What size storm jib?

[Daydream believer]

It will probably be hanked on. You really do not want to be mucking around on the foredeck hanking on a storm jib and then raising it. You will have listened to the forecast and decide that in the fullness of time you will need the storm jib - ideally that is the time to hank on. But it will be too early to hoist. Ask the sailmaker about a bag in which you can keep the sail, hanked on, sheets attached - such that you can hoist and set it from the cockpit (maybe the bag secured closed with Velcro and tied down to the deck, somehow.).

That all sounds very well but I would like to hear from those with inner forstays that are close to the main forstay how they get on tacking the genoa ( furled or part furled) in the times leading up to when they decide to stop using the genoa and resort to the storm jib. I can see the genoa creating a lot of friction around the wire & unless the crew go through a tiring process of furling & un furling it It will catch the wind & also some water between the 2 stays.
As it has been said it will be awkward to set the inner stay & hank on the jib in heavy weather.
In my opinion the ideal option for a cross channel & coastal sailor would be to have a smaller jib to be hoisted before departure when boisterous conditions are expected. My Hanse has a self tacking jib which I can carry up to F8 Ok without ever furling it& in practice , because the current one is a laminate, I rarely feel the need for the genoa unless the wind is very light. I appreciate that would not apply on many designs of yacht but having a smaller option for ,say, F5 & up would not only save furling the genoa but would give a much wider wind range if going on a longer coastal trip & be a faster sail as it would set better , not being furled
For the very few times an inner stay is required the hassle of stowing it against the mast or outer shroud & possibility of kinking the wire should also be considered. Perhaps a dynema one is possible!!

 

[BabaYaga]

That all sounds very well but I would like to hear from those with inner forstays that are close to the main forstay how they get on tacking the genoa ( furled or part furled) in the times leading up to when they decide to stop using the genoa and resort to the storm jib. I can see the genoa creating a lot of friction around the wire & unless the crew go through a tiring process of furling & un furling it It will catch the wind & also some water between the 2 stays.

For the very few times an inner stay is required the hassle of stowing it against the mast or outer shroud & possibility of kinking the wire should also be considered. Perhaps a dynema one is possible!!

In my case, with only 0.4m between the two stays, tacking the genoa is not an option without furling it. Which I find to be OK once or twice during a passage, but certainly would be tiring with wind on nose. So rigging the inner forestay 'just in case' is something I probably would not do for a passage where a lot of beating was expected. (I'm contemplating the idea of a 'blade' type of sail hanked on the inner stay for those occasions, ideally sheeted inside of the shrouds...)

Stowing the stay is really not much of a hassle once the necessary bits of hardware are in place.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

On my Centurion 32 (masthead rig) I have a second forestay that is attached, when in use, around 20cms aft of the Genoa's furling drum. While sailing it lives on the starboard side, against the shrouds, with the end fastened to the toerail. When in use it is tightened via a Highfield Lever arrangement; not a problem IF the drop-nose pin is kept freely moveable at all time.
Re hanking on the storm jib, if the seas are too much to go onto the sharp end... sorry but you should have reefed ages ago!

 

[LadyInBed]

With my inner forestay very close to the Genoa drum it isn't possible to tack the Genoa without disconnecting the Highfield leaver and pulling the inner forestay back towards the mast.

 

[ghostlymoron]

The only boat of mine which had a storm jib was my first, a Leisure17. I read somewhere that "no sailing boat should put to sea without a storm jib" and followed the advice. I had no roller reefing so just ordered a hank on from Quay Sails. It was bright orange and tiny but I felt more of a sailor with it on board. Needless to say, I never used it. Other secondhand boats have come with hank on ones but no means of rigging it.

 

[Tim O]

I can understand the problems of tacking the genoa IF you have the inner forestay set up, and it is attached close behind the main forestay attachment...BUT...I'm making the assumption that you wouldn't be setting up that inner forestay until you had completely furled the genoa anyway, because you have decided that its too windy for the genoa and you want to revert to a smaller/stronger hanked on foresail - either a blade or storm jib. In this case, the tacking problem wouldn't be relevant? Assuming you have set up the inner forestay to be quickly set-up, tensioned, and have the blade/storm jib hanked on ready, then it should be possible to spend minimal time on the foredeck in what are likely to be nasty conditions....

 

[Daydream believer]

I can understand the problems of tacking the genoa IF you have the inner forestay set up, and it is attached close behind the main forestay attachment...BUT...I'm making the assumption that you wouldn't be setting up that inner forestay until you had completely furled the genoa anyway, because you have decided that its too windy for the genoa and you want to revert to a smaller/stronger hanked on foresail - either a blade or storm jib. In this case, the tacking problem wouldn't be relevant? Assuming you have set up the inner forestay to be quickly set-up, tensioned, and have the blade/storm jib hanked on ready, then it should be possible to spend minimal time on the foredeck in what are likely to be nasty conditions....

That may be OK for some but in my younger days I have , on a number of occasions, had to go forward to hank on different sails & been doused well up to the upper torso whilst kneeling on deck to change sails. The point being that unhitching a wire from its storage, not letting it go, hooking it on, going back for the new sail & hooking that on, setting up the spare halyard, Putting a tie around the furled sail, setting the new sheets with the trips back & forth etc etc etc really does not excite me in the way it did 50 years ago.
Compare that to looking at the weather report before leaving & hoisting a smaller sail before leaving & I kind of know what choice I would make now. Of course for longer trips that does not always work, but for 24 hours it usually does. There is always the possiblity that the wind dies - But , hey - you pays your money!!!!
To each his own & what works for one is OK for them

 

[RupertW]

That may be OK for some but in my younger days I have , on a number of occasions, had to go forward to hank on different sails & been doused well up to the upper torso whilst kneeling on deck to change sails. The point being that unhitching a wire from its storage, not letting it go, hooking it on, going back for the new sail & hooking that on, setting up the spare halyard, Putting a tie around the furled sail, setting the new sheets with the trips back & forth etc etc etc really does not excite me in the way it did 50 years ago.
Compare that to looking at the weather report before leaving & hoisting a smaller sail before leaving & I kind of know what choice I would make now. Of course for longer trips that does not always work, but for 24 hours it usually does. There is always the possiblity that the wind dies - But , hey - you pays your money!!!!
To each his own & what works for one is OK for them

I think you are right and haven't spent time or much thought on a storm jib for 3 or up to 5 day passages but past that my plans will need to include sails and rig that can swap between light winds passage making and heavy conditions. I know the existing roller genny (heavy, non overlapping and high cut) can take 60 knot gusts without damage and still be in full control but that's very different to the waves which would come with sustained high winds. So my dilemma is the severity of the conditions before I'd have to hoist a storm jib and therefore what could be prerigged to allow the genoa to carry on being used until that point.