Single Handing

[fmueller]

On Jerezana I don't really seem to need a winch on the jib furling line. I have a ratcheting block too, and that seems to be enough - and I'm no Hercules.

But my jib is a 115% North hi-cut I had made 2 years ago. The boat came with the original beat up 100 (with clips), and a decent furling 135 - but the big sail was really too much for the boat, overpowering her even before 15 knots, as well as being a real deck sweeper and loosing shape fast when furled, and making single handing a chore because its a lot of sail to "bring around". Plus fully deployed I could never see what the heck was down to leeward under that sail - so I had the new sail made which has a pendant at the tack.

The new sail keeps really good shape rolled in to about 100% because North puts a really nice multi bolt rope arrangement along the luff. It pulls like a mule too and I can make 40 true pretty easily with it and be moving right along.

Neal - I sailed from Jamestown back up to RIYC (my homeport now, which is way up Narragansett Bay) on the same day as your slog. About 20 miles with that NNW wind on the nose. Boy it was gusty!

We actually got semi knocked down on one sloppy tack where I had the main cleated, and had swung too far off the wind before rounding up to the proper new heading - and the wind slammed us right then. Couple of buckets of water came over the cockpit combing right then and there landing in my sons lap, before I could release the mainsheet. In the 4 1/2 years I've had Jerezana I have had powerboat wakes slop into the cockpit, and the occasional chop slop get in going to windward, but this is the first time I've "dumped" her over far enough to semi-burry the combing. I should have been faster with the sheet.

We sailed with one reef in, and the jib tugged in just a little bit too, most of the day. I never have sailed Jerezana with the second reef in the main, but the next time I'm in similar wind (high teens - gusts past 25) I think I'll try her with two reefs and just let the jib fly full and see how that balances. I've been out in pretty stiff wind now and flown just the jib as a test- and I can make to windward well and the helm is almost exactly neutral - so if I ever got in a gale, or a heavy squall, my plan is to dump the main and sail on the jib at about 90%. I think I'd be good to about 30 knots like that.

by the way - just in general it seems to me we have had lots of wind this year ... lots

cheers

[Jim Walsh]

I have a dedicated furling headsail winch. 99% of the time it is used as a snubbing winch in high winds but I will admit I've used a winch handle on a couple occasions. It's critical that you be certain your furling gear is working properly or the use of a winch could result in a catastrophic failure.