Scandlaising

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Old-time gaffers could scandalise quickly by loosening the peak halyard and dropping the peak; and if loose-footed (like a Thames barge), haul on a 'topping lift' that would drag the clew up to the throat. Sprit rigs can use a tricing-line to brail up the whole rig against the mast. Norfolk wherries did this. So did my fifteen-footer Aileen Louisa --

'Falcon' Knight describes a "balance reef" for a gaffer, which consists of a diagonal row of reef points from the clew to the throat. You drop both peak and throat halyards, lash the gaff jaws to the boom jaws, make off the reef pendants, then hoist the peak back up so it comes nearly parallel to the mast, getting effectively a small trysail. (Not really scandalising I know, but interesting. Definitely not yotty, not even in Knight's day, and hardly anyone's heard of it now.)

Mike

 

[VO5]

Old-time gaffers could scandalise quickly by loosening the peak halyard and dropping the peak; and if loose-footed (like a Thames barge), haul on a 'topping lift' that would drag the clew up to the throat. Sprit rigs can use a tricing-line to brail up the whole rig against the mast. Norfolk wherries did this. So did my fifteen-footer Aileen Louisa --

'Falcon' Knight describes a "balance reef" for a gaffer, which consists of a diagonal row of reef points from the clew to the throat. You drop both peak and throat halyards, lash the gaff jaws to the boom jaws, make off the reef pendants, then hoist the peak back up so it comes nearly parallel to the mast, getting effectively a small trysail. (Not really scandalising I know, but interesting. Definitely not yotty, not even in Knight's day, and hardly anyone's heard of it now.)

Mike

Gosh ! How very interesting !
Thank you, I have learnt a lot more than I could ever expect.
It just goes to show what a fabulous wealth of knowledge there is to be found on this site.:encouragement:

 

[VO5]

Can you not achieve the same by leaving the mainsheet slack?

The problem with that is windage (?)...or the natural propensity of the boat to lie in a particular direction to the wind. My centre cockpit sloop likes to lie beam to the wind. Therefore I am mindful of the risk of a gust filling the mainsail and Whoosh !...off she goes when I don't intend it, so I prefer to scandalise if and when.

 

[jerrytug]

Yes I have scandalised, as a result of listening to loud music on the cockpit speakers, running downwind, faster and faster, I didn't hear how much the wind had risen, and it seemed the only option at the time. I just dumped the kicker and hauled up on the topping lift, it looked messy but did the job.

 

[Kelpie]

On our previous boat we would always raise the main and leave it scandalised whilst getting ready to leave the mooring. However on our new boat, with fully battened main, this doesn't work. I've found that leaving a foot of slack in the halyard can de power the main more effectively. Something I learned from sailing dipping lugs.

 

[flaming]

On our previous boat we would always raise the main and leave it scandalised whilst getting ready to leave the mooring. However on our new boat, with fully battened main, this doesn't work. I've found that leaving a foot of slack in the halyard can de power the main more effectively. Something I learned from sailing dipping lugs.

Yes, this works well with fully battened sails. Just dump a bit of halyard and all of the power goes out of them.

 

[jerrytug]

Yes, this works well with fully battened sails. Just dump a bit of halyard and all of the power goes out of them.

Flaming thank you, a gem of a tip Jerry
Will that still work wnen you are over pressed on a deep run? (My 42 yr old main just obstinately stays right up there in that situation if you dump the halyard)
(Fully battenned mains also must have much less track friction)

 

[Robert Wilson]

What a fascinating thread.
Thank you one and all, most illuminating. The practice had slipped my mind and so I shall be trying the technique once more.

Fortunately Khamsin is a well mannered boat and I rarely have "needs" of the sort discussed above, but it's a good "arrow to have in one's quivver".

 

[lw395]

Just don't try it on a boat with a long boom and a slack backstay......

 

[Robert Wilson]

Just don't try it on a boat with a long boom and a slack backstay......

And, pray tell, how do you know?

 

[TQA]

Can you not achieve the same by leaving the mainsheet slack?

NOPE get a side gust and we are off at speed, sail pressed against the shrouds and running backstays aiming for the pretty Spirit/Swan Amel next door.

Scandalised it still goes off but much more slowly.

I will try leaving the halyard slack too, can't hurt.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Gosh ! How very interesting !
Thank you, I have learnt a lot more than I could ever expect.
It just goes to show what a fabulous wealth of knowledge there is to be found on this site.:encouragement:

 

[Woodlouse]

Yes, under any sea state.

There are others, such as "irons" (Which is hove to with main and genoa) or sheeting the mainsail really tight amidships after dropping the genoa, but I think also depends on circumstances such as wind strength, sea state, visibility and crew size, etc.,

Being in irons is getting stuck head to wind with no steerage way. Hove to with the main and genoa is simply being hove to.

Anyway, back to the original topic yes, I scandalise sails frequently when maneuvering under sail, it's probably the most effective way of controlling speed safely since dumping sheets tends to lead to flapping sails and rope. Sailing a gaffer with a tricing line on the tack leads to no end of ways of controlling the power in the main.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Being in irons is getting stuck head to wind with no steerage way. Hove to with the main and genoa is simply being hove to.

Anyway, back to the original topic yes, I scandalise sails frequently when maneuvering under sail, it's probably the most effective way of controlling speed safely since dumping sheets tends to lead to flapping sails and rope. Sailing a gaffer with a tricing line on the tack leads to no end of ways of controlling the power in the main.

Interesting and informative thread.
In ignorance of the finer points of scandalising, how can the genoa/foresail be scandalised?
I ask because I have the problem of sheets whipping and tangling if I don't roll the sail well in. It must be even more of a problem for hanked-on foresails?

 

[Woodlouse]

Interesting and informative thread.
In ignorance of the finer points of scandalising, how can the genoa/foresail be scandalised?
I ask because I have the problem of sheets whipping and tangling if I don't roll the sail well in. It must be even more of a problem for hanked-on foresails?

With headsails your options are limited but easing the halyard should depower the sail to some extent. It is possible to sail with the headsail backed though and I've often pottered about with a backed staysail but with the jib still drawing. That said though, when sailing the gaffer if I need to reduce speed futher after scandalising the main then my next response is usually just to drop the staysail rather than any other messing about.

 

[Robert Wilson]

It's nearly 40 years since I sailed Benbecula with a staysail and jib, and apart from the Churchill and Miller I have not been on a multi-headsail craft since.
Guess I'm stuck with just rolling-in a good % of the genoa!

 

[Seajet]

Interesting and informative thread.
In ignorance of the finer points of scandalising, how can the genoa/foresail be scandalised?
I ask because I have the problem of sheets whipping and tangling if I don't roll the sail well in. It must be even more of a problem for hanked-on foresails?

I have hanked on headsails, by choice as she's a 7/8ths 22' boat.

Sometimes if running in a moderate wind against a current to a berth or buoy, I first round up & completely drop the main, then lower the headsail to whatever proportion seems reasonable.

The foredeck crew holds out the leech as a manual sheet, sometimes reducing sail in increments as we close in, then at their nod I let the halliard go and he or she lowers the sail so we ghost in.

This is easy with an easily driven boat like the A22 with a lot of rudder authority right down to very low speeds, but a club member watching from his large Macwester was open-jawed...

 

[Robert Wilson]

I'm not surprised his jaw dropped!
Sounds a very impressive action to watch.:encouragement:

 

[Seajet]

Robert,

seriously it's easy with my boat and a clued up crew who knows the boat - and isn't that the answer to almost anything !

If my club chum had done it with his Macwester, which is harder but possible given a good crew, it would have been worth youtube and more importantly drinks all round...

 

[Woodlouse]

It's nearly 40 years since I sailed Benbecula with a staysail and jib, and apart from the Churchill and Miller I have not been on a multi-headsail craft since.
Guess I'm stuck with just rolling-in a good % of the genoa!

That is an advantage of furling sails. All you need to do is keep on rolling to achieve the desired effect. Pretty much makes scandalising redundant. It's still worth experimenting sailing with a backed headsail though. It can be a useful trick for pottering about.