CD 26- Jib or Main Only Sailing

[dgsail]

I have been told by other sailors that they use one of two options when winds are high and that the choice depends on your boat.

Some sailors sail jib only .
Some sailor sail reefed main only.

I would like to know what other CD owners have found works best in heavier winds. I do not have a roller furling, which will be my next post question.

Thanks,
dgsail

[Oswego John]

I can't sail my Ty W/E with working jib by itself. I lose balance and fall off.

I have to use a reefed mainsail.

I have some luck using a genoa which gives me some sail balance aft of the mast.

Keep on sailin'
O J

[henry hey]

My CD25 is a dog under main alone anywhere upwind of beam reach.

I almost always fly a jib.

h

[Zeida]

FWIW... my CD-33 does great under 150% genoa alone when it's twoo windy.

My old CDE-25 also did fairly well under full genoa alone. Not a jib, though.

[Joe Myerson]

I'm with Henry.

My 25D is a monster with main alone.

She will go downwind (from a reach through a dead run) on the genny alone (I've got a 130%), but the steering is really off balance.

Rather, I prefer to start reefing the main (at about 15 kts), then start furling the jib, then tucking in the second reef in the main, and then, as the wind picks up, furling my jib until it's just below 100%.

I haven't sailed in any conditions where this system didn't work. But I haven't been out in winds over perhaps 30 kts.

--Joe

[CruiseAlong]

For my CD26 I reef the main but keep the working jib, eveni f it requires up to the 2nd main reef. JIb alone will make tacking much more difficult and main alone means imbalance. Look to balancing with reduced windage.
Dana

[Stan W.]

Like most CCA influenced masthead sloops, Cape Dorys are designed on the basis that most of the aerodynamic lift comes from the foretriangle. A headsail also allows the boat to point higher. These boats simply were not intended to sail to windward under mainsail alone.

Conversely, it is hard to tack the bow through the wind with only a headsail in a stiff breeze. The boat really wants a little sail area aft of the hull's center of effort to help spin it around.

The only time I use the mainsail alone is when I'm motorsailing (or sailing on or off a mooring or dock). The only time I use a headsail alone is when I know I am going to be sailing downwind for an extended period of time and there is enough breeze that I won't really miss the mainsail's extra sail area.

[seajunkie]

I'm new to sailing, but the first day out on my CD25 we blew out the mainsail. The wind varied between 10 and 15 knots.

We sailed back towards the slip under the genoa alone. The sailing was so good, that we just decided to stay out for a few more hours. I was pleasantly surprised.

Conversely, it is hard to tack the bow through the wind with only a headsail in a stiff breeze. The boat really wants a little sail area aft of the hull's center of effort to help spin it around.

This was true at 10 knots. once or twice we didn't have enough momentum to tack. We ended up gybing. I always assumed that most of our problems were do to inexperience though.

It was a good day.

[Al Levesque]

I often sailed our former CD25 under main alone, upwind or down, and deeply reefed in bad weather. I do the same with our current CD33, especially when returning to the mooring or preparing to anchor, since it gives me the best and easiest control. It is true that neither boat could point as well as with a jib but the ease of control seems worth it.

[sgbernd]

I have the original jib boom and hank-on working jib. I had the sail maker add a set of reef points to the jib, just like the two already on the main, which reduces the jib from a 100 to something much smaller. I also added a block and cleat on the boom to deal with the line. This gives lots of options for balance in high wind conditions, although to be honest, I only needed to use it with the second reef in the main once (thankfully!).

Usually, a reefed main and working jib is fine for anything I want to be out in.

[boom2it]

Sailed this past weekend with just a reefed main on a Ty Wndr. She sailed better then expected and tacked without any problems, though keeping enough speed up before tacking was key. Next I will try just the genoa when conditions get windy and see how it works. Genny is 150% so I can reduce on roller furler and see what works. One of the reasons I used main sail only was because I was single handing and I could still hold a beer and tack at the same time.

[Dick Kobayashi]

Generally I agree with Joe Myerson. For sheer convenience I sometimes sail my 25D with the Gennie only , often with the 130 rolled down to 100 or 110 to good effect. On this last Sunday with winds on Buzzards Bay - the cruising grounds for Joe and I - the wind was a steady 20 - 25 knts. The double reefed main with a Jennie rolled down to 100% was perfect on all points of sail. I had a problem with Jennie hardware on the final 2 miles home so came in on a broad reach with the reefed main - Susan B did just fine - the wind was strong enough. At lower velocities performance would be poor. Please note that in the Ty the mast is proportionately more to the bow of the boat and hence the head sail is less essential for forward movement. Mast placement really makes a big difference.

[Peter Kozup]

I like sailing my CD26 with the 135 Genny only, but find that I have a much harder time tacking without the main, especially in heavier winds. In heavy winds my boat sails best with a reef in the main and the standing jib. With the larger headsails and/or unreefed main she heals over too much and not only does this tend to slow her down, but she is also less comfortable for skipper and crew.

[Peter Kozup]

I like sailing my CD26 with the 135 Genny only, but find that I have a much harder time tacking without the main, especially in heavier winds. In heavy winds my boat sails best with a reef in the main and the standing jib. With the larger headsails and/or unreefed main she heals over too much and not only does this tend to slow her down, but she is also less comfortable for skipper and crew.