Re: David Kautz's letter about not using sail slugs.

Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Tue, 25 May 1999 13:31:25 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>We made surprising distance in a short amount of time despite having only a
>patch of sail showing and set our sights on one of the channel markers as
>a turn
>around point. Reaching that, we dropped the main and raised the jib for the
>downwind run back. To give the rig some extra support, we tightened the
>topping
>lift and brought the mainsheet in tight on the centerline. Although we
>weren't
>at hull speed, I'd estimate we were making 3 to 4 knots through the water
>with
>only 23 square feet of sail up.
>
>The boat is very easy to control downwind with just the jib pulling it
>along. I
>let the kids take the helm while I enjoyed a beer and a snack. We watched
>Jerry
>and some of the others show us the bottom of a P-19 (heeled well over in a
>gust). As we approached the slough to the island and turned so that the
>wind was
>on our beam I was pleasantly surprised to find that the boat still sailed
>well
>under only the jib. Turning in to the slough I started the engine and left it
>idling under the assumption that we would need it imminently, as we now
>had the
>wind about 45 degrees off our bow. There was definite lee helm but the
>boat was
>_still sailing_ with only the jib. I think the only way to do this is to
>get the
>boat moving first on a beam reach or more until there is plenty of water
>flowing
>over the rudder, then turn up towards the wind. We ended up sailing all
>the way
>to our slip and blipped the motor only at the very last to get docked
>upwind. I
>was pleasantly surprised and quite impressed with how well the boat sailed
>under
>jib only. From my one experience that day I would estimate that it's not
>possible to sail any higher than 45 degrees apparent into the wind, but
>frankly,
>that is better than I expected.
>
>
>Dave Kautz
>P-15 #1632 Tilly Lucy
>Palo Alto, CA
>
Pretty cool, Dave! I couldn't do that with my gunter rig. Maybe your trick
of using the topping lift and mainsheet as a backstay made a big
difference. Also the center of effort of your overlapping jib is further
aft than the CE of my original nonoverlapping jib. I've only been able to
sail jib alone when well off the wind.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA