I like brussel sprouts but my wife hates them. Thus, we never eat brussel sprouts unless they are served to us by our host.
- Will (Dragonfly)
- Will (Dragonfly)
The hard part is keeping it from opening all the way. The furling line must be kept on a sturdy winch, and you pray the line doesn’t break (in which case you would have real problems). In a real blow a storm jib would be a better bet.Does having a larger genoa affect it's ability to be reefed (furled)?
You did exactly what most do to learn limits of your boat and comfort level. It boils down to;my question stemmed from going out last weekend.
My main only has one reef point so we stuck to the 150 genoa heavily furled. As the day went on we furled it even more.
winds were 15-20 with gust around 27-30
unfortunately we are new to sailing but bought the boat to learn. I have been out 15 times in the 3 months we have had the boat but the wife has only been out 5 times and we had "never sailed before" friends with us.
There were definitely lessons learned but for the most part it went well. definitely had rails in the water a couple times but just turned into the wind and they lifted.
I felt that with my current ability (and no experience crew) that was the limit of what I wanted to do. It was still fun. I was just curious about limits. I also assume that most boats can handle more than their crew can... but assumptions....
Ideally, we never learn the limits of the crew's abilities. That's why it's good to discuss these questions and make plans and decide on limits ahead of time.the factors that I take into account are all the same. What is the ability of the crew?
Personally, I think a Yankee cut jib is the most versatile headsail for those who sail in areas where conditions vary greatly. It is high cut so visibility under it is great in high traffic areas, the sheets are higher off the deck than those of a genoa (so they don't get caught on funnels and cleats when tacking), and it can be carried long after a deck sweeper genoa of any size can. Of course, it isn't the best light air sail, so if you can rig a staysail (not that hard even on boats w/o a staysail stay) with the Yankee you've got a nice set up for lighter airs.When you buy a new main sail, be sure to get 2 reef points. You may want a smaller genoa as well. Keep the 150, for sure, but a new head sail in smaller size may prove to be more versatile. My next head sail will be no more than 130%, maybe more like 120%. We consistently have a lot more wind on Barnegat Bay than we experienced at Lake Hopatcong. I'd not be surprised in your location that thermal conditions can cause frequent high winds.