Solo sailing: Dropping Jib

[LordNelson]

I sail solo in my oday 20 quite often. To drop the hanked on head sail, I tighten main in tight start pointing into the wind, and let the tiller go and I move forward to drop the jib. The boat usually makes S turns but stays headed into the wind.

On some rare occasions, however, it decides to make a circle and then heads into the wind and stays there making it's S turns. It's mostly just embarrassing, but a few times I have had to hold onto the mast to stay on board.

Is there something I could do different to prevent this?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Install a jib downhaul.

 

[shemandr]

I used to drop my ranked on jib by heading downwind on a deep reach. With the main out I would trim the jib tight. At that point it has no air in it. Let the halyard down in a controlled way and the jib would usually fall on the deck and lifelines. If it's still hanked on and the sheet is tight it can't really go anywhere.

 

[Brian D]

You can hove-to so that the motion of the boat is not so severe. Once the boat is settled and tracking, move forward and take down the jib.

 

[Roland5048]

You can hove-to so that the motion of the boat is not so severe. Once the boat is settled and tracking, move forward and take down the jib.

I was going to suggest that because that is what I do to drop my main when soloing. However, because this is the jib being dropped, my thought is that when the jib is dropped, the CoE moves aft and might cause the boat to round up unexpectedly. Just my thought and I may be totally off base here. Been awhile since I've sailed a smaller boat with a hank on.

 

[Brian D]

Good point, @Roland5048, I didn't consider the change of COE.

 

[JRT]

Secure tiller once you are into the wind with bungee cord wrapped around?

 

[garymalmgren]

First choice on a small boat is a foresail downhaul led from sail head to block on bow and back to cockpit.
You mentioned jib and not the larger genoa so a jib should bunch up enough at the pulput to be no trouble,

Second choice to eliminate the problem of the boat wandering (doing "s" turns) is a tiller pilot.
More expensive than a downhaul but provides an extra crew aboard.

The BEST choice is both a downhaul and a tillerpilot.

Gary

 

[FDL S2]

First choice on a small boat is a foresail downhaul led from sail head to block on bow and back to cockpit.
You mentioned jib and not the larger genoa so a jib should bunch up enough at the pulput to be no trouble,

Second choice to eliminate the problem of the boat wandering (doing "s" turns) is a tiller pilot.
More expensive than a downhaul but provides an extra crew aboard.

The BEST choice is both a downhaul and a tillerpilot.

Gary

I single hand a lot and I have a hank on jib. I have a downhaul for the jib, I head into the wind and either bungee the tiller straight or use my tiller pilot to steer the boat, I don't use my tiller pilot every time I sail, only when the wind is honking.
A downhaul is easy to set up, I put a block at the base of the forestay and hoseclamped fairleads to two stanchions and put a cam cleat at a stachion next to the cockpit. I had all the parts laying around so it was cheap.

 

[JimInPB]

Install a jib downhaul.

View attachment 155719

Geeze, sometimes I just miss the obvious. I am about 3/4 of the way finished up making drawings for a furling system I was going to fabricate for use on my 21'. A downhaul will probably do what I need to do & take a whole lot less effort to implement.

Thank You for posting. I think that you saved me a lot of work.

 

[LordNelson]

Thank you for the responses. I due have a couple of issues to consider:
I am concerned if I secure the tiller, or used a tiller pilot, and then fall in when on the bow the boat could sail away. (Of course that would solve a lot of problems) If I let the tiller free, the boat should remain close enough to get to.

A tiller pilot, or roller reefing for that matter, may cost more than the boat is worth.

My halyards are at the mast so still would need to go forward if I had a jib down haul.

On idea have have thought about, but never tried, is a small sea anchor drogue. Has anyone tried to use one? Maybe if I hove too, went forward an tossed in the sea anchor before dropping the jib if would be safer.

 

[shemandr]

A tiller pilot, or roller reefing for that matter, may cost more than the boat is worth.

What are you worth?

 

[FDL S2]

Thank you for the responses. I due have a couple of issues to consider:
I am concerned if I secure the tiller, or used a tiller pilot, and then fall in when on the bow the boat could sail away. (Of course that would solve a lot of problems) If I let the tiller free, the boat should remain close enough to get to.

A tiller pilot, or roller reefing for that matter, may cost more than the boat is worth.

My halyards are at the mast so still would need to go forward if I had a jib down haul.

On idea have have thought about, but never tried, is a small sea anchor drogue. Has anyone tried to use one? Maybe if I hove too, went forward an tossed in the sea anchor before dropping the jib if would be safer.

A tiller pilot is a few hundred dollars. A roller furler is a lot more.
But don't use the cost of parts vs boat value as a measure for doing upgrades to your boat, because you will never upgrade anything on your boat if you do!
Another thing to consider is running your halyards to the cockpit. It will cost you new halyards, deck organizers and clutches-cheap upgrades in sailing dollars. This along with a downhaul and bungees on your tiller will greatly reduce the possibility of falling overboard.

 

[unhinged schoolboy]

I head into wind and depower my main by dropping the halyard, (from cockpit..if your rigged that way), and depower the jib halyard. I lock the main sheet and dash out to jib and yank it down and quickly bungee to lifeline then bolt to main and yank it down....i let the wind have its way with her but once sails are flapping most of her power is gone....just make sure you dont accidently unlock main sheet..if so get back and lock her down before the boom swings on you...move quick and its a polished routine

 

[unhinged schoolboy]

Oh...very important....make sure both halyard sheets have a free run....

 

[garymalmgren]

On idea have have thought about, but never tried, is a small sea anchor drogue. Has anyone tried to use one? Maybe if I hove too, went forward an tossed in the sea anchor before dropping the jib if would be safer.

Lordnelson,
To heave to safely you need the foresail backed and the tiller tied off to the opposite tack

. That means your foresail will be full and difficult to haul down, Therefore, heaving to defeats your purpose (i.e.to lower the foresail in a safe controlled fashion).

Using a drogue would work in the most limited situation with the best combination of wave, wind , tide and desired (safe) course.
So to answer you question, Neither heaving to nor using a small drone will solve your problem.
I understand your unwillingness ti INVEST in a tiller pilot and by that I am guessing that you have never used one or been aboard when one was in use. My suggestion is to try to get on a boat which uses a tiller pilot. I am pretty sure you will be converted like almost every one of us who was a skeptic at one stage.
Gary

 

[Will Gilmore]

A tiller pilot, or roller reefing for that matter, may cost more than the boat is worth.

It won't cost more than the boat is worth because once you install them, the boat is worth what it is worth with a tiller pilot and roller reefing installed. Their use by you, her owner, will be invaluable. Make the upgrade.
Good points about heaving to, however, once the jib is depowered, she just comes up into the wind because the CE is farther aft of the CLR. The drogue seems like a really good idea to have for a MOB, so you might consider making it SOP, ASAP, before you become the MOB and go MIA. That would be a PIA, OK?

Roller furling also means reefing from the cockpit and on the occasions when you want to reef, you probably don't want to be on the bow.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Gene Neill]

I wouldn't give up the idea of heaving to without having tried it. My C22 will heave to under main OR jib, it just changes the attitude of the boat relative to the wind.

Hove to with the jib up (ANY size jib, with the main reefed or not reefed), she presents her stern quarter to the seas. Under just the main, she presents the bow quarter. So all I get when I drop the jib is a gentle 90 degree rotation into the wind.

 

[Joe]

A jib downhaul is simple and inexpensive.... 1/8" braided line, a block for the bow stem, and one on the rail somewhere, like a stanchion, to direct the line to a cleat... a small, inexpensive horn cleat is all you need. All you do is TIE a buntline hitch to the FIRST (topmost) HANK ..... not the head board where the halyard is attached... why.... to keep the downhaul from folding the headboard down over the top hank and binding it up.,,, trust me... or don't...and find out the hard way. Oh, and do not thread the line through the other jib hanks... totally unnecessary and creates more opportunity for a jam!

It helps to be able to control halyard and downhaul together, preferably while you're standing in the cockpit, steering the boat with the tiller between your knees...
What you end up with is a controlled drop as you steer the boat under the sail, landing it neatly on the fore deck.... once cleated off the downhaul will hold the sail on deck if things get choppy or gusty.

With all the money you're saving by going with the inexpensive version of the jib downhaul. You should be able to rig a new, longer jib halyard so you can route it back to the cockpit for more convenient handling.

 

[LordNelson]

Thank you all for your comments. I will have to try some of the recommendations to see how they work for me. The reason I hesitate to put money into the boat is the age (44) and areas of the deck getting soft. I have to weigh upgrades vs looking for a newer boat with roller reefing etc.