Richard, To echo Josh’s statement, utilizing a roller furler for your jib will increase your options. Have you ever tried to “reef” your existing 140% jib when the wind pipes up? As in furling the jib to where the clew is athwartships of the mast to create a 100% jib? While the sail shape may not be optimal for maximum performance (the foot and clew of the sail will be significantly higher than it should be), it may give you the flexibility you need. And if you are buying a new headsail, tell your sailmaker that you would like to have the option of sailing with the jib partially furled. They will cut the sail differently and install some foam in the luff to improve the sail shape when it is reefed. I would also play around with jib car placement to get a better shape when you shorten sail.
Even if you’re considering the purchase of a newer small sail, try sailing with a partially reefed jib and see what sail dimension works best for the widest range of conditions. THEN you can order the smaller sail with the knowledge that the boat will likely sail even better with the proper cut of the sail. I know with my Landfall 35, if I sail with just the 135% jib and no mainsail, the center of effort moves significantly forward and the boat develops a bit of lee helm, which I can moderate somewhat by adding some twist to the leech. Creating a balanced sail plan to account for all conditions, but using only one sail is a challenge that will require a fair amount of experimentation to come up with the right set up. Go sail, take notes (wind speed, wind angles, jib car position, amount of weather or lee helm) and put marks on the furling line to various dimensions to help you decide where to furl the jib for various conditions. You know your boat better than anyone and your empirical trial and error findings will be more valuable than anything that an outsider can suggest. Good luck, Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 35 Landfall Padanaram, MA From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of bushmark4--- via CnC-List Sent: Friday, December 2, 2016 7:20 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: bushma...@aol.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Short handed sailing; sail selection Hi all, I have a question about short handed sailing for short distances, like when you only have an hour or two and want to go out. On such occasions, I am typically by myself; I know many of us do that. So, when such an opportunity arises what sail combination would you typically use? We're in a generally light wind area, the Ohio River; and we seem to have weather patterns somewhat similar to the Chesapeake weather. I frequently use headsail only, my boat having a 140%. This is more than adequate for most weather and too much if the wind pipes up; however, the boat (1985 37 CB) tracks very well and I can sail reasonably close to the wind ( not racing, unless, of course, there's another boat in sight...). The 140 can be a real bear in anything above 15.... I am looking at replacing the headsail and the collective wisdom seems to be to reduce the size of the headsail to 125% or even down to 100%, for the purpose of easier handling and tacking. My question is; does reducing the headsail size affect the ability to sail with the headsail only on these short sails? Or will I need to begin using the main all the time? Will I suffer performance in those summer months, like July and August, when we are happy to get 5-10 mph winds? Many thanks Richard S/V Bushmark4; 1985 C&C 37 CB, Ohio River, mile 596 Richard N. Bush 2950 Breckenridge Lane, Suite Nine Louisville, Kentucky 40220-1462 502-584-7255 This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
_______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
