What and how???

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Examine the picture of the Figaro 3. What is the skipper doing with his right hand? How is it rigged to allow that? Discuss.

liot-2.jpg
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Holding on so he doesn't end up with the fishes?
I can't see enough of the line to see where it is going.. but I do see a line just forward of the low side winch that looks like it is leading to the winch he's working. The line seems to be hidden under the wave just forward ogf the turning block on the port side ..? H has running backstays so there are a lot of lines back there.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
  • It looks like the jib is cross sheeted as Richard and klondie say. But uh oh is that a spinnaker? Not again. I'm having spin vs. jib problems. I'm calling it a spinnaker because it is sheeted thru a turning block on the transom. I lose the spinnaker sheet somewhere in the cockpit. I don't see it going to the high side. It is a lot of running rigging. The helmsman is trimming with his right arm
 
May 17, 2004
5,028
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
+1 for cross sheeting to trim the headsail from the high side. I'm thinking it's some kind of code sail, with the sheet wrapped once or twice around the leeward winch to give a good angle to the windward one.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
He's definitely surfing... He's trimming the spinnaker, or reaching sail, whatever it may be.. you can see its clew in the upper left corner. The reefed mainsail is in a reaching position and the runner is off. I agree with davidsailor, cross sheeting the headsail.... However... I suspect it's a trick by Clay... He might be using the tiller to trim the reaching sail while controlling the mainsail power with the winch, using the starboard mainsheet.:pimp:
 
Aug 2, 2010
502
J-Boat J/88 Cobourg
clearly a winch handle and I cannot imagine he isn't trying to trim a head sail but I cannot follow the sheet over to that winch so this is just a guess.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
He’s trimming the spinnaker for sure. You can see the clew, and the sheet goes back to the transom. Headsails would trim to the track midboat.

The sheet is indeed cross sheeted. It goes straight forward to block near the port winch, and over to the high side.

With the tiller in his other hand, the skipper can either trim in or turn down (or both!) to keep the spin luff from collapsing.

Fun to see the kite up with the perfect reef in. I’m guessing it’s a promo shot taken during a ‘big day’ in Brittany. The shore crew probably tied that up at the dock.
 

Apex

.
Jun 19, 2013
1,197
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
looks like a wet ride. It is hard to fathom single handing with running backstays, spins AND foiling. It is hard to see the lines well in this shot, but a visit to spend a couple of hours at the dock, or better yet a day or more sailing would be a blast AND interesting from a rigging perspective.

on last look, the traveler is all the way to leeward as well.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
looks like a wet ride. It is hard to fathom single handing with running backstays, spins AND foiling. It is hard to see the lines well in this shot, but a visit to spend a couple of hours at the dock, or better yet a day or more sailing would be a blast AND interesting from a rigging perspective.
Good ergonomics will make or break a solo boat. Often the difference in a skippers ability to perform a maneuver underway will be dependant on the boats layout.

The SunFast 3200 was a great boat with sketchy cockpit ergonomics. Stung by the criticism, the designer (Daniel Andrieu) built a full-scale mockup of its big brother SunFast3600 in his office to play with daily before the deck mold was laid. This worked, and the 3600 deck layout is much-loved. This trick has become SOP for the big French design houses. Indeed, Beneteau had a full-scale mockup for the Fig3, and invited every current Figaro Cup skipper in for a review and consult. They were not leaving anything to chance.
 
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