Headsail Only Fun

[mgoller]

Last night it was cool and blowing.  I motored out to put up sail and just didn't feel like taking the sail cover off and putting up the main.  I unfurled the big genoa half way and just lazed around.  It didn't point real well but it didn't matter.  I listened to music and drank a beer.
The shrouds were whistling and the halyards were doing their "tinking" on the mast.  But inside the cockpit things were very calm and slow.
Finally I let out the whole genoa and just glided around the lake.  Leeward pressure wasn't too bad and I could easily tack.  I just watched the tell tales and made good speed.  The top tell tales were a better indicator of good sail angle.
I made it to the windward side of the lake, found a wind shadow and furled the head sail.
Leisurely, I rigged the spinnaker and turned downwind.  By then the wind had calmed so I was stuck for five minutes.  A passing pontoon commented that I had lost my wind.  I knew once I emerged from the treeline shadow I would take off. Finally the big blue spinnaker filled and on a broad reach I ghosted home moving with the wind.
Towards the end I was cooled by a few sprinkles of fresh summer rain.
Best of all putting the boat right for the evening was a snap.  Just tied her up and spinnaker in the bag.  And dinner was waiting when I got in!

[Lost Lake]

I think you had a perfect afternoon!

[mgoller]

Yesterday, it was about 82 degrees out but blowing a gale.  People kept saying, "good day for sailing".  Yeah!  Some gusts were 50 mph and all white caps.  Not my idea of fun.  Later it calmed a little and I went out with the iron wind to the middle of the lake.  Put up half a genoa and sailing was nice on all but close reaching.  I could tack by throwing the tiller over full hard.
Made hull speed with just half a genoa and the balance was good at the tiller.  Best sailing was a 90 degree reach, but I could make about 55 degrees to the wind.
I was hit by a hard gust one time and had to spill the sail completely.  It pulled the figure eight knot out and the sheet went in the water.  I jibed around to the opposite tack, and things settled down.  Then I went forward enough to grab the sheet out of the water and rethread it and made the figure 8 knot better.
Once I was upwind of port, I let out the genoa and floated home on about a 20mph wind.  100 feet from the dock I furled back to a handkerchief jib and then at 30 feet furled in and just glided to a crawl.

[Lost Lake]

I am not surprised you could sail balanced with only the foresail.... I have found my boat has a strong rounding-up tendancy, and wondered if my standing rigging needed tuning. With my genoa and the main, I have a good force on the tiller to keep the boat down.

Right now I'm lloking at getting a bigger genoa. The foot on mine is 122".... How big is yours?

[mgoller]

My Genoa is 122" at the foot as well.  Tough to measure when its blowing.  Its a North sail and fairly heavy cruising dacron.  For lighter wind I use the asymetric spinnaker.

[Lost Lake]

I've owned my boat for just over two years and never had the spinnaker out of the bag! Someday......

I'd like to get a genoa in the 150" range. It just seems like the boat could use more foresail...

[Bob Condon]

I finished a 150 Genoa kit from SailRite (sailrite.com) and flew it last week.

The boat is new to me (I also have a Cape Dory 28' ) and the sails were in marginal condition so I bought a SailRite sewing machine and the Genoa kit.

I like to try new things and I do a bit of sewing so this was a new adventure.

The kit took about 5 hours to sew (and saves me about $350) so it was worth the time and also the education of how it all goes together and the design.

What sairite does is cut the Dacron and include all the pieces to assemble the sail, You pay for all the materials (which you would do anyways) and they charge you $50 to design the sail and cut it on the 40 foot bed and then they mark all the seems, pocket locations, etc plus instructions..

The sail was fabulous (in combination with the mainsail which is more like an old bedsheet with small, broken battens).

I am a few hours away from completing the mainsail ... just need to finish Leech edge (line and tape) plus boltrope for luff and foot; and install the grommets for the tack, clew and for shortening the sails...

Really fun project!

BC

[Lost Lake]

Now wait a minute Bob, is that a 150% sail or a 150" foot sail? I don't know the distance from the forestay to the mast on a CP19.... I could go measure quick.....

[Lost Lake]

Okay, from the point where the forestay mounts to the bow to the mast is only 75". So a 122" footed foresail is a 162% sail.

A 150% sail would measure 112". Is this right? Seems awful tiny to me....

[Bob Condon]

The sail is a 150% genoa, The sails on this boat are small. Even the mainsail is not very large ..


COM-PAC 19 GENOA Price This Sail
Luff 21.54*ft (6565mm)
Foot 10.28*ft (3133mm)
Leech 20.36*ft (6205mm)
Perc LP 150.0*
Length Perp 9.63*ft (2935mm)
Deck Angle 4.06*
Area 103.7*ft2 (9634mm2)



The main sail is:

COM-PAC 19 MAINSAIL Price This Sail
Luff 18.75*ft (5714mm)
Foot 8*ft (2438mm)
Leech-AftHdBd 19.96*ft (6083mm)
Tack Ang 88*
Diag (clew/head) 20.13*ft (6135mm)
Head (inches) 3.5*in (89mm)
Area (no Roach) 77.34*ft2 (7185mm2)

[mrb]

Tiny boats tiny sails, what the heck works for me.  I just wish I had some of that wind in Arkansas.  Last time I went out I had about one mile of sailing then it was all iron sail. Last two times no wind and heat index of 101 and 103.  Oh well we all get our turn.

Nice sailing Cap. Mgoller
Nice post about your sail making Bob.  Sounds like a good activity for those days when the wind gods just are not on our side.

Melvin

[Craig Weis]

The only time I ever put my rail in the water and had water come over the cockpit combing and out the scuppers I was sailing only on my 155% headsail lapper. Oh what fun. Moments before she rounds-up. That was in November. Both my sister-in-law and me were laughing so hard...it was a rush standing near vertical with our feet on the opposite side of the bench we were leaning on. skip.