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West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
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SolarFry@aol.com wrote:
> I would be quite aprehensive about going into a cabin and out a hatch forward to change headsails on a 15' sailboat out in the middle of the ocean leaving the tiller unattended.
Apart from the problem you and others have noted with "tamed" or
unattended tillers, there are structural issues in installing a hatch
big enough for even the smallest sailor to use to access the foredeck.
There have been several solutions offered so far:
1. Go over the top of the cabin to change sails. The maximum sailor
weight for this exercise on a P15 seems to be about 200 lbs. It
minimizes the time away from the tiller, but does not eliminate it.
Could require a sea anchor or drogue to manage the boat while doing
this in heavy weather.
2. Roller furler. Seems to require special sail (not hanked on), and
contributes to weight aloft, which in turn increases the tendency to
capsize in weather. Mechanical reliability seems to be acceptable if
installed correctly and well maintained. Also note that jib's center
of effort is moved forward _and somewhat upward_ as sail is furled.
3. Separate foresail from forestay (not hanked on) supported by
tension between jib halyard and block near point of attachment of
forestay to deck. Block allows foot of sail to be moved back to
cockpit so sail changes can be made without leaving cockpit.
Ingenious, but increased tension on P15 side stays and compression on
mast might lead to rigging failure. It might also be necessary to
beef up the jib's edges to handle the increased tension on the sail
required to maintain its shape. There is a possible benefit in that
the jib's center of effort might be tunable (fore-aft) with this rig.
If I have omitted or mischaracterized any methods mentioned on these
lists, please let me know. I'm feeling my way along, trying to get it
right.
Perhaps there is another way. Has anyone considered some sort of
reefing method for a jib other than a furler? Would it be possible to
gather the foot of the jib as we do the main, using something akin to
a jiffy reef system?
-- Robert Skinner, robert@140.com, Rockville, MD 20850 '87 Potter 15 HMS #1618 "Little Dipper" ECPA http://members.tripod.com/~SpeedSailor
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