Steve is a fellow navigator who on John’s yahoo forum has just posted a file about sail setting for the navigator. I’ve posted on this and my experiences following John’s advice before http://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2010/05/learning-to-sail-lugsail-yawl.html)
Steve has actually added to some of the stuff I originally saw and so there is some new stuff for me to think about.
Tying the halyard no more than 30 – 40% of the length of the upper yard (back from its front foot) is helpful. Steve also points out that “When you raise the sail on a standing lug (even a small one) you should be able to notice a distinct "tail-heavy" feel to the yard. The weight of its aft end as well as that of the sail and boom should all be pulling down on the aft end of the yard and up on the forward end of it.”
That’s definitely true – as I get older – it seems harder to pull up that upper yard!
‘If you have a crease from the throat to the clew – make sure the lower tack isn’t more than 50mm away from the mast by using a set of parrel beads’.
Now I have a confession to make – I took those off. My coaming is quite high and I found that if I put a huge amount of tension on the downhaul the sail could only be pulled down until it hit the top of the coaming. Irritating and clearly I haven’t set it up right because no other navigator seems to be reporting this. I took off these lower parrel beads and the sail can now be tensioned by the downhaul much more – to the point of where the sail bottom is actually slightly below the coaming inside the boat – but then there is a huge 30cm gap between the mast and tack at the bottom – but no crease! Um! I’ve clearly done something wrong!
Steve also makes a comment that the main needs to be set in such a way that the upper sail batten’s aft end is parallel with the boat’s centre in medium weather; and sagging off very slightly when it is blowing harder. I’ve got to work out what that looks like in my head and then I’d better check that one too.
And 25% of the yard should be forward of the mast
I have never had that much forward – I barely get 25 cm forward – so that also suggests I’ve done something wrong setting up the sails. I mean don’t get me wrong – creases have disappeared – the sail sits high enough so the sprit boom doesn’t sag and Arwen sails fine for me .......but that’s not the point – clearly it is not right and she could sail even better and I owe it to her to get it right!
Another comment made me think. “Don’t put the sprit boom end so high on the mizzen that the top of the leach is hooked to windward”. What does that mean – because now I’m thinking my sprit boom forward end does seem high on the mizzen – ugh!
I am doing some things right – unintentionally I didn’t realise this but I do sail with the jib set further out than other boats around me – the wind indicators do stream either side – so that must be ok. But then he said
“Jib - watch for the sag in the luff of the sail and re-tune halyard tension until you have about 20mm sag 1/3 the way up the luff.”
What does that mean? Some old seadog in Salcombe told me I had a sagging jib and should tension the halyard as tight as I could – now I should allow a slight sag? Whoa there cowboys...........I need to internalise all this stuff.
At least I furl the mizzen correctly because I loosen off the tack and take it up to the sprit boom and I lower the head of the sail down to that and lash the lot; and then tighten the mizzen sheet which holds it securely.
Well – some new ideas and tips and things to check when I go out....now due to an appalling memory – I’d better go and right them down in my waterproof log book!
Steve
Steve has actually added to some of the stuff I originally saw and so there is some new stuff for me to think about.
Tying the halyard no more than 30 – 40% of the length of the upper yard (back from its front foot) is helpful. Steve also points out that “When you raise the sail on a standing lug (even a small one) you should be able to notice a distinct "tail-heavy" feel to the yard. The weight of its aft end as well as that of the sail and boom should all be pulling down on the aft end of the yard and up on the forward end of it.”
That’s definitely true – as I get older – it seems harder to pull up that upper yard!
‘If you have a crease from the throat to the clew – make sure the lower tack isn’t more than 50mm away from the mast by using a set of parrel beads’.
Now I have a confession to make – I took those off. My coaming is quite high and I found that if I put a huge amount of tension on the downhaul the sail could only be pulled down until it hit the top of the coaming. Irritating and clearly I haven’t set it up right because no other navigator seems to be reporting this. I took off these lower parrel beads and the sail can now be tensioned by the downhaul much more – to the point of where the sail bottom is actually slightly below the coaming inside the boat – but then there is a huge 30cm gap between the mast and tack at the bottom – but no crease! Um! I’ve clearly done something wrong!
Steve also makes a comment that the main needs to be set in such a way that the upper sail batten’s aft end is parallel with the boat’s centre in medium weather; and sagging off very slightly when it is blowing harder. I’ve got to work out what that looks like in my head and then I’d better check that one too.
And 25% of the yard should be forward of the mast
I have never had that much forward – I barely get 25 cm forward – so that also suggests I’ve done something wrong setting up the sails. I mean don’t get me wrong – creases have disappeared – the sail sits high enough so the sprit boom doesn’t sag and Arwen sails fine for me .......but that’s not the point – clearly it is not right and she could sail even better and I owe it to her to get it right!
Another comment made me think. “Don’t put the sprit boom end so high on the mizzen that the top of the leach is hooked to windward”. What does that mean – because now I’m thinking my sprit boom forward end does seem high on the mizzen – ugh!
I am doing some things right – unintentionally I didn’t realise this but I do sail with the jib set further out than other boats around me – the wind indicators do stream either side – so that must be ok. But then he said
“Jib - watch for the sag in the luff of the sail and re-tune halyard tension until you have about 20mm sag 1/3 the way up the luff.”
What does that mean? Some old seadog in Salcombe told me I had a sagging jib and should tension the halyard as tight as I could – now I should allow a slight sag? Whoa there cowboys...........I need to internalise all this stuff.
At least I furl the mizzen correctly because I loosen off the tack and take it up to the sprit boom and I lower the head of the sail down to that and lash the lot; and then tighten the mizzen sheet which holds it securely.
Well – some new ideas and tips and things to check when I go out....now due to an appalling memory – I’d better go and right them down in my waterproof log book!
Steve
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