Heavy Weather

no one wants to change mains in a blow so it is generally excepted that it is simpler/easier therefore safer/better to have the trisail mounted on it's own track to hoist.I've seen them sheeted in aft through the spinnaker leads back to the winch.

I looked at our masts today , and it ain't room for a second track on that small mast. I'd prefer the 2nd track too. The parrels work good, I have used them on several masts , make them out of lignum vitae , about a 2" ball.

Mike,

What did you just say? I've done a bit of reading, but, I ain't never heard no words like them uttered... :confused:

Never heard of parrel beads, it is what keeps the gaff jaws around a mast . A centuries old technique that still works today.

Speaking of gaff jaws (I am still trying to figure out what parrell beads are - and having accepted that my mind can never fathom such a concept, figure we should continue on), I now recognize why gaff rigging was so benign in heavy weather, compared to the sloop rig. With the gaff you can easily get rid of the top part of the sail to reduce leverage by dropping the angle of the gaff. When you reef the sail, the center of effort does not move forward significantly as it does with a sloop rig. The gaff rig sail is basically a rectangle when the gaff lowered, and a triangle with the gaff raised. What an ingenious innovation for heavy weather. Are gaff rigs really a thing of the past?

So far as I know only Michael Kasten is able to talk about gaff rig in modern terms. Nearly all the rest seem to be history buffs. Of course the rig has a lot to do with the hull shape it usually goes with. And modern boats are obsessed with keeping weight off the mast.

Ok, found a picture,

These are MUCH bigger then I was thinking, and it seems to me that they would wrap around the mast but you should get the idea.

Let's see if I can get it to display, otherwise I will re-format it later.

The gaff rig, especially the gaff cutter, has much to recommend itself for cruising. While it is least weatherly rig you could imagine, the whole point of cruising is to reach or go downwind, and a gaff cutter on a reach is untouchable. And as Ebb points out, its heavy weather capabilities are unmatched. Modern daysailors prefer the simple bermuda sloop for ease of handling and upwind performance, but Lyle Hess didn't design all those great gaff boats of his for giggles. They WORK.

For those who were wondering, attached are a diagram and foto of storm trysail setup.

J.

A penny more, here. Larry Pardey (with a Lyle Hess cruiser) has a heavy weather CD in which he shows his technique of heaving to with a Long Footed trisail that has a set of reef points!

I recommend the CD, First, to find out what a great sailor does in Heavy Weather, his set up is different than the usual stuff on the net. Second, the CD is made and produced by them, so it directly affects their cruising kitty. Third, the music's pretty good too.

I admit to being a 'newbie' to a gaff rig, but I do have a couple of comments on them as my 'trailor sailor' right now for home waters is a suncat with a gaff rig. 1st..they don't like to point too high...50-55 degrees (is there a little dgree key on a type writer?) but they will go to weather that much.2nd..they stand up well in a breeze..better than I expected. I assume that it is a combination of a much lower center of force on the sail and their ability to naturally spill air off the top portion of the sail in a gust. I also find playing with sail shape fun on mine and ya just can't beat the looks of a gaffer !! ps..down wind or any point off wind they ARE fast! Has any one ever converted an Ariel??

Took a look at their website, thanks Ebb.

I was familure with their books, but the site is great.

The link is; http://landlpardey.com/


Mike,

I had planned to use parrel beads as for a tiny storm Jib but after reading this thread I have now abandoned that idea. I like them for the trisail though. I am headed to the boat now, the only obstruction that immedately comes to mind is the masthead light (mine seems pretty low to me). Might be high enough though.

Thanks,

Anyone who thinks gaff rig wont go to weather , has been sailing on the wrong boats . I had a gaff yawl that would point as high as my friends Catalina 30 , just not as fast on that point of sail . It is a common misconception that gaff rig wont point , held mostly by folks who have never sailed gaffers , or only sailed Tahiti ketches or tubby little dinghies.
A proper designed and tuned gaft rig will point as high as our Ariel , it just wont be the best point of sail , reaching is.
If you don't have running backstays on a gaffer and know how to use them , then it wont point worth a crap .
I had the distinct pleasure of being aboard the gaff schooner Bluenose II out of Halifax NS when we were challanged by a modern 60 or 70 foot ocean racer. Not only did we sail above them and steal all their air, we out distanced them so much they gave up and turned away , 15 knots going to weather is awesome on a monohull , 18+ on a reach is almost like sex .

Commander Pete,
The Captain and Crew of the Faith would like to say thanks for your support!
And we'd like to conjecture that an Alberg designed hull can CERTAINLY stand the strains and stresses of a little dip for the combings now and then.... Sure it's frightening when a fifth of your normally admergent hull gets a slight sluice - but it's gold to stand perpendicular to the normally vertical deck! Now, keep in mind, this isn't a bathtub - the kids aren't invited (if aboard, keep them below - I can remember looking out the portholes of Faith directly into the deep blue at age 6) but by all means the boat can handle it. We've taken the 70 degree heel, all hands alert (which means hanging on with a will), multiple times in the last few weeks, not to mention the last 40 years. It's not a question of structural integrity, it's a question of trust in the guy on the tiller. Hurrah!!! or Ahhh!!!
We prefer the Hurrah angle: warnings first, good grips second, leeward rinse third.
It's not brave if you know what you're doing - it's fun!
It's not brave if you don't know what you're doing - it's lunacy.
Don't scare the crew...unless they pay you to...
Sean

Ahhhh....there you are. Welcome to our little clubhouse. We've been enjoying your most excellent adventure.

From Panama you take a right.

Our San Fran Boys should leave a light on for you and keep some beer on ice.

No running back stays...or forsail for that matter on my little catboat gaffer Mike,so I guess 50-55Degrees to weather is about all to expect.You are one LUCKY man to get to sail on the Bluenose...that has to be THEE finest and one of the fastest ole girls ever!! And dam pretty to boot!!!! Kinda sad that the original ended up on a reef being used as a dam cargo boat in its later years.How did ya manage to get sailing on her.?? I've been on board but only at the dock...it truely is a piece of Canadian history...never beaten in a race..it HAS to be the ultimate rush sailing on her.When they built the Bluenose 2 they had her original captain at the helm for the first sail.How did we get from heavy weather onto gaffers onto the Bluenose ?? Sounds like this conversation should be finished sitting on the back of an Ariel with an 'icey' in hand ...and more in the cooler!