Staysail and pointing ability

[Bill Michne]

For most of the time I have been sailing a Cape Dory cutter, I never paid much attention to their pointing ability (it's a cruising boat, gentlemen don't sail to windward, and all that...) However, yesterday I raced her in the local club PHRF event. Conditions were excellent: sunny skies, wind 18-20 knots apparent, temp in the 80's, low humidity). At the start of the race I was even with a Bristol 35.5 under full main and 135 genoa. Going to windward, I was using a reefed main and yankee. I was clearly going faster than she was, but she was outpointing me. I was unable to make up the extra distance on the downwind leg, and lost to her by a minute or so. The question is, when going to windward, would flying the staysail, with its tighter sheeting angle, improve the boat's pointing ability?

[mahalocd36]

Absolutely! Especially when flown with the yankee...

[David Sabourin]

In my 20years+ of sailing my CD36 I have found that the only way to point higher is to fly the main and the staysail only. Once you add the yankee you loose some angle to the wind due to the slot needed between the two headsails. So there is no way that I know of to head as high as the 35.5 that Bill mentions.......we have a quick disconnect inner forestay and a 135% passagemaker we fly during the months of summer due to the light winds....but it still does not point as high as the sloop rigs we have sailed with. Cutter rigs just dont' pont as high.

David