Best Trade Wind Configuration?

[goeasy123]

I'm trying to decide which way to go. On our 40ft Najad CC we have a 140% or 110% genoa on a furler, a removable solent stay with a small hanked on, high cut heavy weather sail. We also have an old genacker on a very short bowsprit or ANT tacker. The main is slab reefed with 3 reefing points. The furler foil has two slots.

We want to cross the Atlantic on the trades next year. What are the options to upgrade (or not) our sail plan and inventory?.... pros and cons?

 

[dansaskip]

What you don't say is whether you have a (spinnaker) pole to pole out the headsail. Lots of people cross the Atlantic without doing anything special about their sail rig others to great lengths with twin headsails or a twistle rig and swear by them.
They probably give you a better ride but the biggest con is perhaps the cost.
Me I just used what I had- mainsail with 3 reefs, yankee fore sail and a reefable staysail. Sometimes I polled out the yankee but didn't like the rolling so mostly sailed with the wind slightly on the quarter for a more comfortable a less stressful time (not such fear of a gybe).
Whatever else you do make sure you can rig good gybe preventers for the main - 2, one each side and easy to swop.

 

[goeasy123]

Yes. Got a pole. Good advice. Thanks.

I had a look at you Twistle rig link. I've got a two groove foil so I think I could do that (or Britton) with the 140% and 100% genoas I already have. I'd need another pole. Any problems?

 

[Dantp]

We pole out our 135 Genoa and use it by itself. The boat is very state like this with very little autopilot input. It's an older headsail driven boat though.
We use the end of the boom as a 2nd pole (easier with paralel spreaders, which I dont think you have). Once set up This means one of us can gybe by ourselves very easily. Also very easy to reef as required as much as required.
It's a little underpowered if the wind is light (but too strong for our gennaker)
Remember a 2nd pole requires a 2nd pole lift.
We tried 135 genoas on the furler but found it only worked dead down wind. Our pole wasn't long enough to hold windward sail out on any other course. Also it's a massive bundle when you furl them together. Your 140 and 110 combo may be better.
Figure out before hand how to hoist them both and still be able to fuel them. Look at how Amels do it. A second halyard rigged down the forestay from the swivel. You can hoist the 2nd sail without dropping the first one and trying to hoist them together.
You could also try a genoa and staysail operate sides combo.
Come up with a few variations and then try them while you are crossing. You will have plenty of time

If you use your main consider padding your spreaders (pipe insulation/pool noodles) and/or buy some self adhesive sail fabric and stick patches on both sides in line with the spreaders (at all reef points).
Chaff is your enemy.
And as suggested pre rigged preventers on both sides.

Experiment before hand with any downwind legs you have before your departure point. Find what works for you and your boat.
It's probably not the same as what works for mine.

Dan

 

[geem]

You hull shape is likely quite similar to ours. Our hull is very similar to the older Najad 44 with the same 6t keel weight. We found a poled out 135% genoa and mainsail very effective. In the light stuff we use the spinnaker a lot. We do carry twin poles so we can run on the staysail and genoa as an option. Having a number of options is desirable to suit sea state and wind strength. In addition, if you break something you have other options. It's all about keeping the boat comfortable and moving along.

 

[michael_w]

Having faffed about with twin headsails there is a much better method shown to me by Eddie Shougal of Oyster Yachts after sales.
Run wing and wing with your genoa poled out to windward as per usual. On your inner forestay set a small headsail and sheet it hard to leeward.
Suddenly the boat stops rolling her brains out, tracks straight and speeds up. It must be something to do with a pressure vortex. It just works!
When the squalls come through just reef the genoa and carry on. Sure gybing is a bit more complicated.

 

[geem]

Having faffed about with twin headsails there is a much better method shown to me by Eddie Shougal of Oyster Yachts after sales.
Run wing and wing with your genoa poled out to windward as per usual. On your inner forestay set a small headsail and sheet it hard to leeward.
Suddenly the boat stops rolling her brains out, tracks straight and speeds up. It must be something to do with a pressure vortex. It just works!
When the squalls come through just reef the genoa and carry on. Sure gybing is a bit more complicated.

Done that. Works OK but doesn't cure chafe on the mainsail. We have an alternative take on it. Being a ketch we can centre the fully battened mizzen and set it bar tight. When running on twin headsails, twin pole set up with a centred mizzen you don't roll and if the on watch crew need to reef it's all done by furling the headsails with out messing with a main. It easy and good for winds up to about 30kts. Any stronger and the mizzen will start to push the boats stern around.
The twin headsails also allows you a wider angle than purely dead down wind as is the case with wing on wing. By reefing the windward headsail and easing the pole down you open it up to a more flexible direction.
No one solution is the answer. A range of option in your arsenal is very desirable.

 

[emnick]

We tried twin headsails but found it rolled alot. We ended up with poles out headsail, and triple reefed main prevented and boom braked. We used a cheap SH head sail as shape not really an issue. It was stable and comfortable. As somebody said when we got to Barbados....... well a grand piano with the lid up would get across ; )

 

[LadyInBed]

Run wing and wing with your genoa poled out to windward as per usual. On your inner forestay set a small headsail and sheet it hard to leeward.
Suddenly the boat stops rolling her brains out, tracks straight and speeds up. It must be something to do with a pressure vortex. It just works!

It's the parachute effect. The first parachutes didn't have a hole in the middle and used to sway side to side to spill wind. When they put a wind spill hole in the middle it eliminated the pendulum effect.
This logic suggests that twin headsails on two stays allows wind to spill but a twin groove foil doesn't.

 

[geem]

We tried twin headsails but found it rolled alot. We ended up with poles out headsail, and triple reefed main prevented and boom braked. We used a cheap SH head sail as shape not really an issue. It was stable and comfortable. As somebody said when we got to Barbados....... well a grand piano with the lid up would get across ; )

One of the problems is what do you do in light winds. Triple reefed main doesn't offer a lot of power. In light winds you have to have sail area

 

[goeasy123]

Having faffed about with twin headsails there is a much better method shown to me by Eddie Shougal of Oyster Yachts after sales.
Run wing and wing with your genoa poled out to windward as per usual. On your inner forestay set a small headsail and sheet it hard to leeward.
Suddenly the boat stops rolling her brains out, tracks straight and speeds up. It must be something to do with a pressure vortex. It just works!
When the squalls come through just reef the genoa and carry on. Sure gybing is a bit more complicated.

We've got all the kit to do this and straight spreaders. Dantp... I like the chaff protection idea.
I think these guys are doing it...

Thanks

 

[emnick]

One of the problems is what do you do in light winds. Triple reefed main doesn't offer a lot of power. In light winds you have to have sail area

Thankfully had steady trades until last 15 hours and had a head wind following a squall, motored the last bit.

 

[Bajansailor]

I crossed many years ago on an old yawl, and we sailed at 140 apparent the whole way, gybing every couple of days or so.
4 of us on board a 54' vessel with an Aries wind vane.
During the day time we would often fly the spinnaker if the winds were not too strong, along with the main, mizzen and mizzen staysail.
At night, or if the winds were stronger, we handed the mizzen staysail, and set twin head sails (still on 140 apparent) with the high cut yankee jib poled out to windward and not hanked on (cutter foretriangle, but just one outer forestay, and hanked-on sails), and the genoa flying free to leeward (ie not poled out).
And this worked very well, with virtually no rolling.