Rigging the genoa

[Wardy]

Having never fitted a sail before I wonder if there are any helpful tips when installing a Genoa. The main doesn't seem to pose any problems but the foresail is confusing me slightly with regards to the position the roller furling should be in when I start.
The boat is a Westerly Konsort if thats any help .

Thanks in advance

Steve (now aboard Kyle at last) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Thistle]

The reefing line should be wound onto the drum when the sail is fitted so that when the line is pulled your new sail will be rolled up on the foil. Ideally, when the sail is rolled in there should still be a couple of turns left on the drum because the sail will roll tighter when it's furled afloat in a breeze.

 

[webcraft]

Ideally, when the sail is rolled in there should still be a couple of turns left on the drum because the sail will roll tighter when it's furled afloat in a breeze.

This last point very important . . . it always amazes me how many people leave their genny furled with a wee triangle sticking out to catch the wind. In a good blow there is a danger of it unfurling and shredding itself, even damaging the rig in very strong winds such as those we had a couple of weeks ago . . .

Try to make sure there is enough line to take a couple of turns round the furled genoa with the sheets when it is put away and you will sleep sounder when the wind howls.

- Nick

 

[Sea Devil]

The whole point or the tiny wee triangle is to stop the genny unfurling! With a TWT left out the wind will only wind the sail tighter..... but not by much if the sheets are left tight and attached to winch and cleat.
If you do not leave a TWT and instead wrap the sheets around the sail there is a danger the sail is not tightly wound or sheets not tightly wound. If that happens then the wind can get inside the loosly furled sail and unwnnd bit of it and .....
That's the theory and in practice I have found the TWT works very well........

 

[Dipper]

I’m with webcraft on this one.

I always wind my genoa sheets several times around the sail once it is furled before I tie off the furling line. I vaguely remember that during one of the two vicious storms we had a few years ago, the furling genoas on some moored yachts unfurled themselves and then the boats sailed off their moorings (or took them with them). Some insurance companies argued that the boats were left with their sails ‘set’ and therefore they were not liable to pay compensation

When furling the genoa, you should keep some tension in sail so that it furls up reasonably tight. You should also ensure that when the sail is fully let out, there are still a couple of turns of furling line left on the drum or it might pull out (depends on make of system).

Once the sail is furled, providing the furling line and the two sheets are tied off securely, you should be OK. Keeping the sheets firmly tied and fairly tight also ensures that should someone grab hold of them whilst clambering around the foredeck, they don’t suddenly find themselves falling overboard.

With regard to initial fitting of the furling line, make sure that the reefing line rotates the drum the correct way so as to leave the sacrificial strip on the outside of the furled sail. It’s very easy to get it the wrong way round – been there, done that!

One final point assuming the reefing system has been correctly fitted already, is to make sure you do not catch a loose spinnaker halyard in the sail as you furl. This can jam the complete system and if you were furling because of strong winds, you could be in trouble.

 

[Gunfleet]

Nothing to stop you putting a sail tie round the furled genoa too. Dolphin supply their furling sails with a tie for just this purpose.

 

[VicMallows]

I agree. I would be very unhappy to leave the boat on the mooring without both wrapping 4 or 5 turns of the sheets around the sail AND adding an extra sunstancial tie. I've seen too many boats with their genoa thrashed to bits because the sheets have become undone from their cleats. There's even the risk that someone might just 'fancy' helping themself to the sheets, but would not be interested in the rather more troublesome and obvious task of stealing the sail.

Another more serious risk is that the furling line might part/come loose. Then the sail will definately unravel unless restrained by a tie.


Vic

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Two years ago I watched scores of sails in Pwllheli being torn to shreds in a F11. It was the day the clipper race was delayed from setting out from Liverpool.

I noted two ways to lose your sail. We were lucky and our Genoa remained intact.

Most of the genoas with Tiny Wee Triangles were unfurling and many were being torn in the wind. Whatever the skippers had done, it had not worked and they were losing precious sails.

Those without the TWT but had the sheets tightly bunched were losing the sails as they opened top and bottom of the tight bunch. The sail was tearing a strip out the width of the rope coil, like opening a sardine tin.

We were ok, as many others as when I coil my sheets I start the coil at the clew and work it down with about 6 turns, this makes the coil around 2 - 2 ½ ft deep. This appeared to work. We did this to keep the sheets out of the way when going fwd, but after that day do it to protect against a blow.

 

[pjohnson]

After seeing high winds unfurl and ruin a genoa in the marina, I now secure mine with sail ties.

 

[Sea Devil]

Suspect this is like anchors - different strokes for different folks -

Certainly the TWT system has always worked for me and I have never had a problem - mind you I have my sheets tight from winch to TWT. Could also be to do with weight of sail cloth and how baggy sails are.....

 

[Seal_surfer]

In addition to rolling sheets around furled sail and an additional sail tie, I worried about the leech above the clew bagging out in a gale. I now take the spinnaker halyard and spiral this down/round along the whole length of the furled sail and secure it at the tack fitting. The sail is now completely "parcelled" for very little effort.

Never seen anyone else do this but it seems to work very well.

 

[geoffatstanpit]

For just those sort of reasons I always take my genoa off when leaving the boat. I've got one of those long sausage sailbags that clips to the guardrail and the sail flakes itself nicely down into it single handed. As well as saving the worry of it unravelling and all that UV degradation, it saves a lot of windage aloft and the boat ranges around a lot less on the mooring.

Geoff

 

[Wardy]

Thanks for all the info, I think I've got a better idea about what i should be doing now. So it's back to Woolverstone for me to do the deed on Monday then maybe a little sailing!

Cheers

Steve

 

[hairbox]

Tip if you have an adjustable backstay tensioner make sure you put maximum backstay tension on the mast before you tension the genoa halyard. This ensures that no undue strain is put on the halyard when you tension the backstay.