Assym, Jibs, and rounding-up

rhsanborn · #1 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010

We just bought a good 1978 Morgan OI for cruising the Great Lakes. We motor/sailed it ~150 miles home this past weekend, a story I'll document on another thread.

Saturday morning we had a light breeze and clear skies, and I decided to play with the Assym. Wind was between 5 and 7 mph and at a broad reach. We hauled it up with no problem and we were comfortable and making some headway. This was fine until we suddenly got hit with some fairly consistent 15 mph winds and before too long were quite smartly rounded up, and done with the spinnaker for the weekend.

We a had a similar experience with main and jib on Sunday. We were traveling in 10 mph winds, when they picked up to 20 in a hurry, and the boat was either heeling way over or I was dumping the wind out of the main.

The second scenario sounds like I needed to reef earlier (although, after we reefed, the winds settled down to 10 mph with gusts of 15 and we were only making 4 knots, I probably could have let out the jib a bit more).

But the first scenario I wanted some clarification on. I can't reduce the sail area on my assym like I can with the rolling jib. I've read elsewhere that the stronger the wind, the closer to a run the boat needs to be, will that help avoid heeling and rounding? Will adjusting the height of the tack also help heeling and rounding?

JohnRPollard · #2 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010

Hi, Congrats on the new boat!

Very generally speaking, when flying the spinnaker, you will need to drive down in big puffs. This both puts the wind further astern (reducing heeling) and helps to depower the chute by blanketing it behind the mainsail.

The tack of an asym is usually snugged further down when reaching closer to the wind, and eased up when running deeper. Unless you have enough crew to tend the tack, you may need to find a compromise position if the wind is flukey.

If you are on a delivery and trying to keep to a course, and the winds become flukey, you will have to steer more pro-actively. That is to say, you might sail above your course when the wind eases, in order to make allowance for when you need to drive down in big puffs. Hopefully it will average out and keep you on course. If you find you are having to drive down too often and getting below your course, it's time to douse the chute.

jackdale · #3 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010

John comments, as usual, are great.

I would only add that I like the tack pennant run back to the cockpit so that it can be adjusted easily. I know most come with a rather short line that is attached to a bow cleat.

rhsanborn · #4 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010

Our's is long enough to get to the cockpit, I'll have to see if there is a cleat to make it fast. Our assym is also missing a lazy sheet, something we'll have to fix soon.

jackdale · #5 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhsanborn

Our's is long enough to get to the cockpit, I'll have to see if there is a cleat to make it fast. Our assym is also missing a lazy sheet, something we'll have to fix soon.

A stern dock cleat will work. Not quite in the cockpit, but close.