How/when to use a mizzen stay sail

[demonboy]

Basically, how do you do it and when should you use it?

We've inherited one on Esper and I've been told it's a great sail to use, but the only links I can find on the web seem to relate to much larger boats. Is it for light winds or heavy? For cross-winds or downwind? Where do we hoist it (I think between the main and the mizzen?) and how do we do it?

Can someone like Tom Cunliffe come out and show us first hand?!!

 

[Amari]

I think there is an article on this in April YM but SWMBO seems to have thrown my copy away! Certainly been covered recently in YM or PBO

 

[albineer]

It's a reaching sail for light or light to strong winds. It's hoisted on the mizzen and tacked down between the main mast and the mizzen, possibly half way between them possibly closer to the main mast. The sheets are probably fixed close to the stern. I've seen on in action once (what a glorious day that was). There are a couple of pictures in Sailing Seamanship and Yacht contstruction - Uffa Fox.

 

[fluffc]

See http://www.asto.org.uk/mornstar.htm for this picture of Morning Star under full sail, with Mizzen Staysail rigged. It's the white sail with the big star on it.

It is rigged from the top of the mizzen mast to the aft windward chainplate of the mainmast.

You use it off the wind, in light airs. It has to be lowered and rehoisted if you wish to tack or gybe.

On Morning Star, the Mizzen Staysail is sheeted via a caribeener on the end of the Mizzen Boom, which is led back to the gooseneck and down to a cleat.

 

[ccscott49]

Englander has one, which I hoist on the fore side of the mizzen, foot on the coqach roof, fixed to the sheet horse for the main boom, sheets through a block on the end of the mizzen boom, used for off wind sailing, broad reaching. Nice sail, fun.

 

[Goldie]

We fly ours quite a lot. It's a reaching sail and for us, useable with the apparent wind between 60 and 160 degrees off the bow. It tacks to the windward chainplate and passes aft of the main, to leeward of the mizzen and sheets through a block on the end of the mizzen boom to a cleat on the mizzen mast. It pulls like a train and (in our case) is from about 5 or 6 oz cloth. It would be nice to have a much lighter one for light airs, but this one sets beautifully with more than about 7kts apparent. We tend to drop it if the apparent wind exceeds 18kts because it starts to load the helm up. A big plus is that it is very easily handled as sheeting across the cockpit means that it's just a case of easing the halyard and sheet an pulling the sail down into the cockpit. We sail double handed most of the time and wouldn't be without it. Please see photographs below:

 

[demonboy]

Thank you all for your answers. The photos really help as well. I look forward to playing with ours this summer!

 

[heerenleed]

Agree with all the others. This is one of our favourite light to moderate wind sails. As with the others, its tack goes to the windward aft chainplate of the main mast, sheet goes to a block at the end of the mizzen boom, hallyard obviously goes to the top of the mizzen mast. Easy to handle, easy to get down when the wind pipes up..

cheers