Sail unfurling

I was out on the Montrose Basin (east coast of Scotland) on Sunday with a wind speed of about 18 gusting to 30, there was no swell just a bit of chop with spray so the A1 was flying. (a friend took some photos & vid so I will post when I figure how) The problem was that I had to keep the sail reefed in a bit more than I would have liked as when the gusts came the sail was completely unfurling at the top. I would get acceleration at the start of the gust and then the mast would bend over and unfurl at the top, this seemed to cause a deceleration as the sail took on a funnel shape, as the gust eased a bit the mast straightened and re-furled giving a little acceleration before slowing again as the wind settled. I remember reading about someone having the same problem but don't remember what the solution was and couldn't find the post. Can anyone help?

I seem to recall something about-
checking that the sail webbing is correctly positioned in the mast top sail holder
check the mast top sail holder is not rotating
taping the mast halves together?

I don't know if this picture is similar, but it shows my sail which had been fully furled on shore. The wind came up very strong and tightened the furling on the bottom half of the mast, while pulling out the sail on the top half.


Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

The first link shows the sail unfurled at the top, you will notice I was keeping pace with the dinghys, with a better sail shape I think I would have been ahead. The second link is a more sedate sail the day before. The film work obviously needs work, my excuse is its my first attempt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOezR2pw ... re=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7PMLi51 ... re=channel

Thats a tough one... Avoid 30 knots? Thats a LOT of wind. You need to keep the sail sheeted and pulling down to keep the upper furled, but at some point... there just isn't a good answer. Too much wind.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The mast is comprised of two poles. The smaller top pole that slides into the larger bottom pole.

When roller reefing the mailsail, the furling line rotates the drum on the bottom mast pole.

Is the top mast pole expected to rotate simultaneously along with the bottom pole? If yes, what mechanism keeps them rotating in sync? friction?

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Marc K
2010 Hobie Tandem Island
Boynton Beach, FL

The top fitting actually swivels too, so no... they don't need to be fixed together to work I would think.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

So are you saying that without a boom and a kicker, which would defeat the purpose of the AI, its a limitation that we will have to live with? Probably a good thing for someone like me who sails solo a lot, the way the wind gets spilt in a strong gust you are not going to come a cropper in a sudden squall. I wouldnt have gone out that day without the safety boat ready to launch, but it does give you confidence in the craft to test it occasionly. I would have liked to do a capsize drill but its a bit shallow in the Montrose Basin.

I would just like to make a general request that everyone include units when quoting speeds. For example, saying the wind was going at 30 does not help much when there are so many units kicking around. It could be 30 miles per hour (mostly U.S.), 30 kilometers per hour or 30 knots.

SPEED CONVERSIONS - KNOTS, MPH, KPH
Knots Miles per Hour Kilometers per Hour
1 1.152 1.85
2 2.303 3.70
3 3.445 5.55
4 4.606 7.41
5 5.758 9.26
6 6.909 11.13
7 8.061 12.98
8 9.212 14.83
9 10.364 16.68
10 11.515 18.55

1 Knot = 1 Nautical Mile per hour
1 Nautical mile = 6076.12 ft. = 1852 m **
1 Statute mile = 1760 yards = 5280 feet

NORTHSEA, assuming that your mast or furling cleat are not slipping, one way you can mitigate the unfurling effect is to hold both lines securely and apply counter pressure on the mainsheet while furling. This tends to even out the furling pull along the entire sail and results in a tighter furl.

I struggled with this in high winds the other day. My battens wanted to escape cuz things were just a little loose at the top. It doesn't take much slack to create a problem. After a couple tries, I got it right.

In challenging conditions, you can furl in several steps(batten by batten) stopping to snug the mainsheet as you go.

Once the sails tail is within reach, you could also tug (back and down) on this while completing the furl.

Your position to the wind may also effect the quality of your furl. A slight starboard tack helped me.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...