Sails

[ebb]

MAKING A CASE FOR THE HANK-ON STAYSAIL
signed 'Darrell Nicholson PUBLISHED August 11, 2015'

Is a short (approx 650 wds) essay, which also includes his signature bio, 175wds.


Once subscribed to PracticalSailor. But quit, because many inaccuracies and testing
methods began bugging me. (One was testing paint with tiny chips grouped cheek
by jowl on the side of a Boston Whaler. Another comparing anchor holding pulling
from the parking lot of a muddy abandoned marina.) Seems like three decades ago
I bailed. Realized it was his methodology ( maybe his personality) that got in the
way of seeing 'test results' as real & accurate. Opinions are opinions.

So, if you do read the whole article, I'm not endorsing anything. nor proving my
negative opinion -- years ago got quite testy, his "anchor tests" got me started.

Here is a qualifier. Two four line paragraphs:

"In my view, having a foolproof hank-on sail ahead of the mast is not a bad thing.
On your average cruising boat, the staysail is usually small. and stay itself is far
enough aft that dousing or setting it doesn't put the crew in any jeopardy. The
nice thing about this approach is that it greatly reduces the cost of retrofitting a
sloop with an inner forestay and sail to set on it.

"Im not alone in questioning the need for the furling staysail. Sailmaker Carol
Hasse, who specializes in cruising sails, won't hesitate to advocate a hank-on
staysail over a furler for the offshore cruiser.* The same goes for our tech editor
Ralph Naranjo. Keep in mind that this is a sail where shape and reliability is
paramount-two areas where the hank-on sail generally excels over the furled one."
(*since we are in the business of giving advice for money, this conversational
quote should be substantiated with the source, like a Hasse quote.)

Well, that alone shld be enough. Hasse would have something to say about her
furling genoa's shape and reliability. Maybe a pause, remembering the shape and
reliability of litlgull's skipper.
Also, opening sentence of the first quote is sortof indecisive - "..having a foolproof
hank-on.. .. is not a bad thing." The proof of that last phrase is far less than a GOOD
THING. Quibble tho I must about the style of writing, it's an annoying weak
argument the way it's written.

And 'Im not alone in questioning..' Darrell equates himself with Hasse
'who won't hesitate to advocate a hank-on staysail over a furler for the offshore
cruiser'. Quibble-quabble, what this is is word-packing. Hasse 'won't hesitate..' ?
WHO sez that?? So I can't really accept what DARRELL'S saying. Because, in one
unhesitant case it certainly isn't the Hasse I dealt with!!


PARTING SHOT. Nicholson hasn't proved his hank-on preference beyond conversational
'I-told-you-so'. An Ariel-Commander traditional staysail is a tiny thing compared with
a 125% furling genoa. Comparing a buoy-racing apple with a voyaging naval orange.
The only argument is that Alberg put it there and did the maths to lock it. Time moves
on. Furlers have been around since the 80s, they've proved themselves, and they canbe
dangerous. Sailing is dangerous, that's why we do it. Take on too much water and
the boat won't float, maybe your preference should be a 60s Plymouth sedan, won't
sink, it's safer that way. The furling genoa will help you get there sooner, and probably
a lot more fun. The only unprovable argument is would Alberg approve.
The answer is in the pudding.