cd26 sailing character

[jon segal]

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks



jonsegal@hotmail.com

[Rich]

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

Well, I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer the blue water vs. coastal question since I'm a river sailor. But what the heck, I'll give your questions a shot. Almost all CD26s were set up for outboard power, but a few were configured as IDs, so you might explore that tack before thinking about refitting an outboard model. Since the outboards are set up with an inboard well, there would be some structural mods required to fit the diesel. My suggestion would be to look at a CD25D since it is very similar to the 26. The 25D of course has the ID, but also is maybe better set up down below for long range cruising than the 26. My short answer on blue water vs. coastal is that the 26 is really a coastal cruiser at heart.



rpassmore42@hotmail.com

[Warren Kaplan]

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

I sail a CD27 but not long ago a CD26 sailor with a boat named "Skua" (formerly Skua..boat was sold I believe) sailed from the Carolinas (I think) to Bermuda and back. If memory serves he had some "fun" in the Gulfstream (who doesn't) but otherwise Skua did just fine. Perhaps he is still reading these boards and would care to chime in? One other thought. If you search this site under "Skua" his postings about the trip may magically appear for you to read!
Warren



Setsail728@aol.com

[M. R. Bober]

SKUA was singlehanded to & from Bermuda by John, "his cheapskateness," Churchill. He memorialized the passages both in a presentation to the Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Association and in the "Masthead" (its publication). John ran into some aweful conditions, but if memory serves me correctly he was never worried about SKUA's survival. I'll try to forward your query to John.
Every Best Wish,
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE CD330



thebobers@erols.com

[Bob]

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

Jon:

We have a CD25D which we have had since 1986. Having made numerous offshore passages with her I can tell you that she is a fine boat in the ocean. Our longest nonstop passages offshore have been overnight trips from Amityville Long Island to Block Island via Fire Island Inlet (South Shore of Long Island). The trip is 122 miles or so and would take us about 22 hours depending on sea and wind conditions. We have been to most points in the Northeast cruising usually for periods of 2 weeks or more. The boat has quality construction and I would not worry about taking her for extended passages offshore. Our sailing friends, some of whom have made passages to Bermuda and as far south as Cuba in much larger vessels, have commented that they are always impressed with the CD25D's sea keeping qualities, construction and deck hardware. The bronze hardware on deck is of the size and quality that you usually find on much larger vessels, and they are all installed with back plates. The boat is electrically bonded throughout down below decks, this they were very impressed with in a 25 foot sailboat. There are very few boats with better construction quality in this 25 foot class other than custom builds.

As far as light air performance goes she has more wetted surface than a fin keel design but we have found her full keel to be superior for coastal crusing as many of our friends have snagged lobster or fishing pots with their fin keels and have had to go over the side to clear them. I have sailed many times in the company of our friends larger boats ranging up to 40 feet length in light air. Our CD25D with a 150 Genoa will keep up with most boats up to 30 - 35 feet in light air depending upon the sea conditions. So I would not say she is slow but on the other hand she's no racing boat either. If I am racing I would want the J boat or a C&C fin keel configuration but being that we cruise our boat the full keel is the way to go as far as sea keeping ability goes. I would say that heavy weather is her forte because with the working sails and reefing down the mainsail as the wind increases she is good up to 30 knots easily making hull speed to windward in a seaway. Above 30 knots we go with our storm jib and fully reefed mainsail. The boat handles wonderfully in high winds with heavy seas. Anything above 40 - 50 knots you shouldn't be out there. I say this having experienced hurricane conditions offshore as first mate aboard fishing boats in my youth. I could write a book about my experiences offshore while on fishing boats but I will not get into that here. Hope this helps you in your decision.


Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D



Ranger1442@hotmail.com

[Don Sargeant]

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

Jon:

We have a CD25D which we have had since 1986. Having made numerous offshore passages with her I can tell you that she is a fine boat in the ocean. Our longest nonstop passages offshore have been overnight trips from Amityville Long Island to Block Island via Fire Island Inlet (South Shore of Long Island). The trip is 122 miles or so and would take us about 22 hours depending on sea and wind conditions. We have been to most points in the Northeast cruising usually for periods of 2 weeks or more. The boat has quality construction and I would not worry about taking her for extended passages offshore. Our sailing friends, some of whom have made passages to Bermuda and as far south as Cuba in much larger vessels, have commented that they are always impressed with the CD25D's sea keeping qualities, construction and deck hardware. The bronze hardware on deck is of the size and quality that you usually find on much larger vessels, and they are all installed with back plates. The boat is electrically bonded throughout down below decks, this they were very impressed with in a 25 foot sailboat. There are very few boats with better construction quality in this 25 foot class other than custom builds.

As far as light air performance goes she has more wetted surface than a fin keel design but we have found her full keel to be superior for coastal crusing as many of our friends have snagged lobster or fishing pots with their fin keels and have had to go over the side to clear them. I have sailed many times in the company of our friends larger boats ranging up to 40 feet length in light air. Our CD25D with a 150 Genoa will keep up with most boats up to 30 - 35 feet in light air depending upon the sea conditions. So I would not say she is slow but on the other hand she's no racing boat either. If I am racing I would want the J boat or a C&C fin keel configuration but being that we cruise our boat the full keel is the way to go as far as sea keeping ability goes. I would say that heavy weather is her forte because with the working sails and reefing down the mainsail as the wind increases she is good up to 30 knots easily making hull speed to windward in a seaway. Above 30 knots we go with our storm jib and fully reefed mainsail. The boat handles wonderfully in high winds with heavy seas. Anything above 40 - 50 knots you shouldn't be out there. I say this having experienced hurricane conditions offshore as first mate aboard fishing boats in my youth. I could write a book about my experiences offshore while on fishing boats but I will not get into that here. Hope this helps you in your decision.


Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D

don@cliggott.com

[Don Sargeant]

Sorry for the goofy post before this one...

Bob,

I love my 25D.

It's lovely to look at, beautifully built, very comfortable inside and out, BUT it doesn't handle the hard weather anywhere near as well as my folkboat did. My folkboat, a Walton 25, was almost exactly like the Contessa, but better built and 25". The CD seems much more squirrely, and heels like crazy in the puffs. My wife, who sailed without complaint in ANY weather in the FB, won't let me out if the wind's over 20 knots. So, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?. I have brand new, carefully measured sails with two reef points in the main, have read a lot about travelers (the FB didn't have one, and have been sailing for well over 30 years, in Long Island Sound. The boat just seems overpowered, and doesn't track well. OH MY! This may be the very first post on this board,ever, with negative comments on the sailing qualities of CDs! GULP!

BTW, the 26 is exactly the same as the 25D plus and extra foot for the outboard well. A little space is lost in the cockpit. It lacks a traveler, has only two opening ports, and a different interior -- a vee-berth instead of the commodius commode compartment.


Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD 25D #189
Seeking forgiveness in Greenwich Cove

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

Jon:

We have a CD25D which we have had since 1986. Having made numerous offshore passages with her I can tell you that she is a fine boat in the ocean. Our longest nonstop passages offshore have been overnight trips from Amityville Long Island to Block Island via Fire Island Inlet (South Shore of Long Island). The trip is 122 miles or so and would take us about 22 hours depending on sea and wind conditions. We have been to most points in the Northeast cruising usually for periods of 2 weeks or more. The boat has quality construction and I would not worry about taking her for extended passages offshore. Our sailing friends, some of whom have made passages to Bermuda and as far south as Cuba in much larger vessels, have commented that they are always impressed with the CD25D's sea keeping qualities, construction and deck hardware. The bronze hardware on deck is of the size and quality that you usually find on much larger vessels, and they are all installed with back plates. The boat is electrically bonded throughout down below decks, this they were very impressed with in a 25 foot sailboat. There are very few boats with better construction quality in this 25 foot class other than custom builds.

As far as light air performance goes she has more wetted surface than a fin keel design but we have found her full keel to be superior for coastal crusing as many of our friends have snagged lobster or fishing pots with their fin keels and have had to go over the side to clear them. I have sailed many times in the company of our friends larger boats ranging up to 40 feet length in light air. Our CD25D with a 150 Genoa will keep up with most boats up to 30 - 35 feet in light air depending upon the sea conditions. So I would not say she is slow but on the other hand she's no racing boat either. If I am racing I would want the J boat or a C&C fin keel configuration but being that we cruise our boat the full keel is the way to go as far as sea keeping ability goes. I would say that heavy weather is her forte because with the working sails and reefing down the mainsail as the wind increases she is good up to 30 knots easily making hull speed to windward in a seaway. Above 30 knots we go with our storm jib and fully reefed mainsail. The boat handles wonderfully in high winds with heavy seas. Anything above 40 - 50 knots you shouldn't be out there. I say this having experienced hurricane conditions offshore as first mate aboard fishing boats in my youth. I could write a book about my experiences offshore while on fishing boats but I will not get into that here. Hope this helps you in your decision.


Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D

[Bob]

Don:

That's an interesting post you made, are you using the regular working jib? I do know that when I use the 150 Genoa and the wind pipes up the boat does get overpowered and does not track well but under the working sails it's fine. We almost always have wind between 15 - 20+ knots down here and I feel absolutely confident in the 25D's ability to handle high winds. What you describe sounds like your being over powered and therefore should reduce sail accordingly to the wind conditions. The boat does heel because of it's narrow beam however this does increase the waterline enabling greater speed potential for the hull. At the same time the boat is not a slug in light air and does sail well. If you want heavier displacement your light air performance will suffer. A example of this is the 20 ft Flicker by Pacific Seacraft. Friends of ours had one and when we went on a cruise the boat was notorously slow and could not keep up with the CD25D or the rest of the fleet consisting prodominantly of 30 - 35 foot boats. The Flicker is very well made but is not a good light air performer and needs a lot of wind before it even gets moving. On the other hand the Contessa, when I sailed on one years ago, was a wet boat to windward because of her sheer and low freeboard but still a very capable seaboat. The CD25D has a little to much freeboard for my liking, which makes her look a little chunky but now I'm being very critical. The freeboard does translate into more windage when encountering highwinds and believe me I do notice it. On the other hand the CD25D is not a wet boat either and makes out well in a seaway (narrow beam being a plus in the design). This is one reason why I feel the CD25D is a good compromise between performance and comfort. All boats are a compromise depending on what you intend to do with the boat, which is why boats designed for racing do not make good cruising boats. Boats designed exclusively for racing do not generally track as well and do not have a high motion comfort number. Racing boats tend to be more skitterish and overpower quickly on a building wind, which is another reason why you are always changing sails to optimize your speed and handling in trying to keep the boat on it's feet.

If you go to http://www.image-ination.com/sailcalc.html and plug in all the specific numbers for the CD25D and compare with other boats you will see the CD25D rates very high in motion comfort compared to many others. I frequently race on other boats and have found this to be true. Many of the fin keel configurations are not as comfortable and do take it's toll on you in long races. I'm curious as to what numbers you would come up with on the Walton 25 FB compared to the CD25D? What is the difference in displacement, beam, draft, LWL, sail area as well as other metrics for comparison. I would be interested in the data perhaps you could send me the results?

Bob

Sorry for the goofy post before this one...

Bob,

I love my 25D.

It's lovely to look at, beautifully built, very comfortable inside and out, BUT it doesn't handle the hard weather anywhere near as well as my folkboat did. My folkboat, a Walton 25, was almost exactly like the Contessa, but better built and 25". The CD seems much more squirrely, and heels like crazy in the puffs. My wife, who sailed without complaint in ANY weather in the FB, won't let me out if the wind's over 20 knots. So, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?. I have brand new, carefully measured sails with two reef points in the main, have read a lot about travelers (the FB didn't have one, and have been sailing for well over 30 years, in Long Island Sound. The boat just seems overpowered, and doesn't track well. OH MY! This may be the very first post on this board,ever, with negative comments on the sailing qualities of CDs! GULP!

BTW, the 26 is exactly the same as the 25D plus and extra foot for the outboard well. A little space is lost in the cockpit. It lacks a traveler, has only two opening ports, and a different interior -- a vee-berth instead of the commodius commode compartment.


Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD 25D #189
Seeking forgiveness in Greenwich Cove

How does the cd26 perform in light and heavy air? Is it a capable bluewater boat, or is it best kept coastal? How does it compare with the Contessa 26? Is it possible to repower it with an inboard diesel from an outboard?
Thanks

Jon:

We have a CD25D which we have had since 1986. Having made numerous offshore passages with her I can tell you that she is a fine boat in the ocean. Our longest nonstop passages offshore have been overnight trips from Amityville Long Island to Block Island via Fire Island Inlet (South Shore of Long Island). The trip is 122 miles or so and would take us about 22 hours depending on sea and wind conditions. We have been to most points in the Northeast cruising usually for periods of 2 weeks or more. The boat has quality construction and I would not worry about taking her for extended passages offshore. Our sailing friends, some of whom have made passages to Bermuda and as far south as Cuba in much larger vessels, have commented that they are always impressed with the CD25D's sea keeping qualities, construction and deck hardware. The bronze hardware on deck is of the size and quality that you usually find on much larger vessels, and they are all installed with back plates. The boat is electrically bonded throughout down below decks, this they were very impressed with in a 25 foot sailboat. There are very few boats with better construction quality in this 25 foot class other than custom builds.

As far as light air performance goes she has more wetted surface than a fin keel design but we have found her full keel to be superior for coastal crusing as many of our friends have snagged lobster or fishing pots with their fin keels and have had to go over the side to clear them. I have sailed many times in the company of our friends larger boats ranging up to 40 feet length in light air. Our CD25D with a 150 Genoa will keep up with most boats up to 30 - 35 feet in light air depending upon the sea conditions. So I would not say she is slow but on the other hand she's no racing boat either. If I am racing I would want the J boat or a C&C fin keel configuration but being that we cruise our boat the full keel is the way to go as far as sea keeping ability goes. I would say that heavy weather is her forte because with the working sails and reefing down the mainsail as the wind increases she is good up to 30 knots easily making hull speed to windward in a seaway. Above 30 knots we go with our storm jib and fully reefed mainsail. The boat handles wonderfully in high winds with heavy seas. Anything above 40 - 50 knots you shouldn't be out there. I say this having experienced hurricane conditions offshore as first mate aboard fishing boats in my youth. I could write a book about my experiences offshore while on fishing boats but I will not get into that here. Hope this helps you in your decision.


Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D

Ranger1442@hotmail.com

[Brian Johnson]

John,
Just a little more information for you. I just purchased a CD 26 with an inboard. The CD 26's were all manufactured after 1985 I believe. They are powered by a Westebeke 10 hp diesel which is freshwater cooled and is a two cylinder engine. The layout of the 26D is slightly different than the CD 26. The outboard well is replaced by a lazarette in the aft end of the cockpit. This gives the cockpit a little more room than on the outboard model and provides significantly more locker space than the 25D. The largest difference by far between the 25D and the 26D is the interior layout. The only gripe I have with the 26D is that the head is right next to the v-berth with no seperation. If you have any other questions feel free to email me.
Brian



karaandbrianjohnson@mail.tds.net

[Don Sargeant]

Bob,
Thanks for your comments. A couple of weeks ago, I left the mooring in about 12k steady,15k-20k NW puffy front-coming-in weather. Before I was even out of the lee we were almost knocked down. I was standing on the coaming, unable to get to the mainsheet to release it. I had one reef, and the furler set to about 110%. We returned to the mooring, had lunch, put in another reef, reduced the jib further and had a pokey sail for the rest of the afternoon. My wife loved it. I didn't. In the folkboat we would have had a 150 genoa with maybe one reef and would have been dry, comfortable and fast. The Walton 25 was commissioned by an Annapolis boat dealer who wanted a cheaper version of the Choy-Lee Frisco Flyer. Phil Rhodes did the design, Whitby built the boats. Mine was #12. She was 25'6" long, 19'6" waterline, 7' at the beam, 3'10 draft about 6500lbs displacement I don't remember the sail area but it was just a little less than the CD. One huge difference was that she had a transom-mounted rudder. Of course, that's why she tracked so much better.
I recall that the working jib that came with the CD was quite small. So small, in fact, I didn't think it was original to the boat. It had at least four feet of wire cable attached at the top. But maybe it was the right one. I haven't really tried to furl way down to that size being a believer in shortening the main first.

Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD25D #189
To be continued in Greenwich Cove

Don:

That's an interesting post you made, are you using the regular working jib? I do know that when I use the 150 Genoa and the wind pipes up the boat does get overpowered and does not track well but under the working sails it's fine. We almost always have wind between 15 - 20+ knots down here and I feel absolutely confident in the 25D's ability to handle high winds. What you describe sounds like your being over powered and therefore should reduce sail accordingly to the wind conditions. The boat does heel because of it's narrow beam however this does increase the waterline enabling greater speed potential for the hull. At the same time the boat is not a slug in light air and does sail well. If you want heavier displacement your light air performance will suffer. A example of this is the 20 ft Flicker by Pacific Seacraft. Friends of ours had one and when we went on a cruise the boat was notorously slow and could not keep up with the CD25D or the rest of the fleet consisting prodominantly of 30 - 35 foot boats. The Flicker is very well made but is not a good light air performer and needs a lot of wind before it even gets moving. On the other hand the Contessa, when I sailed on one years ago, was a wet boat to windward because of her sheer and low freeboard but still a very capable seaboat. The CD25D has a little to much freeboard for my liking, which makes her look a little chunky but now I'm being very critical. The freeboard does translate into more windage when encountering highwinds and believe me I do notice it. On the other hand the CD25D is not a wet boat either and makes out well in a seaway (narrow beam being a plus in the design). This is one reason why I feel the CD25D is a good compromise between performance and comfort. All boats are a compromise depending on what you intend to do with the boat, which is why boats designed for racing do not make good cruising boats. Boats designed exclusively for racing do not generally track as well and do not have a high motion comfort number. Racing boats tend to be more skitterish and overpower quickly on a building wind, which is another reason why you are always changing sails to optimize your speed and handling in trying to keep the boat on it's feet.

If you go to http://www.image-ination.com/sailcalc.html and plug in all the specific numbers for the CD25D and compare with other boats you will see the CD25D rates very high in motion comfort compared to many others. I frequently race on other boats and have found this to be true. Many of the fin keel configurations are not as comfortable and do take it's toll on you in long races. I'm curious as to what numbers you would come up with on the Walton 25 FB compared to the CD25D? What is the difference in displacement, beam, draft, LWL, sail area as well as other metrics for comparison. I would be interested in the data perhaps you could send me the results?

Bob

Sorry for the goofy post before this one...

Bob,

I love my 25D.

It's lovely to look at, beautifully built, very comfortable inside and out, BUT it doesn't handle the hard weather anywhere near as well as my folkboat did. My folkboat, a Walton 25, was almost exactly like the Contessa, but better built and 25". The CD seems much more squirrely, and heels like crazy in the puffs. My wife, who sailed without complaint in ANY weather in the FB, won't let me out if the wind's over 20 knots. So, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?. I have brand new, carefully measured sails with two reef points in the main, have read a lot about travelers (the FB didn't have one, and have been sailing for well over 30 years, in Long Island Sound. The boat just seems overpowered, and doesn't track well. OH MY! This may be the very first post on this board,ever, with negative comments on the sailing qualities of CDs! GULP!

BTW, the 26 is exactly the same as the 25D plus and extra foot for the outboard well. A little space is lost in the cockpit. It lacks a traveler, has only two opening ports, and a different interior -- a vee-berth instead of the commodius commode compartment.


Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD 25D #189
Seeking forgiveness in Greenwich Cove

Jon:

We have a CD25D which we have had since 1986. Having made numerous offshore passages with her I can tell you that she is a fine boat in the ocean. Our longest nonstop passages offshore have been overnight trips from Amityville Long Island to Block Island via Fire Island Inlet (South Shore of Long Island). The trip is 122 miles or so and would take us about 22 hours depending on sea and wind conditions. We have been to most points in the Northeast cruising usually for periods of 2 weeks or more. The boat has quality construction and I would not worry about taking her for extended passages offshore. Our sailing friends, some of whom have made passages to Bermuda and as far south as Cuba in much larger vessels, have commented that they are always impressed with the CD25D's sea keeping qualities, construction and deck hardware. The bronze hardware on deck is of the size and quality that you usually find on much larger vessels, and they are all installed with back plates. The boat is electrically bonded throughout down below decks, this they were very impressed with in a 25 foot sailboat. There are very few boats with better construction quality in this 25 foot class other than custom builds.

As far as light air performance goes she has more wetted surface than a fin keel design but we have found her full keel to be superior for coastal crusing as many of our friends have snagged lobster or fishing pots with their fin keels and have had to go over the side to clear them. I have sailed many times in the company of our friends larger boats ranging up to 40 feet length in light air. Our CD25D with a 150 Genoa will keep up with most boats up to 30 - 35 feet in light air depending upon the sea conditions. So I would not say she is slow but on the other hand she's no racing boat either. If I am racing I would want the J boat or a C&C fin keel configuration but being that we cruise our boat the full keel is the way to go as far as sea keeping ability goes. I would say that heavy weather is her forte because with the working sails and reefing down the mainsail as the wind increases she is good up to 30 knots easily making hull speed to windward in a seaway. Above 30 knots we go with our storm jib and fully reefed mainsail. The boat handles wonderfully in high winds with heavy seas. Anything above 40 - 50 knots you shouldn't be out there. I say this having experienced hurricane conditions offshore as first mate aboard fishing boats in my youth. I could write a book about my experiences offshore while on fishing boats but I will not get into that here. Hope this helps you in your decision.


Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D

don@cliggptt.com

[john churchill]

i was the fool who sailed her from norfolk to bermuda and back. she is really small out there. with all the necessary gear, etc, she sank 3-4" below her prior waterline. she took a knockdown from breaking waves on each leg, never put the mast in the water however. i was never concerned about structural integrity but did worry about the rig staying in her. had one gale with 40, gusting 50. really wished i was at home for that part. would be happy to talk further if interested or ward welsh may have old copies of the "Masthead" available.
john churchill
757-547-7714

[Lou Ostendorff]

>would be happy to talk further if interested or ward welsh may have old copies of the "Masthead" available <

Hi John;
I would also like to read of your entire adventure, if the literature is still available...

Lou Ostendorff
s/v KARMA
CD25D #63




louosten@ipass.net

[Bob]

Bob,
Thanks for your comments. A couple of weeks ago, I left the mooring in about 12k steady,15k-20k NW puffy front-coming-in weather. Before I was even out of the lee we were almost knocked down. I was standing on the coaming, unable to get to the mainsheet to release it. I had one reef, and the furler set to about 110%. We returned to the mooring, had lunch, put in another reef, reduced the jib further and had a pokey sail for the rest of the afternoon. My wife loved it. I didn't. In the folkboat we would have had a 150 genoa with maybe one reef and would have been dry, comfortable and fast. The Walton 25 was commissioned by an Annapolis boat dealer who wanted a cheaper version of the Choy-Lee Frisco Flyer. Phil Rhodes did the design, Whitby built the boats. Mine was #12. She was 25'6" long, 19'6" waterline, 7' at the beam, 3'10 draft about 6500lbs displacement I don't remember the sail area but it was just a little less than the CD. One huge difference was that she had a transom-mounted rudder. Of course, that's why she tracked so much better.
I recall that the working jib that came with the CD was quite small. So small, in fact, I didn't think it was original to the boat. It had at least four feet of wire cable attached at the top. But maybe it was the right one. I haven't really tried to furl way down to that size being a believer in shortening the main first.

Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD25D #189
To be continued in Greenwich Cove

Don:

It sounds like that was your working jib with the wire leader. I take it that you have roller furling and that's why you need the wire to prevent the halyard from fouling on the roller furler. You need to fasten the wire at the top to raise the roller furling swivel closer to your mast head. This will prevent it from wrapping it's self around your roller furler. When we first got our boat many years ago the previous owner did not have the wire leader. I didn't know so one day I put up the working jib and it fouled itself around the roller furler. Knowing that the mast head rig gets all it's power from the jib I knew I had to get it unfouled or it would be a long sail home under motor and mainsail. I had to climb up the mast and untangle the mess. That's when I was in good physical condition and much younger. I don't think I will do that ever again but I was forced to because I was offshore and had a long way to go before hitting any harbor. I soon as I got ashore I headed strait for a rigging shop to get it taken care of quickly. Rolling up the Genoa is not a good alternative to reducing you headsail as it will loose it's shape the more you roll up. With these northerly winds it gets really gusty even down here on the Great South Bay. I would strongly recommend that you use your working jib when you get those kind of gusty NW winds. It's sound like your carrying to much sail up forward and being overpowered. The CD25D moves along very well with just the working sails in those conditions.

Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D



Ranger1442@hotmail.com

[Don Sargeant]

Bob,

Of course you are correct about the leader. But the sail seemed awfully short on the luff. Do you know what the luff length should be? It's a pain to haul the genoa down and the jib up. Hanks do have their advantages.
Don

Don:

It sounds like that was your working jib with the wire leader. I take it that you have roller furling and that's why you need the wire to prevent the halyard from fouling on the roller furler. You need to fasten the wire at the top to raise the roller furling swivel closer to your mast head. This will prevent it from wrapping it's self around your roller furler. When we first got our boat many years ago the previous owner did not have the wire leader. I didn't know so one day I put up the working jib and it fouled itself around the roller furler. Knowing that the mast head rig gets all it's power from the jib I knew I had to get it unfouled or it would be a long sail home under motor and mainsail. I had to climb up the mast and untangle the mess. That's when I was in good physical condition and much younger. I don't think I will do that ever again but I was forced to because I was offshore and had a long way to go before hitting any harbor. I soon as I got ashore I headed strait for a rigging shop to get it taken care of quickly. Rolling up the Genoa is not a good alternative to reducing you headsail as it will loose it's shape the more you roll up. With these northerly winds it gets really gusty even down here on the Great South Bay. I would strongly recommend that you use your working jib when you get those kind of gusty NW winds. It's sound like your carrying to much sail up forward and being overpowered. The CD25D moves along very well with just the working sails in those conditions.

Bob
S/V Ranger #144
1984 CD25D

don@cliggott.com

[Peter van der Kam]

I have some old issues of the Masthead with John Churchill's adventures on Skua in them; let me know where to send them and I'll be delighted to comply. Peter



pepermuntje@bigfoot.com