Sailing a CD 25 when wind is 15 knots or greater

[Tom Foley]

I am very apprehensive about sailing when wind exceeds 15 knots. Today i went out and it was 15-20 with some small white caps. I turned around and went in because I don't like going out when its that windy eve after 15 years. any suggestions to overcome apprehension? Any special rigging? I have a 150 genoa and the main.
Thanks

[Bill Goldsmith]

To develop more confidence, make sure you know when and how to reduce sail. Some might sail a CD25 with full main and a 150 genny in 15-20 knots but you'll be on your ear and will feel out of control. Put a first or second reef in the main, and roll up the genny to about 90% if you have roller furling. If you have hanked-on sails, you should invest in a working jib. With the right amount of sail up, you'll be smiling from ear to ear in 15-20 knots on a CD25!


Also, learn to heave to. It's a great way to calm things down while you think about what to do next. And it's a great time to reef the main (or shake out the reef in the main).

You may want to have an experienced skipper or instructor take you out on your boat to give you pointers that will increase your confidence and overcome the butterflies. It'll be worth the effort.

[Stan W.]

A full main and a full 150 genny is too much sail above 15 knots. Some people like to start with a reef in the main, but it is a lot of work to sheet home a 150 in that kind of wind. In that regard, it is easier to reduce the headsail first. If you have roller-furling, that just means rolling up some sail. If you have hank-on sails, that means changing to a working jib.

How old are your sails? Baggy old sails make a boat heel more.

Is there an inclinometer on your compass or elsewhere on your boat? Your goal should be to keep the boat at around 20 degrees of heel on a close reach, but the boat can stand a lot more. My CD 28 doesn't put the rail under until it gets past 40 degrees of heel. You wouldn't want to sail that way all the time but, once you learn what the boat can do, it becomes good sport to dip the rail every now and then.

Lastly, always remember that wind force increases exponentially with wind speed. The difference in force between 15 and 20 knots is something like double the difference in force between 10 and 15 knots.

[RichMason]

My CD 28 has the factory jiffy reefing hardware on the boom but I am unsure of exactly how to run the line. Does anyone have a good picture of what a correct jiffy reef looks like including the routing and tying off of the line?

[Paul Clayton]

The first time I sailed my CD25 in that kind of wind I was absolutely terrified. Coming from a dinghy sailing background I was convinced that the boat was going to go right on over. But with time I found that the CD quickly goes to 10-12 degrees and then gets solid. That first few degrees can come real fast, though, and make you feel out of control.

I agree with the other guys, a genoa is too much sail for that kind of wind unless you are very experienced. In fact, I would have a reef in the main and a standard jib - not that the CD can't stand an unreefed main at 20 knots, but I've found that on those 15-20 knot days, there's always a potential for a 25 knot gust - then things can get wild in a hurry.

Perfect CD25 sailing for me is a 7-12 knot wind, full main and genoa.

[Danno]

[Ray Garcia]

I agree with the other posts about reefing the mainsail. I was out this past weekend on the south shore of Long Island in 20 to 25 Kt. w/higher gusts out of the NW - W. I was beating my way to the west. I have a CD27 and had set the 1st reef in the mainsail and let my 130 genoa furled out about 90%. I was having a blast! Of course there was spray, heeling, and noise from the wind but the boat was in total control.

I had the pleasure of meeting a real old time boatbuilder here on Long Island who asked about my boat. He is a gentleman in his 90's. His advice to me was to sail her hard to feel what she can and can not do. I suggest the same, reef the main and go out in a real windy day even if for a little while. Don't fly the genoa if your not comfortable. The experience you gain will be invaluable. Don't always rely on the motor to get you back home on a windy day.

[Mark Abramski]

do as all above say. few things are more therapeudic than sailing in 20 kts of wind. you know you're alive.

[Brian McGowan]

Your CD 25 can handle wind and waves. Don't worry about it, just go for the ride and enjoy it. As most have already said, get a working jib and reef the main.
We've had a hot summer so far but the winds have been fickle and variable for the most part but this past weekend was perfect for all the sailors on this end of Lake Erie.
The winds were 20+ from the W when I got down to the boat. I motored out into Buffalo's outer harbor and raised full main and working jib. Of the boats out, some sailed only jibs, some only mains and a lot of reefed main/jib. It wasn't long before I hove to and reefed the main. My main is old and in winds over 15 it's best with a reef. The reef eliminates the bagginess and with a working jib the boat is so well balanced that I could just tie off the tiller and go below to get a drink and she'll stay on course (I don't go far and don't stay long, the point is the boat is balanced). I was doing 6.5mph + and topped 7 for 4+ miles inside the harbor breakwalls. I was passing everyone (not all that common for a CD). As the afternoon wore on the sky cleared and the winds moderated to 15+ and I ventured out into Lake Erie and its 4ft+ waves/chop. I averaged 5.5 and was cutting though the waves. Now I like to sail from the lee side of the boat and that puts you close to the water, you just look over and see your boat's bow wave run full length of the boat and you know she is flying. Our CD25's are great sailing boats.
Get a working jib and try reefing the main if the winds are over 15 and get out there and relax, let the boat sail, feel it and the wind and waves. Your boat can handle it. Have confidence in the boat and yourself and enjoy.
Brian
"Zephyous" CD25 #372

[Stan W.]

My CD 28 has the factory jiffy reefing hardware on the boom but I am unsure of exactly how to run the line. Does anyone have a good picture of what a correct jiffy reef looks like including the routing and tying off of the line?

This is the set-up on a boat made only weeks before yours:

There should be a pad-eye on the port side of the boom. The aft reefing line starts there, then runs up to and through a reef cringle on the leech, then runs down to and around a cheek block on the starboard side, and then runs forward and is fastened to a cleat on the starboard side of the boom.

There also should be a pad-eye on the port side of the mast. The forward reefing line starts there, then runs up to and through a reef cringle on the luff, and then runs down and is fastened to a cleat on the starboard side of the mast.

The forward reef line also doubles as a Cunningham if you have an extra cringle in the luff.

Finally, there should be reef gaskets knotted in the sail. If you have a bolt-rope on the foot of your main, these tie under the boom. If you have slugs on the foot of your main, or a loose footed main, these tie under the sail and above the boom. These are mostly for appearances so it is o.k. to leave them untied for a while if winds or seas are making things a little hairy at a given moment

Cape Dory made no provision for a separate aft reefing line for the second set of reef points. To achieve this, you need a second set of everything, pad-eye, cheek block and cleat, each mounted somewhat forward of the corresponding piece of existing hardware. You can also just move the existing aft reefing line up to the second reef cringle in the leech but that is hard to do on the fly in double-reef weather and may not bring the clew all the way down to the boom. You do not really need a second forward reefing line as that one is easy to move on the fly.

[RichMason]

Thanks for spelling it all out for me. Once I learned that it takes two lines, it all makes sense. We ran a reef line during the survey sea trial but the surveyor used one piece of rope, thus my confusion.

[Dave H]

My Typhoon Senior has Harken single line reefing, it's great. Halyard and reefing line led side by side to cockpit. But, no provision for the second reef.

Dave Hedlund
Ty Sr #35
Puffin

[Jay Kanavos]

My CD 28 has the factory jiffy reefing hardware on the boom but I am unsure of exactly how to run the line. Does anyone have a good picture of what a correct jiffy reef looks like including the routing and tying off of the line?

Rich,

Page 115 of the Cape Dory Owner's Manual has a drawing of what it looks like and instructions. The manual can be found on the board here. If you need pictures let me know and I'll email them to you (please send me your email address).

Jay

[Bruce Dart]

I would echo everything said about carrying the right sails and reefing early. CD25s are tender, they heel easily until about 20 degrees. They stiffen up wonderfully at that point, though, and the way they stand up to wind and wave inspires a lot of confidence. I agree, too, that sailing her on her ear from time to time can be an exhilarating experience.

But . . ..

If your crew isn't expecting it, having the boat heel like that can be terrifying. As those of you who sail the Santa Barbara Channel in Southern California know, the wind pipes up to 15/20 knots pretty much every afternoon. The second time I took my wife out on our 25, Wings O' Morning, I got caught up in how wonderfully the boat was handling, then happened to glance over at my wife, only to find that her eyes were as big as saucers. She'd never been at more than 10 degrees of heel before, and thought the boat was going to keep heeling until it turned turtle. She knows now, at least intellectually, that isn't going to happen. But in her gut she's still frightened every time she goes out. And being frightened is not fun.

So the moral is, carry the right sails, reef early, practice heaving to . . . and don't scare the daylights out of your crew!

And now if/when you see Wings O' Morning for sale, you'll know why.

[Mike Thompson]

When I owned a CD25 I found a storm jib useful.
For instance if you have guests the storm jib will result in
less heeling so I would often use it for a more comfortable ride.

My experience was that in really strong winds, the working jib
was too large and although I could ease the main when a
powerful puff came along, the wind in the working jib
forced the boat to head off and resulted in an extreme
lee-helm. The boat took a lot of water into the cockpit!
This never happened with the storm jib.