Last Saturday's race, 15-25 knot winds, 25-30 knot gusts (depending on who you believe): The Admiral had to point up high enough to cause the sails to be on the verge of luffing to keep her on her feet. Otherwise the rail would've been in the water all the time.
We had a reef in the main (only one reef point) and were flying only a #3.
Causes (I think): The #3 is old. 31 years old. I suspect it's a bit blown. (Tho not as badly as the old main and the old #1.) The backstay adjuster is toast, and the backstay tension is currently more suitable for anything from a beam reach to a run, rather than close-hauled. I had trouble convincing the guy on the mainsheet to trim the sheet in hard, and use the traveler to adjust the boom position. The main's top batten was missing.
Solutions (I think): A proper #3. (Actually, I suspect we could've benefitted from a #2, if all else was right.) Tighten-down on the backstay. This would've flattened both the jib and the main, depowering both a bit. Mainsheet trimmed all the way in, and the traveler let off to leeward. And, of course, all the battens in the mainsail . Oh, and more meat on the rail. (Tho human ballast presents its own issues--like the time, on another boat, where one such crew-member wasn't fast enough, chose his hand-holds poorly, and came this >< far from ending-up in the drink.)
Right? Wrong? Anything else?
Thanks,
Jim
We had a reef in the main (only one reef point) and were flying only a #3.
Causes (I think): The #3 is old. 31 years old. I suspect it's a bit blown. (Tho not as badly as the old main and the old #1.) The backstay adjuster is toast, and the backstay tension is currently more suitable for anything from a beam reach to a run, rather than close-hauled. I had trouble convincing the guy on the mainsheet to trim the sheet in hard, and use the traveler to adjust the boom position. The main's top batten was missing.
Solutions (I think): A proper #3. (Actually, I suspect we could've benefitted from a #2, if all else was right.) Tighten-down on the backstay. This would've flattened both the jib and the main, depowering both a bit. Mainsheet trimmed all the way in, and the traveler let off to leeward. And, of course, all the battens in the mainsail . Oh, and more meat on the rail. (Tho human ballast presents its own issues--like the time, on another boat, where one such crew-member wasn't fast enough, chose his hand-holds poorly, and came this >< far from ending-up in the drink.)
Right? Wrong? Anything else?
Thanks,
Jim