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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5902 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2009 : 10:04:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 Steve, it sounds like the first helmsman sailing a few degrees low should have called for easing the sheets accordingly. I've often used that combination and found that boat speed and comfort make up for the increase in distance sailed, and leeway was probably reduced a little by boat speed (better lift from the keel)--I probably wasn't actually moving as much lower as it looked. I didn't measure it, but VMG probably suffered very little. Harder is not always faster. These boats are not like AC boats--they do better sailing slightly lower than the max (IMVHO).
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Easing the sheets in that particular situation would have made the matter worse. It would have increased the power in the sails at a time when she was already on the edge of being overpowered. The sails were generating enough power to drive her to windward, but her power was being used up to overcome the excessive drag caused by excess heeling, instead of using it to drive her to windward. We kept the sails trimmed flat, and steered her a little higher, and she suddenly stood up and started making much better progress to windward. Your suggestion could be correct in very similar circumstances. You have to figure out why the boat isn't behaving as you want it to. If it doesn't have enough power to punch through the waves, then your suggestion, to ease the sheet and increase the power, would be correct. If it has enough power, but is using up all its power with excess drag, then increasing the power even further by easing the sheets would make matters worse by increasing drag, which is already excessive. The solution is to reduce the amount of drag by reducing the heeling. That lets all the power be used to punch through the waves, instead of bleeding it off with excess drag. The difference between the two situations is very subtle, but the difference in the results is huge.

Edited by - Steve Milby on 01/31/2009 10:10:14

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2009 : 11:35:02

Agreed that more power (fuller sails) is not called for there... But keeping the vang hardened and traveler down while easing the main and steering down a little should yield the same power (or less if you prefer) compared to the hardened main while pointing up. And easing the jib with the car back should allow its top to twist off while hardening the foot, reducing heeling forces somewhat. The overall idea is to present the same sail shape to the wind, while not attacking the seas quite so directly. I've just found that it works in some of the more strenuous conditions I've been in. The C-25 doesn't punch through 4' Long Island Sound chop like bigger boats do, and whenever it loses speed, it gains leeway. In that regard, perhaps it's significantly different from your friend's boat, and your seas might have been different, too.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 01/31/2009 11:37:37

Walt Oler
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Response Posted - 02/01/2009 : 08:03:40

When discusssing hull speed, I am guessing this is not what we are talking about.

I appreciate all of your comments. It has been interesting and I got more than my original question answered.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/01/2009 : 12:31:56

Ya, it took 50 hp and a broad, flat hull at the stern to do that. He has "climbed over his bow wave." (But I can take him at about half throttle...)