Tacking a Cutter Rig

[jamieo]

Anyone got any tips on tacking with a cutter rig?

On my cutter rigged boat (36' Vancouver), when I am not using a stay sail, I find that when I tack, the jib can sometimes get caught in the wind and the clew and sail wrap inside the inner forestay. It sometimes requires me to go up on the foredeck to manhandle the sail around the forestay to tack it, not ideal on a busy day in the Solent. So far I've found it hard to master the timing or speed to reliably to prevent this.

Of course, one answer is to always have the staysail up and to tack that after the jib, that prevents the jib from wrapping around the forestay as the job slides over the staysail to help it tack. My staysail is in a bit of a mess at the moment and so I've not been using it that much.

So any tips or thoughts on tacking a job around the forestay?

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[NealB]

Get a new staysail?

Add a length of plastic pipe over the inner forestay to act as a roller for the jib?

 

[sailor211]

?

Add a length of plastic pipe over the inner forestay to act as a roller for the jib?

I have a baby stay that can do the same. I have 20 mm conduit and two 70 mm dia plastic wheels on the babystay so the Genoa rolls around.

A well practiced crew can help, but I have to admit my thoughts on timing are better when I am steering, than when i am working the winches.

 

[Gordonmc]

I have much the same problem.
Occasionally the genoa comes round itself without too much drama, usually when I have crew.
It knows when I am single-handed and goes the inside route.
The only sure-fire way of avoiding that is the use the roller reefing line on every tack to pull the clew forward of the inner stay, but that is time consuming and only really possible with extra hands on the reefing line.
Note to self... don't go to windward.

 

[Behome]

No point in having a cutter if you don't use the staysail.
Tacking the yankee is all about timing but taking up the slack on the lazy sheet helps sometimes, as does pointing off to get the wind to pull it round. No guarantees though, I always give myself a bit of space in crowded waters knowing that this can happen.

 

[horatio_nelson]

Back the jib a touch and keep the other sheet under tension - "tack late and fast" I was told by a cutter owner once when I asked about it

Probably a bit much one up on a Vancouver though

 

[TQA]

Remove the inner forestay. Mine is on an overcenter lever so it is a work of seconds. Solves the problem.

Mind you I only tack a few times a year. Trade wind sailing means going North I am on starboard, going South is port. So the forestay is attached and the staysail flying 99% of the time.

 

[jamieo]

I have much the same problem.
Occasionally the genoa comes round itself without too much drama, usually when I have crew.
It knows when I am single-handed and goes the inside route.
The only sure-fire way of avoiding that is the use the roller reefing line on every tack to pull the clew forward of the inner stay, but that is time consuming and only really possible with extra hands on the reefing line.
Note to self... don't go to windward.

The same thing does seem to happen with me - single handed, or with inexperienced crew, and it "knows" to misbehave

I'll try to pipe idea to see if that helps at all.

 

[jamieo]

Back the jib a touch and keep the other sheet under tension - "tack late and fast" I was told by a cutter owner once when I asked about it

Probably a bit much one up on a Vancouver though

Not sure I understand - are you saying take the tension on the lazy sheet, turn the bow through the wind, and then release the working sheet and take up the slack on the (lazy) sheet?

 

[horatio_nelson]

Not sure I understand - are you saying take the tension on the lazy sheet, turn the bow through the wind, and then release the working sheet and take up the slack on the (lazy) sheet?

Yeah - does it sound like it might help, from your experience? It's a massive generalisation of course - all cutters are not the same - but it sounds like it may work

 

[rotrax]

Our Island Packet has a self tacking staysail and a high cut Yankee jib.
With the staysail furled-it is on a Harken Cruiser furler-the Yankee holds up on the rolled staysail due to the friction of the UV strip.
With it in use the Yankee slips across the smooth anodised staysail foil a treat.
We back the Yankee, and as suggested earlier tack fast and late, always keeping the sheets under control.
Every now and again we get it right.........................................

 

[Fr J Hackett]

As an ex V34 owner, 1st ensure that the knots in the sheets attaching to the headsail are as small and neat as possible, whip any tails to the standing part of the sheet. It's more often as not that the knot or tail fouls the rigging. 2nd allowing the headsail to back and taking all the slack out of the lazy sheet helps if there is any reasonable amount of wind it will usually push the headsail round, I found the problem was worst in lightish winds.

 

[Babylon]

If you're not using the staysail at all, then maybe you've got an oversized headsail (of low-cut or genoa proportions?) to compensate, which is making the problem worse? Consider using the correct No1 yankee with a high-cut foot in tandem with a functioning staysail.

I don't often have this problem often on my Vancouver 27, but it can happen. My routine is as follows:

- Ensure you have enough way on, and bear away first to gain speed if in light winds and choppy water, before tacking.
- Take up most of the slack early on the non-working sheet, so as you go through the wind you can quickly sheet in and thus pull the clew clear of the inner forestay before there's any press of wind in the sail (which will be worse with an oversize headsail).
- If the clew still doesn't clear properly, then lightly ease the new working sheet and bear away more fully on your new tack, so that the force of the wind on the fore-part of the sail becomes overwhelming and pulls the clew area around.
- Harden up on your new course.

My most fun ever was short-tacking single-handed down the Beaulieu in driving rain into a strong south-easterly with a heck of a tide running at the entrance:

- 2m depth!
- let off backstay!
- helm down!
- tack heads'l!
- tack stays'l!
- tension backstay!

...repeating at almost constant intervals every time the channel shoaled, then three failed tacks into a bucking sea alarmingly close to the rocky shore to finally clear the tight turn to starboard out into the Solent.

Who says fat girls can't dance?

 

[[70521]]

Can you furl some jib away, tack, then unfurl it?