I need more info, too-but I'm wondering whether I'm just too tired this late at night or if it's been too long since I've been on the water. Tom, I'm finding that I'm confused by something you said. You say you're fighting rounding up when you heel past 15 degrees-so I'm thinking you're, well, pulling the rudder away from the water. But you say you're dragging a tiller through the water, which seems to me you're fighting a lee helm and turning the rudder to keep from bearing off, not a weather helm-and if that's the case, and your mast is vertical, you've moved your center of effort forward instead of aft where you want it.
Ah, nuts-I should just stay out of this. I start doubting myself even writing about this-and I'm supposed to be wrapping up my amended tax return anyway. Deadlines. What made me most confused was that I find myself doubting Judy-and who in their right mind would doubt Judy, for heaven's sake? But if you're sailing upwind, and you get a gust-without a change in actual wind direction-doesn't the apparent wind shift more toward the nose rather than come from more on the beam? I mean, I end drew a vector diagram and it seems to bear me out. But I'm tired, so I'll just sit back and let you folks gently explain to me why I'm all wrong and how I should get out on the darn water once in awhile instead of working in this office. Dave Shaddock Standard rig, too, and only 1977-so I'm even more out of touch. From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:13 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: Yesterdays sail -- 2 fingers on tiller Need more info but at first glance, just ease the main. Helm should ease up and allow you more control. Sheet in when the breeze comes off a bit. In a message dated 7/24/2008 4:48:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Judy ... I have tried and tried to get my '86 tall rig to balance ... "two fingers on the tiller" as you put it. Right now, the mast is straight up and down, which is about six inches further forward than I was told to start. At anything past 10 degrees heel angle, I'm holding on, and past 15 degress heel angle I'm starting to fight rounding up. At .20 degress, all efficiency is gone and I'm dragging a tiller through the water. Bottom is clean, and I don't know what else to do. Ideas? Tom "Judith Blumhorst, DC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: [email protected] 07/18/2008 05:08 PM Please respond to [email protected] To [email protected] cc Subject Re: catalina27-talk: Yesterdays sail Hi all, I sail in 20-25-30 knots all the time. Got a tall rig with that giant foretriangle, and roller furler. Rear traveller and tiller. Most of the time, I've got a 95% jib on. That's roughly equivalent to a 110% on a regular rig. She's fine with that from about 10 to 35 knots with the 95% jib. As the wind builds and if it's gusty (which it always is here), we twist off the jib and mainsail first if it's gusty, then 1st reef, then take a 2nd reef. Her rig is tuned so that I can control her with just 2 fingers on the tiller. Putting a lot of twist in both the jib and the mainsail and playing the traveller takes care of heeling in the gusts most of the time. Like Paul A says, when it's gusty and there's chop, you want to shape the sails for acceleration, not speed. I loosen the halyard/cunningham to put a rounded entry in the mainsail so they have a wider range of angle of attack without stalling, and they accelerate faster. For the off-season in the winter (winds from 0-15), we use a 135% on a roller furler. That's equivalent to a 150% on a regular rig. We typically furl going up wind in anything over 12-15 knots, and maybe let it out going downwind. Sometimes we've got it up in higher winds and let it out all the way going downwind. It's a hoot going downwind in 20 knots on swells, and there's a danger of broaching -- but it's exhilerating . but I wouldn't want to try beating upwind with it! We don't race. We double hand. We're lazy, but pretty fast. Judy B _____ Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up <http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020> for FanHouse Fantasy Football today.
