SAILS

[copterdoctor]

I took a couple of youngsters (teenagers) for their first sailing trip a couple of weeks ago. They were so interested they have borrowed a couple of books from me.

I now get regular questions, that's great. I have just had an e-mail asking if you would ever use a spinnaker and a big boy at the same time!

Give us a clue, please.

Thanks

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[Roberto]

yes of course, although even with a big boy 80% of spinnaker the increase in speed was hardly noticeable in my boat




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[shamrock]

Yes! Here's a picture I took during West Highland Week 1988, when people still used these things. It's not very clear but the boat on the right is flying the blooper down the Sound of Mull.

I think the boats were called Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara, and there's a story behind why...

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[MarkV]

I can't make it out from the picture so what is a blooper, where does it hang and how does it work?

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[Sunnyseeker]

Is a big boy a blooper? we always took a big boy when it was windy, but never hoisted him

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[Roberto]

googling images for "blooper" gives a few pages of nude girls and then this

http://www.herbsttour.de/herbsttour99/pics/StefanGroth/tai-blooper.jpg

hope it gives a better idea

an excellent sail for enhancing photographs but of limited value in reality imho, we have one but use it very seldom

the sail is asymmetric, the tack is connected to a fixed strop going at the bow, the halyard is left with a few meters of slack (one crew handling it as to keep the base of the sail very near to water surface), the sheet is led to the aftest point on the deck


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[peterb]

C A Marchaj did some wind tunnel experiments which showed that, when flown with a spinnaker, a blooper or 'big boy' gave little extra drive, but formed a very effective stabiliser in preventing rhythmic rolling.

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[jonjo]

> but formed a very effective stabiliser in preventing rhythmic rolling.

Does this explain why these spinnaker companions have gone out of fashion i.e. modern racing boats have wider aft seconds that resist downwind rolling unlike their IOR predecessors?

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[brianhumber]

I have one as well, but like you use don't use it much.
Its good for playing if you are poodling along and get bored on a calm day but Ive never got much umf out of it.

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[Strathglass]

There was one supplied with the Eboat I had a few years ago. I believe it had been used for IOR racing in the solent.

I used it to good effect in a non class race.

Use of the sail (and a crack crew) enables me to overtake and pull away from a First Class 8 on the Eboat. That was on an almost dead run in about a force four.

I also used it instead of the spinnaker when cruising with the family.

I found it quite a usefull sail. Nowadays I supose one of the lightweight reaching sails would be prefered.

Iain

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[bedouin]

I don't think it would be efficient to use one for racing (IRC) these days. It would probably rate as a headsail, in which case it would kill the rating.

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[charles_reed]

Big Boy and spinnaker

with those appalling travesties of sailing boats resulting from the IOR III, the big-boy or blooper was flown to the leeward side to the spinnaker.

It was necessary, to delay the onset of rhythmic rolling, and to balance an enormous spinnaker with the wizened main.

keeping it filled required 2/3rds of the crews' undivided attention and the poor helmsman was totally blinded.

Truly a ghastly sail, added little to boatspeed and merely delayed the inevitable loss of control downwind. Thank God they're obsolete.

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[brianhumber]

Hmm, thats interesting, I must try harder then. I have got a fairly good crew for this weekend and we plan to toodle over to Fecamp/St Vasst so if weather online is correct and wind is light and southerly on Sunday methinks we may have another expriment playtime.

Brian

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