Saturday was a breezy day, with gusts mixed in that got my attention. I sailed with mizzen and jib, then added a double-reefed main until I took on some, uh, well let's call it water ballast. I had not seen the coaming that far into the water in a while. Back to mizzen and jib for a nice day on the water. The sustained winds were fine, it was the gusts that made it interesting.
Boats of all kinds were out on the water, including racers from the Portsmouth Boat Club's Barnacle Regatta, above, and the schooner Roseway out of Boston, below. Plus about a dozen snowbirds anchored out in Crawford Bay. Sunny, breezy and fun.
Work has kept me unreasonably busy. It will be that way for a few more weeks. And then I've got the June sail down in North Carolina, for which I have hardly begun to prepare.
I think I have sent pdf's of the Chesapeake Bay Magazine article to everyone who sent in a request. If I missed you please send me another email and I'll reply back with the pdf.
steve
steve, dumb question coming up but remember I am welsh; and we are better mountaineers than sailors......when under jib and mizzen; if you need to tack - what do you do to mizzen; everytime i tack under jib and mizzen - I stall
ReplyDeleteam I not supposed to go upwind under jib/mizzen; should I back jib and rlease mizzen?
I keep meaning to ask someone who knows....and that's you!
Steve
Arwens meanderings
When I sail under mizzen and jib it is only in fairly windy conditions. I slack the mizzen a little, otherwise with a snugged mizzen the boat will only point into the wind. So I slack the mizzen and adjust the jib until it feels right. Coming about, I let the mizzen take care of itself. I don't release the jib until I come through the wind and the jib backs, helping pull the bow through the wind. Does that make sense? And yes, I do sail upwind under mizzen and jib. Sailing across the wind is best, but yes, I can and do sail into the wind.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the above it the right way to do things, but it seems to work for me. Let me know if it works on the other side of Atlantic.
steve
steve - thanks - that sounds perfect. I don't think I'm slackening off the mizzen enough and so it holds me into the wind; I back the jib as a matter of course on all tacks on Arwen. I suspected it was a mizzen issue - I need to slacken it more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice - will try out next week. Good luck too on the Picton - what an adventure
Take care
Steve
Steve,
ReplyDeletelet me know how it works. Remember, you need a good amount of wind. I'm not sure it would work if you test it out in light wind conditions. Slacking the mizzen is the key, at least in my experience.
steve