rounding down

[Anthony Snider]

My wife and I bought and refitted a Catalina 22 and took it on its maiden voyage last weekend. We were expecting 5-10 knot winds and got 25 knots with gusts. Of course we had all our sails up, unreefed, and didn't have enough experience to know how to reef under pressure. What disturbed me, and what I would love to have a response to, is do 22s always tend to bear away from the wind? I had thought that the boat would head into the wind when I eased the main and let go the tiller. Instead, every time the boat rounded down, violently (we almost went over one time). Should I increase the mast rake to correct for this?Any other suggestions? Thanks for helping a neophyte!

 

[Rob R.]

Mast Rake

Yes Anthony, sounds like you could use some "weather helm," which is obtained generally through rig tuning. So, you might not be as much of a neophyte as you think!Increasing your mast rake should make the boat want to point into the wind a bit more, and round "up" rather than down.I would recommend you purchase a Loos guage so that you can get all the shrouds to the proper tension, and then tweak your backstay to acheive desired mast rake.However, I have C-27, and am not too familiar with the specifics of the C-22, so I will defer to another C-22 owner's opinions on any adjustments that are specific to the 22 itself. in general thoery, however, the above advice should work for you.Most importantly, take her out and test her on a normal day (10-15 kts). Make sure you get right back on that horse - you'll be glad you did.Best of Luck,Rob

 

[Bill Holcomb]

Lee Helm

Hi Anthony,Yes, it certainly sounds like there was a problem. It may have to do with mast rake. Or, possibly with the overall tune of the rig. Years ago, I wrote an article regarding tuning procedures for the C25 which will apply closely to your C22. You can find it on the C25/C250 National Association website on page <http://www.best.com/~c25c250/restricted/snkmast.html>Another possibility may have been sheeting out and releasing the tiller. A sailboat (especially a C22) is not a small airplane that you should let go of the tiller. In fact, the relatively high aspect ratio of the swing keel coupled with a transome hung rudder make continuous steering pretty important all the time. Additionally, when you sheeted out the mainsail, the boat became unbalanced in a fore/aft relationship. The jib was still drawing and had wind pressure, while the main did not. The trend for this situation might be for the jib to push the bow off and downwind......resulting in a net lee helm condition. If the bow hit a large wave at just the wrong moment, well all sorts of unexpected things could happen.Finally, set up your reefing gear and practice on a nice 5 - 10 knot day. Tuck in several reefs and shake the back out so that you are familiar with the procedure. It's nice if you have your halyards and reefing lines lead aft on the cabin top so that no one has to "tap dance" around on the cabin top when reefing. It's much safer to stay in the cockpit. If your boat isn't set up with lines lead aft, this might be a great winter project.Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839