horburyd
New member
i need some advice as to how to improve my boat downwind performance. Is there any technical expert who can advise me . My boat tends to try and broach when sailing downwind unless constant rudder alterations are made
You want to move the sail area forward to increase stability downwind not back. Just think about where the centre of force of what is powering you forward is if you only have a mainsail up downwind - it is probably about 40% of the way out along the luff of the mainsail, so well out to one side of the boat and most masts are roughly above the keel so the force is acting to rotate the boat around your keel and hence you round up and broach the second you lose traction on the rudder, which you are bound to do as you are effectively fighting the sail plan with the rudder to keep the boat in a straight line.i feel the stern lifts very quickly when sailing downwind hence my belief that that the mast is to far forward but what you are saying is that i have the situation the wrong way around
Then 100% you will have a much better time running in heavy weather if you use some jib. Either together with the main (ideally polled out on the opposite side) or on its own.the boat is a steel vander stadt norman 40
As in upriver from Amsterdam? You will find it hard going where the Rhine flows through the "mountains", especially in conditions where you have enough water to float a boat with 2m draft and particularly as you will not likely be able to benefit from a slower current near shore. I have done this trip in a 50' twin screw, lifting keel boat and barely made it. Even the very elderly pedestrians were outracing us alongshore.The other winter homework is discovering which canals and rivers are open to a sailing boat with a 2 metre draft. The canal de midi guarranttee 1.8 metres
I was thinking of the Rhine from Amsterdam to Austria
Any better suggestions?
As in upriver from Amsterdam? You will find it hard going where the Rhine flows through the "mountains", especially in conditions where you have enough water to float a boat with 2m draft and particularly as you will not likely be able to benefit from a slower current near shore. I have done this trip in a 50' twin screw, lifting keel boat and barely made it. Even the very elderly pedestrians were outracing us alongshore.
I seriously doubt there is any chance you would make it through the Midi; even the 1.8m is highly aspirational.
i need some advice as to how to improve my boat downwind performance. Is there any technical expert who can advise me . My boat tends to try and broach when sailing downwind unless constant rudder alterations are made