Storm jibs

M

MoonDust

New Member
Joined
7 Jun 2002
Messages
12
Visit site
Now that everyone's got roller furling genoas, what do people hang their storm jibs off these days? I'm looking to set up a 31 footer for offshore sailing. When it really blows up, I don't want to be sliding the genoa off the foil to make way for a storm jib. I know you can get storm jibs that wrap around the furled genoa, but they appear to be fearfully expensive.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I'm just having a storm jib made for my Westerly Tempest by Arun Sails. They suggested that it should be made with a loose luff and a tack strop down to a spare position on the bow roller, there are a number of extra holes drilled in the roller. The jib is then fastened to the spinnaker halyard. It still means you have to go onto the foredeck in lousy conditions but seems better than setting up an extra forestay. Hope this helps.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I don't recommend trying to set a storm jib in force 8 loose - it would be a nightmare to put up, flapping all over the place. Trial settings in light winds will not show you what its really like when its really blowing. I am also not sure that you will not get too much sag on the unstayed sail. Also setting it alongside the furled genoa may cause a lot of chafe to the furled sail. If the bow roller is set well over the bows - the use of one of the holes to set the jib may cause to much leverage on the set up as the forces on the bow plate may not have desinged to be taken so far forward.

Sorry to say this - but there is no real alternative but to setting up a proper inner forestay.

I also think Arun are being very irresponsible in suggesting this method. (IMHO that is)

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I think that the answer to this must hinge on what you mean by offshore sailing. If you are proposing to go offshore often and for long periods. eg transat and all that that entails then I'd go the route we have which is a detachable inner forestay with its own halyard. We went this route after reading a YM(?) test about 8/9 years ago when the only option that came out well was the inner forestay. All of the other gave poor sailing performance, horribly complicated set up or both.

The inner forestay is rigged up at the start of the voyage with the storm jib attached to its halyard, in its bag, ready to be deployed with a minimum of foredeck ballet at a time when you least need to be doing it.

The hassle of the inner forestay is minimal compared with the duration of the voyage. On shorter passages, say fooling around in The Solent or coast hopping, the inner forestay is detached and clipped to deck out of the way of the headsail so that we can do all that tiresome tacking and gybing stuff that inshore work usually entails.

One last point the inner forestay is good insurance against the forestay failing as ours did 700 miles from nowhere.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
This seems to be part of a YM article from some time ago:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/ym/pract/31601699.htm>http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/ym/pract/31601699.htm</A>

Perhaps JJ could comment further with the benefit of hindsight?


<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Inner forestay

Once you have a decent deck fitting for the inner forestay it is not that difficult to bang on. One can always heave to while putting the stay on and also you will be amazed just how small the storm jib is compared with your genoa! Also how well your boat will cope with heavy conditions with the right, properly setting sail. If you have stowage for one you may even get a hanked on heavy weather jib for the inner stay, ours works brilliantly as soon as the wind is over 30 kts. Best of luck.

<hr width=100% size=1>Real men do it 2handed.
 
I have a detachable inner forestay that hooks on just behind the furling genoa (the stem is already reinforced to take the strain) and I use the spinnaker halliard on the assumption that I would not use both sails at the same time ! The only reserve is if you need a halliard for say man overboard recovery.

Some things to consider :

Reinforce the hanks by using shackles, at least at the top and the bottom; I once had a squall which literally tore the metal apart in the metal hanks.
Set the storm jib on a wire strop (3' - 4') so that the bottom is well clear of breaking waves - which also improves your visibility.
The detachable inner forestay set just behind the furling genoa could then also be used for a solent / blade jib if you anticipate having a lot of upwind work to do in heavier wind conditions.

John



<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Kemp Sails are doing a storm jib which wraps around a rolled genoa. I can see some practical problems with this but it does initially seem to be a good option, once you've established a procedure for raising it for real. But, I have not seen one in real life, so my comments are subjective ... however I'd like to try one out.

Regards, Jeff.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.swing.be/FDB/centurion/index2.html>Centurion 32 Web site</A>
 
When I was a Code of Practice Inspector up until about 5 years ago all coded yachts were required to have an inner forestay for this very purpose. I guess they still do. I didn't find it difficult to tension using a lanyard to tie it down taking several turns before finishing off with a clove hitch. Remember that each turn improves your mechanical advantage, and about six turns will give you tremendous power, even in a force 8. Extra strong hanks are needed and of course the anchorages both at deck level and to the mast must be extra strong, too. It's amazing what you can do in gale conditions with a storm jib and properly reefed main. Trisails are even better, but nobody uses one these days do they?

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I have heard that it a Storm Jib that is set flying is acceptable to the Code of Practice inspectors - and I have sailed a coded boat that didn't have an inner forestay (our plan in that case was to hoist the storm sail using a spare halyard as a stay).

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
As Chris Robb says above, it is an absolute nightmare to hoist 'flying'. I know, I've tried it!

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
 
We've just made a storm jib for an Oceanis 393 with a furling headsail.

The customer wanted it to either go up his tuff luff track (with wire in the luff obviously) if he had time to drop the furling sail or to go up outside his furled genoa.

We came up with a system which had a piece of cloth all the way up the luff which could go around the front and hank back onto itself. This, incidentally was easily removable should the customer want to fly it the more conventional way.

N.B. We did not charge extra for this. In fact we make very little money on storm sails because of the extra work which is required to go into them. Imagine our reputation if the sails were to fail...

If you'd like more details send me a pm.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I cannot see a spare halyard acting as a stay for setting a storm jib to be a very seamanlike method. I am assuming that it is a rope halyard which will surely bow, won't it? And a straight as possible luff is the requirement for going to wind'ard. This would be my objection to a flying jib arrangement, too.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Well - I didn't say it would work well did I /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

I agree that it is not ideal, but at least the spare halyard would keep the sail under control to enable it to be hoist, which I suspect would be virtually impossible with the sail set flying. You can then apply some tension to the leach of the sail itself.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Re: Inner forestay

hi
do u think the aft lower shrouds will be sufficient to counter the inner forestay if they both end at the mast in approx the same place. without the need for running backstays that is.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I'm not sure that wire is so important .. 6mm wire rope has a breaking strain of some 2.5 tonnes whereas 8mm Dyneema has a breaking strain of about 3.8 tonnes. Providing one has the fixing points and a suitable purchase I see no reason why a stay as such is needed. Our Code0 doesnt have a stay, but we do set it with about 4 tonnes of luff tension (release backstays, hoist, winch till the handle bends, apply backstays hard!)

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Re: Inner forestay

do u think the aft lower shrouds will be sufficient to counter the inner forestay if they both end at the mast in approx the same place. without the need for running backstays that is.

No is the short answer, according to the riggers who put mine on. Ours is attached just below the top of the mast so that the load is taken by the backstay.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I'm not sure that wire is so important

You might be right for a short while but offshoring with this arrangement, as the original poster asked, would be dodgy. You're right about the strength but the abrasion on the line from the hanks would have to be watched hawklike. My experience of lines used like this is that they abraid surprisingly quickly.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I think you have made the case for having a wire forestay! There are not many cruising yachts that could achieve that kind of tension. Besides many have braid on braid which just goes on stretching - so they will never acheive the necessary luff tension.

I think if I was going to have a go at an alternative suggestion, I would go for the sleeve option over the rolled jib. Might be hardish to get up when really blowing.

By the way - how is the new boat? have you sold the old one yet?



<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top