When sailing a CD 25 when the wind picks up, is it possible or advisable to sail with jib alone (or with main alone) . Can you easily tack with just the jib? with just the main? Or do you need both sails up to balance the boat ... furling jib and/or main.
joels@ids.net
CD 25 handling
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Bruce Bett
Re: CD 25 handling
Joel:
I've attached a posting I put on a couple of weeks ago describing sailing under jib alone. I want to stress that the boat would have performed better in these circumstances with some mainsail up. This boat is a true sloop and generally sails best under a combination of main and jib however reduced in deference to wind conditions. I suspect that the boat would have done better under reefed main alone. My first attempts at sailing with main alone lead me to believe that tacking was difficult. The boat seemed to stall into the wind. Since then I have learned that if I slack the main as soon I can on the new tack the boat will come right around.
Bruce
Toledo airport. Having a first time sailor abroad we wanted to keep things reasonably comfortable
so put up just the working jib. I was surprised at how well the cd25 sailed this way. Heel was very
reasonable no more then 12 degrees or so (I’m guessing I don’t carry an inclinometer). Speed
varied from about 4.5 to 5.5 mph over the hour or so we were out there. Briefly we registered over
6 mph. Windward performance did suffer considerably, but I was able to do better than a beam
reach. At times I was closer than 45 degrees off the apparent wind. I’m convinced I could claw off
a lee shore if I needed to (the wind was off shore on this occasion). Tacking was iffy. I attempted
to come about twice and succeeded once. The second time I gave up and jibed which worked well
with the small sail. My biggest surprise was how well she balanced under jib alone. I was expecting
significant lee helm. I got none. At one point while sailing a little above a beam reach, I released the
tiller holding my hand just above it. It remained under my hand for several seconds. I could detect
neither weather or lee helm.
I’m not sure how I would compare this performance to reefed main alone. I do have a little
experience with that. I do feel that jib alone is a surprising viable sail option for this little sloop. I’d
be interested in you’re comments.
Bruce Bett
Sostenuto
CD25 #496
bettb@macomb.cc.mi.us
I've attached a posting I put on a couple of weeks ago describing sailing under jib alone. I want to stress that the boat would have performed better in these circumstances with some mainsail up. This boat is a true sloop and generally sails best under a combination of main and jib however reduced in deference to wind conditions. I suspect that the boat would have done better under reefed main alone. My first attempts at sailing with main alone lead me to believe that tacking was difficult. The boat seemed to stall into the wind. Since then I have learned that if I slack the main as soon I can on the new tack the boat will come right around.
Bruce
NOAA was forecasting 15 to 25 mph. But Mechanical Mike was reporting 25 gusting to 33 at theJoel Silverberg wrote: I went sailing Sunday on the west end of Lake Erie, my usual haunt. There was a lot of wind. Old
Toledo airport. Having a first time sailor abroad we wanted to keep things reasonably comfortable
so put up just the working jib. I was surprised at how well the cd25 sailed this way. Heel was very
reasonable no more then 12 degrees or so (I’m guessing I don’t carry an inclinometer). Speed
varied from about 4.5 to 5.5 mph over the hour or so we were out there. Briefly we registered over
6 mph. Windward performance did suffer considerably, but I was able to do better than a beam
reach. At times I was closer than 45 degrees off the apparent wind. I’m convinced I could claw off
a lee shore if I needed to (the wind was off shore on this occasion). Tacking was iffy. I attempted
to come about twice and succeeded once. The second time I gave up and jibed which worked well
with the small sail. My biggest surprise was how well she balanced under jib alone. I was expecting
significant lee helm. I got none. At one point while sailing a little above a beam reach, I released the
tiller holding my hand just above it. It remained under my hand for several seconds. I could detect
neither weather or lee helm.
I’m not sure how I would compare this performance to reefed main alone. I do have a little
experience with that. I do feel that jib alone is a surprising viable sail option for this little sloop. I’d
be interested in you’re comments.
Bruce Bett
Sostenuto
CD25 #496
Joel Silverberg wrote: When sailing a CD 25 when the wind picks up, is it possible or advisable to sail with jib alone (or with main alone) . Can you easily tack with just the jib? with just the main? Or do you need both sails up to balance the boat ... furling jib and/or main.
bettb@macomb.cc.mi.us
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John Schwartz
Re: CD 25 handling
I often single hand my 25D on the Columbia river with jib alone. I have a furling 150 and in moderate winds the boat handles well. When the wind picks up above 18 - 20 knots, I find that I need to furl the job and put up a reefed main for balance.