FLYING STORM JIB: experience???

[Guest]

Greetings: On a 30'Sloop with its headstay committed to furling gear,and there being no desire to carry the constant weight of a removable forestay, I'm giving thought to a flying storm jib having a wire luff connected to a prestretched halyard. Has anyone paid for any experience with this rigging? Michael

 

[Guest]

This was discussed a couple of weeks ago on Scuttlebutt. See:

http://www.ybw.co.uk/cgi-bin/forums/ym.cgi?read=55696

I have been advised by a sailmaker that you can set a Storm Jib flying although the consensus of opinion seems to be (a)that it would be very difficult to hoist in the conditions where you would like to and (b)that you will not be able to make much ground to windward.

 

[Guest]

If you set it with the usual headsail furled, there is always a danger that it will foul around the furled sail, usually because of any "sag" in the forestay. Another method which has been successful, is to use the furled sail as your storm luff, with the storm jib attached using a sleeve around the furled sail. This sleeve can be opened/closed using poppers or velcro etc. Sailing to windward under this rig would not be too efficient, but could give some directional control/balance otherwise lacking.

 

[Guest]

I recall an article advocating uing parrel beads laced around the furled genoa. Don't know how well it works.

 

[Guest]

Jib with a sleeve for the furled headsail - unhoistable.

Jib with parrell beads for the furled headsail - mega chafe.

I have a wire luffed storm jib, but to give me a chance of hoisting it in a blow, without the clew knocking my head off and to double the luff tension, I have changed my Genoa II halyard to a no-stretch-to-wire halyard which I anchor to the stem head fitting. Then I hank the jib to it and hoist using the spinnaker halyard.

This gives double the tension and in reality is about as good as a highfield lever arranngement, with less hardware flying about.

 

[Guest]

Interesting: Essentially you're using a stiff & stout halyard as a removable inner forestay. It is an option if one is rigged for 3 halyards. If not, the concept suggests simply rigging a fixed line to the mast head and bringing it to a windlass for tightening...hanking and hoisting,as you suggest.Impliedly, it seems that you have not found that the wire luff can eliminate the need for a functioning stay. Are we on the same page?

 

[Guest]

Any method that works for you, must be a good method. Ref flogging clew, if possible, try hoisting off the wind.