Tacking a felucca

[Poignard]

One of the annoying pop-ups on the right of the YBW forum shows an Egyptian felucca with a lateen sail.

On the Nile will have to do a lot of short tacking but it must be difficult transferring the yard from one side to the other in a hurry. How do they do it?

 

[ditchcrawler]

I went on one on a nile cruise.I don't remember them transfering the yard over.

 

[snowleopard]

On the Nile will have to do a lot of short tacking but it must be difficult transferring the yard from one side to the other in a hurry. How do they do it?

a) get Firefox pop-up blocker.

b) Never been to the Nile but I understand the technique is to sail up the river with the prevailing Northerly wind then drift back down on the current.

Tacking a lateen involves dropping the yard then the substantial crew run aft with it then forward down the other side of the mast before re-hoisting. You can leave it on the same side for a short tack but obviously it's less efficient, like a gaff topsail on the weather side.

I believe it is also possible to haul the bottom of the yard aft around the foot of the mast in some variants.

 

[Sybarite]

Me too. I hired one with crew but I don't remember them transferring it. The yard I believe just rested against the mast.

 

[Lakesailor]

We went on one one the Nile with a Guy called Mohammed (what else) and one nephew who was his only crew. Mrs Lakesailor and I were the only passengers.
The technique seemed to be to drift aimlessly with the sail drooping and then blow a whistle at a small tug with about a dozen feluccas on tow. He snaked across the river and a line was tossed from the last boat in chain. We then carried on in spritely fashion.

On the way back we brewed mint tea, watched the sunset and drifted with the current until he grounded at his mooring spot.

Seemed to work.

 

[Searush]

Tim Severin wrote about building & sailing a dhow with a traditional lateen sail (Aladdin Voyage?) While they might not change sides for short tacking, they certainly did when monsoon sailing and that's why they needed such large crews.

 

[Marmalade]

don't get it. why would a rat need a camel?

 

[Searush]

don't get it. why would a rat need a camel?

It's addicted to nicotine after years in the lab. Seemples.

 

[ytd]

We sailed alongside dhows in indonesian waters a few years back. Wind was generally less than 10 knots but when a squall approached they would lower everything (mast included) throw out the anchor and then brew up. If it was time for new tack they would raise the yard on the other side of the mast. Meanwhile we would triple reef bash through the squall and get a mile or 2 ahead of them. A couple of hours later they would sail past with a big wave. After a couple of days of squalls, their technique was looking very attractive.

 

[Duffer]

Yes I sailed one up the Nile with the current, against the prevailing wind so tacking all the way. They have a sort of lugsail rig with the spar bending down forward and attached at the end by a chain. When you go about the spar pivots part way round the mast so it is effectively self-tacking. Very easy and surprisingly efficient. A very pleasant way to glide up the river in peace and quiet unlike the stinkpots that belch out black smoke.

 

[RichardPerou]

Tacking a Nile felucca

But the unbalanced rudder is a pig.

 

[cliffordpope]

Tim Severin wrote about building & sailing a dhow with a traditional lateen sail (Aladdin Voyage?) While they might not change sides for short tacking, they certainly did when monsoon sailing and that's why they needed such large crews.

Was that the one they sailed to China? They built a dhow of a size that hadn't been attempted for a century, old men could just remember them laid up rotting on beaches.
There is a vivid description of swinging the enormous yard across, timing the moment to the second. It weighed tons, and one false move could crush a man against the mast.

 

[Poignard]

Tim Severin wrote about building & sailing a dhow with a traditional lateen sail (Aladdin Voyage?) .

Something else interesting for the 'reading list'

 

[Touchwood]

But the unbalanced rudder is a pig.

You could say it is a bit of a F(el)ucca

 

[richardsn9]

Nile felucca

I spent several days tacking downriver in one a few years ago. The current did most of the work. I do not recall the lateen changing sides very often. The tiller is very heavy, and the rudder had two footrests underwater on either side of it where you submerged your nether regions when you needed to use the loo!
Once the crew worked out I knew what I was doing, they retreated under the foredeck for long periods and smoked something that was definitely not tobacco....
Fantastic trip, a real once in a lifetime, however!

 

[silver-fox]

Yes I sailed one up the Nile with the current, against the prevailing wind so tacking all the way. They have a sort of lugsail rig with the spar bending down forward and attached at the end by a chain. When you go about the spar pivots part way round the mast so it is effectively self-tacking. Very easy and surprisingly efficient. A very pleasant way to glide up the river in peace and quiet unlike the stinkpots that belch out black smoke.

Glad you came up with explanation - I sailed one 20 years ago and couldn't remember ... passed a lot of water since then.

I do remember it being very balanced rig and surprisingly easy to sail!

 

[AndrewB]

The Nile felucca I've sailed was like Duffer's description, self-tacking. But, being designed for shallow river waters, it had virtually no keel and was useless for beating. I believe the traditional technique was to sail them upstream and let them drift down, as Egypt has a constant north breeze.

The paddle-like rudder is a pig for steering, but can be used to scull the boat through tacks, or generally for tight manoevering.

The pic shows Mrs B. wearing round a felucca. Her tiller technique is rubbish - you are supposed to lean your back against it, not strong-arm it!

 

[onenyala]

Same as tacking a lifeboat with a dipping lugsail ?

 

[Duffer]

But the unbalanced rudder is a pig.

Like anything else, feluccas come in quite a range of shapes and sizes. The one I sailed had a long tiller so I don't remember it being hard to tack and the rig was quite well balanced. The locals were quite impressed when I overtook another one! I can't quite remember the attachment of the spar along the top of the sail to the mast. Maybe someone has a photo? I imagine it is not that different from lateen sails and Arab dhows (I once sailed one off Lamu in Kenya but I don't remember much about the detail of the rig other than the sail was full of badly patched holes and looked like it would disintegrate in the first decent blow!)