Downwind sailing ... Main out or not?

[Nostrodamus]

Forget spinnakers and cruising shuts.
You are sailing more or less downwind for a good distance. Is there any point or advantage to getting the main out, setting up preventers and continually watching for the gybe or is it better to have the genoa out on its own and leave the main packed away?

 

[Rosey]

We faced this dilema on the way down to Portugal, tried a few things including goosewinged with poled out genoa but with wind from one direction and swell from another the rolling was not kind on the rig. A fellow cruiser suggested we drop the main and run the genoa to a block on the end of the prevented boom to leeward and pole out the No 2 geoa to windward from the inner forestay.

Worked a treat.

 

[flaming]

Forget spinnakers and cruising shuts.
You are sailing more or less downwind for a good distance. Is there any point or advantage to getting the main out, setting up preventers and continually watching for the gybe or is it better to have the genoa out on its own and leave the main packed away?

Main out is faster, but as you mention more stressful. Jib only downwind is as risk free and easy as sailing ever gets.

You pays your money and you takes your choice, either course of action is perfectly valid.

 

[Ludd]

We faced this dilema on the way down to Portugal, tried a few things including goosewinged with poled out genoa but with wind from one direction and swell from another the rolling was not kind on the rig. A fellow cruiser suggested we drop the main and run the genoa to a block on the end of the prevented boom to leeward and pole out the No 2 geoa to windward from the inner forestay.

Worked a treat.

.My preferred rig,but leaving triple reefed main up. Helps to damp the rolling even better.

 

[Neil_Y]

For short distances (like yesterday Cawsand back to Mountbatten 2miles) main was packed up and gen rolled out fully. It depends on the rig but a boat like a sadler with quite a small main goes almost as quick with 15-18 knts of wind.

Longer distances we ran the same set up as Rosey for three weeks.

 

[wotayottie]

depends on the detail of the rig design. On my current boat, the main blankets the genoa from maybe 150 each side so there is no point in having both up unless goosewinged.

 

[snooks]

9 times out of 10 if I had the sea room I'd rather sail the angles off the wind, it's faster and more comfortable and I usually have the main up.

If there is no wave action I'll goose wing and see how it goes, if there is wave action dead down wind isn't comfortable, the narrow transom of the Sadler 32 doesn't like the waves up her. So I resort to plan A.

 

[prv]

Depends on your rig. On my boat I roll jib and staysail away, put the main out to one side (with a preventer if going any distance) and the mizzen out the other.

On the Army's hank-on-headsail Najads, we'd hoist two jibs (one hanked to the stay, the other flying with the halyard as tight as we could get it) and have a triple-reefed main amidships to cut down rolling. Spent two February nights steering 180º down the Baltic like that, and bloody chilly it was too

Pete

 

[westernman]

9 times out of 10 if I had the sea room I'd rather sail the angles off the wind, it's faster and more comfortable and I usually have the main up.

+1

 

[Conachair]

Probably a large proportion of the miles round the atlantic were dead downwind. Preventers are always rigged so takes moments to tie the main off, yankee poled out other side, aries does the steering and get a good book out Though in those cases swell is usually from behind as well. And on a heavy long keeled boat. Short term then maybe just foresail, but aries likes a balanced boat so that would mean steering by hand as well

What I never got sorted out was dead downwind in brisker conditions with reefed maion and just staysail, think i need a little stumpy pole for the staysail.

Might be interesting to moniter autopilot current draw with just foresail.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Depends.

Current boat has a big main and a small fractional (106%) jib.

So light airs, both or just main.

Heavy airs, just jib.

But I, too, generally prefer to reach-gybe-reach rather than go dead downwind.

 

[Seajet]

Depends.

Current boat has a big main and a small fractional (106%) jib.

So light airs, both or just main.

Heavy airs, just jib.

But I, too, generally prefer to reach-gybe-reach rather than go dead downwind.

Ditto.

 

[snowleopard]

Depends on your rig.

 

[prv]

What I never got sorted out was dead downwind in brisker conditions with reefed maion and just staysail, think i need a little stumpy pole for the staysail.

Would a boathook do it? Mine are just the right length for the staysail if lashed to the forward shroud. I have a little sliver of rubber that goes in between to save the varnish.

Pete

 

[rickym]

The main tends to blank the genoa so running back to Portsmouth from Lymington yesterday we used the Genoa and mizzen. worked pretty well for us

 

[KellysEye]

Having the boom out with a preventer and poled out genoa is a pain and the rolling horrible. The way to go is twin matched headsails. Even better a Twistle rig which we have. The poles are on a hinged fitting with an uphaul and downhaul. The poles are thus not attached to the mast so you dont get the sail pushing the mast and vice versa when rolling. It cuts down the rolling noticeably.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

..... Even better a Twistle rig .....

Never knew about this, so looked it up. For those that are interested: -

http://www.simetric.co.uk/twizzle_rig/equipment.htm

 

[prv]

Of course, what you really want is a square sail

On Stavros with the wind aft they work perfectly, ahead of everything with nothing to chafe and perfectly balanced. Buggerall use trying to get to windward of course.

I got a copy of Uffa Fox's book from the 1930s the other day, and was surprised to find how many big yachts back then had a removable squaresail of some kind for downwind work.

Pete

 

[Twister_Ken]

and was surprised to find how many big yachts back then had a removable squaresail of some kind for downwind work.

Pete

And tons of paid staff to sweat the things up!

 

[prv]

And tons of paid staff to sweat the things up!

Actually it seemed to just post-date that era. Paid crews still very much in living memory - the phrase "all-amateur crew" was used to differentiate, and focsles were plain and utilitarian compared to nicely decorated saloons even if lived in by one's fellow chaps. But all the voyages he describes were without paid hands.

Pete