Fore-reaching

[Luanda]

Whilst we all know how to heave-to in bad weather, I can't quite remember exactly how to adjust the sails for fore-reaching. As far as I remember, you reef the foresail so that it can be sheeted dead-centre, but what do you do with the main? I believe you have to shorten that too, and then you fix the helm so that the boat sails slowly at about 60 degrees to the wind. Can anyone correct me here?

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[Peppermint]

Re: It\'s going to vary from boat to boat.

and in relation to conditions.

My old longkeeled day boat needed the same treatment as for heaving too. Then you just adjusted the jib and main in relation to the centreline until the required speed and angle was achieved. This generally was with the backed jib clew on the centreline and the main in just enough to stop it flapping all the time. as the main brings the boats head up, the main flaps, the jib drives the head down and the main fills. You sort of scalop along under control.

I've not tried it in a fin keeled boat as I suspect it might be a more exciting ride.

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[Sunnyseeker]

we survived two biggish storms in the Atlantic by reaching off with a storm jib, it gave us steerage and kept the boat going faster than if hove to, when we were getting half rolled by breaking seas. we had to hand steer most of the time, to stop us surfing off or going beam on...but we got home in one peice and so did the boat,
She's a shallow fin keel 40' old Bavaria, big fat boat!

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