.
Control is more important than low heeling forces. Some boats, most boats, actually, have trouble completing a tack when unbalanced. With headsail only, she will want to fall off, not round up. With main only, she will have more, much more weather helm.
Roller furling is your friend and don't forget the anchor. 15 knots, gusting to 30, the boat won't have any problems handling those conditions. The sailor, on the other hand, may get nervous and make mistakes. Keep calm and remember, the boat is fine, sheets release and the helm can bring her up and onto her feet by coming up into the wind. Don't let her jibe with the sheets cleated.
-Will (Dragonfly)
That is the best definition I've seen of that term. It is remarkable how most of us can take something simple and make it hard.
Now we just need to stop calling it "chicken" and start calling it a safey jibe.
I hope the OP reports in and tells us how his sail went .
I got a solo sail in today in 17 knots beam reach, 4-6 footers on Lake Michigan...it was a blast!
Greg
I got a solo sail in today in 17 knots beam reach, 4-6 footers on Lake Michigan...it was a blast!
Greg
I'm always surprised at boats that will sail on jib alone. Typically the keel is behind the main, so anything ahead of the main will want to make the boat turn downwind - the last thing you want to have happen. The only time I've sailed on jib alone was sailing downwind as I approached the dock. Otherwise I use the main alone.
I've never seen a keel boat that did not sail nicely under jib alone. Been sailing 50 years.
