Heavy Wind Rigging?

I was out today & got caught in a sudden, frightening amount of wind. I furrowed the jib in a bit and let the main out all the way to let some of the wind spill, but it was still a bit unnerving.

Anyone have a suggestion on the best way to rig the sail if/when this happens again?

If your safe harbor is upwind, I would just ease the jib or partially furl it (it really is a small percentage of your sail plan) to maintain tacking ability. If it's downwind, I'd furl it completely and not worry about it. Letting the traveler out all the way on either upwind tack will allow you to depower the main sail, maintain main sail shape, keep from flogging and still retain steerage. Don't just let the main sheet out, that will cause you to flog and lose steerage. Downwind, keep the main sheeted in tight and will depower you, just be careful of jibing.

Also, make sure you have practiced righting under controlled conditions before you have to deal with it under an extreme situation. Righting practice can actually be a fun exercise, and make those unexpected dumps much less dramatic. My girlfriend used to freak out when we ran aground in our monohull, but after a summer of running aground during a drought, it was no big deal and other crew used to comment about how well we handled the situation.

_________________
Sea ya,
Chris Larsen
Co-Pilot of the Hobie Getaway
"The Twins"

~~(\_~~

I would agree with charlsen123 - except - when caught in very high winds, I bring the jib all the way in. One less thing to worry about and much quieter than letting it luff. You can always ease it out to come about if need be.

Also, place the mainsheet block into the uppermost position on the clue. This will tighten the leach further depowering the main.

Thank you for correcting me. After I went to bed, I realized that the furling line on a Getaway is relatively flimsy, compared to a sloop, so I wouldn't put much, if any, strain on the furling line with a jib half-furled. The multiple holes on the clew of the main is an excellent tool that I had forgotten about while sitting at my desk.

_________________
Sea ya,
Chris Larsen
Co-Pilot of the Hobie Getaway
"The Twins"

~~(\_~~

A couple comments...

You can not partially furl the jib on a Hobie, the system is not intended to be used that way. It's either all out or all in.

I've never sailed a Getaway, but traditionally, you should place the mainsheet blocks on the lowest or most inboard hole in the clew plate in order to depower. This has the effect of flattening the bottom of the sail and letting the top twist off to spill more wind.

As for techniques for depowering the sail plan, first add maximum downhaul, then max outhaul (or move the mainsheet blocks to the lowest/farthest forward clew point), then travel out, then furl the jib. Travel out so that you can keep the mainsheet pulled in HARD, only easing the main in strong gusts. As a last resort, you can lower the mainsail and sail under jib only, but the closest you will be able to sail to the wind will be about a beam reach.

sm

I have far more experience as a keel boat sailor. It is not uncommon to sail on jib alone in high wind. I sail on an inland lake with a lot of high wind. Is there any reason why the Getaway cannot be launched and sailed with no main?

_________________

Frank, sailing '02 Getaway in Wichita KS. Lake Cheney
(Hobie 17 RIP, storm of '05)

I'm also a sloop sailor, but there are some differences with a catamaran (especially if the jib is 100% of the J dimension or less, which is usually the case). A previous post mentioned that jib only would get you on a beam-reach only. I don't remember ever trying it, but I can see that it could be true. The center of effort is considerably forward of the center of lateral resistance on a cat, which is different than a sloop with a 110.

Think of the distance between the middle of the jib and the middle of the boat as one lever, and the middle of the boat to the center of the rudders as another lever. They in effect cancel each other out, so you have no leverage to point, and the wind has just as much leverage to blow you down.

_________________
Sea ya,
Chris Larsen
Co-Pilot of the Hobie Getaway
"The Twins"

~~(\_~~