Use of storm trysail.

mickshep

mickshep

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The last 3 boats I've owned have all come with a low aspect storm trysail and storm jib which thankfully I've never needed to use. In both prev' cases the sails were old and appeared un-used. Wraith's on the other hand has twin sheets attached and they are heavily chaffed where they have run through blocks suggesting that being much lighter than my other boats she requires sail reduction a lot earlier than I am used to. My question is; If conditions dictated the use of the trysail, should I rig the clew out to the end of the boom, or rig it loose (With a sheet to each quarter) with the main boom dropped to the cabin top and secured. Cheers all, Mike.
 
Generally the lower you can get a Trysail the better......

So rig it low, use loose sheets, and secure the boom very thoroughly....

There is little point in worrying about sheeting the trysail for close hauled performance, as once you get to conditions where its needed, then fine tune sail setting will be the least of your worries!

Saying that.... if your sheet leads mean that it can only be set for a reach, then try and think of a way of getting them further inboard...... on our previous boat, there was a fitting on deck specifically for this purpose to hold a block near the centre line....
 
I've got a trysail but never used it in anger (thank goodness). I tried it on for size and the sheets just run back straight to the winches making it easy to set it where you like - or so it appears. Is this what you would expect?

Also with lazyjacks the trysail sits in the middle and although not attached to the boom, the boom has to in a position to accommodate the trysail. Or have I got that wrong?

I suppose I ought to try it out in a modest breeze to see what actually works.
 
Trysails are generally designed to be used without the boom. Sheeted hard in to keep the wind forward of the beam so seas can be taken on the bow.
For this reason, both try and storm jib must not be set low. If you do, waves will crash into them and the weight of water can have destructive consequences.
See if you can find old pictures of square riggers in storms, you will see their storm canvas set high up for running, too.
Breaking waves are my own personal thing I really don't like! Had plenty of damage done in heavy airs, including ripped storm jib that I didn't hoist high enough.
 
My trysail had a separate track on the mast and was designed to be set loose with a sheet to each quarter to hold it on the centre line. The boom with stowed main could be lashed to the boom gallows. This seemed a reasonable arrangement.
Having said that, I never used it in anger. My reefed main handled the worst weather I encountered, even hove to in a storm. Any worse and I would probably have laid ahull anyway, so always thought the trysail a bit of an unecessary complication.
 
"For this reason, both try and storm jib must not be set low". That probably explains the shape, rather than the foot running in line with the foot of the main, it is cut so that the tack is about a meter higher than the clew when attached to the mast. I also notice that the clew on the storm jib is cut equally high to avoid heavy water bursting it I assume. Will have to try them out in a bit (emphasis on 'a bit') of a blow I guess. Mike.
 
Yep....

The tack of mine set about a foot off the deck, and the clew was quite a lot higher.... it would have avoided anything but the most serious of waves coming over the bow or sides..... setting it at boom height wouldn't have been a good idea at all.....
 
My trysail had the tack quite high up, about 4' off the deck on my 32' sloop, so that it could clear the stowed main and boom. It was cut so that the foot ran down towards the stern to give a fair lead for the sheets to the quarters. I think this is the classical shape for a trysail and looked a very seamanlike arrangement.
 
Must admit I never needed to use either on earlier boats, (25' @ 5 tons, & 32' @ 6.5 tons, both long keeled) It was just the signs of use that made me wonder as to whether I may have to use it on this one, she's 29' but only weighs in at about 3 tons but has a comparably larger sail area. Mike.
 
I've use a trysail several times. I've found for windward work it is best set as a Swedish mainsail. ie using the boom, usually rigged with one of the reef pennants to the clew. Try and take some of the boom's weight on the topping lift so you don't overload the leech.

When reaching the opposite applies. Boom lashed down and twin sheets off the quarter, spinnaker sheets are often in the perfect place.
 
That seems normal for the ones I have seen/used.

My preferred tactic though, has been to run off, given sea room. As long as I haven't been going at the same speed as the waves and thereby lost steerage, it always seems more comfortable.

Good idea to practise all ways of doing it with your storm sails, though.
 
My trisail was like this:
Sails524x464.jpg
 
Yup! Pretty much the same as mine, It was the whether to use the boom or not that threw me. As an aside, if the boom where used when reaching under trysail and the boat was heavily pressed there would be the chance of the boom digging in preventing the spilling of wind and possibly making an unpleasant situation a lot worse, loose footed, the try would collapse I guess. Ah well, as we will never ever get caught out in anything above a 4 given the benign climate here in Britain I guess we'll never find out /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Regards, Mike.
 
Agree; if I did use a trysail it would be for heaving to or for trying to crawl to weather. The danger of dipping the boom always exists when running with a reefed main and this has happened to me on a number of occasions but, fortunately, without awful consequences.
I was/am a great fan of the Pardeys so my boat was set up using a lot of their advice. Larry Pardey says he never used a trysail on Seraffyn preferring a reefed main which, like mine, was battenless, roachless and headboardless. Low maintenance, can hoist it off the wind, nothing to snag in the rigging.
All unnecessary, as you say, in this delightfully benign climate we have!
 
It may not be what it seems. Is there a possibility that the sheets have been re-cycled and have accumulated their wear due to a less alarming use!!?

Another possibility is that the trysail may have been used as a riding sail whilst at anchor or on a mooring or, possibly, heavily sheeted in to 'heave to' whilst on a days fishing trip?

Just a thought.
 
The sheet wear is consistant with the area of rope that runs through the permanantly fixed quarter blocks for the spinnaker and is severe (right through the outer braid and into the core) and given that the sails and running rigging elsewhere is in very good order if neglected I surmised that the sail had seen some hard use at some stage. Just had a quick look, wear at different distances down each sheet, Hove to on stbd tack for some time maybe? Pity I've not got the past logs, Regards, Mike.
 
Certainly you must use your storm gear and get familiar with it. Most boats will go quite nicely with a lot less sail so if you find you have plenty of wind when sailing then try the storm sails. IMHO you need to be able to sail to windward. You won't always be sure of plenty of sea room.
To Moody Sabre I would suggest that if you don't attach the try sail to the boom then you will have to drop or cut the lazy jacks.

I suspect that in the worst weather you would be far safer with the boom lashed down so it can't swing. olewill
 
don't have a trysail for the current boat but I remember trying to set one on a previous boat many years ago. We tried fixing it to the boom but when the sail flogged the boom became lethal. Quickly lashed the boom to the cabin top and loose footed the trysail to a genoa block
 
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