Is it ok waves splash up on the genoa?

[adell50]

Newbie sailor here with Catalina 27

Went out today with W 15-20 kts with 4-6ft swell at 9 seconds and the boat was really heeling.

I had a 150 genoa and the main sail up.

Inasmuch, quite a bit of water would splash from the leeward onto the head sail.

I didnt feel all that comfortable without knowing so I just close hauled for the afternoon. Until, of course, the ride home where we split the sails and ran free

Can anyone offer any advice on this situation?

Many thanks!

[TQA]

Pretty normal to get splash on the headsail if it is a deck sweeper in that situation but if you were unhappy with the situation why not reef down a bit, take the heel off and get there a little slower but in greater comfort.

[adell50]

10-4 Thanks again for the advice.

[chris_gee]

I would think a 150 is designed for up to 10 knots. A number 2 to 15 or so. You are in standard jib territory there, depending on the accuracy of your wind measurement ie when beating are you taking the apparent wind over the deck which you should be. With the right sail size, or reefing you will go faster and make less leeway. A bit of spray is normal, more so when you are heeled.

[WDS123]

When you find youself overpowered, ease the Main.


Heeling over with the rail in the water is rarely fast or stable on boats designed with modern lines. It may feel fast, but the boat is gong mainly sideways.

Better to reduce sail power via flattening, luffing the main, or changing headsails

[puddinlegs]

Sounds like you were overpowered, but aside from that, the answer to your question is sails don't care if they get wet. What they do care about is that they get dry before they mildew.

[night0wl]

Just make sure to wash down the sail with fresh water and let it dry before putting it away...should be fine. As for sailing on your ear, well depends on the design of the boat. Modern boats with flat bottoms and bulb keels hate sailing beyond 20 degrees of heel and often sail much faster with a reef. Give it a shot and see your SOG.

[adell50]

thank you all for all of the great advice. Im just learning so this is great info. Ultimately, I just pulled her into the wind a bit more, soas not to heel quite as much and it was still fun. Given I was already out to sea for only a short sail, i decided not to change sails but will certainly do so in the future. Speaking of capabilities for sails - is there a resource for gauging the limits (wind) of a particular sail (storm jib, jib, genoa, etc.)

Many thanks!

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by adell50

thank you all for all of the great advice. Im just learning so this is great info. Ultimately, I just pulled her into the wind a bit more, soas not to heel quite as much and it was still fun. Given I was already out to sea for only a short sail, i decided not to change sails but will certainly do so in the future. Speaking of capabilities for sails - is there a resource for gauging the limits (wind) of a particular sail (storm jib, jib, genoa, etc.)

Many thanks!

There are some general guidelines, but I wouldn't want to be held to them, so you need to experiment to see what works the best with your boat. Crew weight and placement plays a large roll in being able to carry more sail as well. If you're single or double handing, less is merrier.

[Armchairsailor2]

Originally Posted by adell50

is there a resource for gauging the limits (wind) of a particular sail (storm jib, jib, genoa, etc.)

Try asking the sailmaker that supplied the sails - a chat with them should pay dividends