Larry,
I don't know about "survival" situations and when a situation is considered so. I suppose that varies from one sailor to the next, determined by both their skill level AND perhaps more importantly, their ability to maintain their composure under pressure. I have been out on a few days when the winds were gusting up into the mid to high 30s, both with our Flicka and before that with the Rhodes 22 we used to own. On the days this has happened, we were already "out there" so it wasn't a matter of choice. We have (had) a roller furling jib or jenny on both boats and the furlers did their jobs flawlessly. Under these conditions, I am VERY careful not to allow any slack in the lines that could cause the furler to jam.
I believe that I would rather have the furler. On a couple of the occassions I mention, the wind changes were quite sudden. I was able to easily reef the jib or jenny to allow for the change. If I had a hanked on jib or jenny, I'd have been standing on the fore deck, trying to change sails, assuming I had the right sail to put up. As it was I pulled a line in the cockpit and everything was back under control again.
My opinion on this is: Balancing the boat and keeping her relatively upright (on her feet) are more of an issue in these conditions than finding enough power to make headway. I have never had trouble making way upwind in heavy conditions even with our headsail furled to the size of a hanky, IF I could keep the boat under control.
I won't argue that a hank on storm sail might not be better, more efficient. I will argue though that standing on the fore deck of a boat that is wanting to dip it's spreaders in the water is pretty tough and dangerous duty.
I do, like you say Larry, always try to keep the mains'l up when motoring if the wind is up. Again, it makes the boat much easier to control and the motion much steadier.
Rik
Larry E Yake wrote:
Craig,
I was hoping some others would join in on this thread. I've never been in
a "survival" situation (other than maybe the night I was out in the
middle of a big lake with a broken motor and a lightning storm rolling
in), but wouldn't you agree that performance and safety are somewhat
related? Lyle Hess designed these boats to get you home safely, but if
your sails won't work properly, you're relegated to motoring in rough
conditions and personally, I would much rather sail in rough water. The
sails stabilize the motion of the boat and drive her through the waves
rather than bouncing around and rolling like motoring. That being said,
back to your original question, is a roller furler the way to go if you
anticipate those conditions? Maybe not. Some say having that furled
headsail up there stabilizes the rolling of the boat. Others would argue
that you want to reduce windage as much as possible and having that big
"sausage" out there in the wind is a big problem. Your genoa will not
furl down to the size of a storm sail and work very well. You can get a
storm sail that will fit over the furled genoa, which will also help
prevent the sail from coming unfurled, but they're expensive and put you
up on the bow in nasty conditions. Something you're trying to avoid in
the first place with a furling headsail. Talk to your sailmaker. You may
want to go with a smaller genoa than the 155 you're thinking about. Maybe a 130 or so, which should reef a little smaller. All just my
opinions. Anyone else want to add jump in here?
Larry
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 19:40:12 -0400 "Craig F. Honshell"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
What about when you're not particularly concerned with performance, and just want to
get home safely?
----- Original Message ----- From: Larry E Yake
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 5:03 PM
Subject: roller furling
Craig,
I'm no expert on sails, but I believe the rule of thumb is that you can
furl a properly built sail down 30% and still have efficient sail shape.
I've had better luck than that, probably going down 50% and still having
what I consider satisfactory performance. Racers in the group might not
agree. My experience is strictly with my own boat and I find the
convenience well worth any performance I might be giving up in stronger
winds. I've had good success going to wind in some rough conditions when
others had to motor to make any progress, so it must be working fairly
well.
Larry
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 12:36:44 -0400 "Craig F. Honshell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Would 155% be too hard to reef to a very small size, Larry (or
anyone)? I need a new
genny ... I had my 110% modified to fit my CDI (Gilbert I have no
idea whether I have
FF1 or FF2, and don't know whether I have the webbing or grommet???
I bought it
used, salvaged from a totaled Hunter, and had it set up by a local
sailmaker ...), so
it's even smaller than 110% now ... I have a sadly underpowered 17'
with a tiny genoa
and blown-out McKibbon main ... But I like the fact that I can size
the current
foresail to a postage-stamp on dicey days ... Would I still be able
to do so if I had
a 155%? Thanks, Craig
----- Original Message ----- From: Larry E Yake
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 10:31 AM
Subject: roller furling
I have a 150 genoa with luff tape to retain sail shape when partially furled. I've used it down to 90% and smaller and it still works well. You need to adjust your sheet blocks forward as you furl, of course. I'm in eastern Washington. Sail mostly in north Idaho with the occasional trip to the west side... San Juans, etc. Lots of light wind areas. The 150 really brings the boat to life. Larry _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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