Hello-
I am trying to sort out sails prior to the summer sailing season, and could use some advice
Specifically, as I will keep the roller furling for another season (I do listen) it will be hard to change jibs. All summer I will have a 100% up. In the (SF Bay) afternoons that's fine upwind, but there are the lower-wind mornings, and the downwind which is much more entertaining if one can pop a larger sail. Plus outside the Golden Gate it can be a lot quieter. So I would like a big, light, easy-to-deploy (and manage singlehanded) sail. I imagine a spinnaker-like sail with a free luff (attached only at the tack, clew, and head), which I can set/douse easily with my jib rolled, or possibly later fly wing-and-wing with the jib.
As far as I can tell, amidst a huge proliferation of names, these types of sail come in two main varieties:
Gennaker: a big jib with an unsecured luff, made of spinnaker-type cloth, with the tack and head inside (aft of) the forestay. May have (e.g.) a spectra line in the luff to allow tensioning it significantly. Tacking or gybing requires bringing the sail through the foretriangle.
[n.b.: I have handy holes in the anchor fitting that would allow shackling the tack aft of the roller furler]
- I am unsure if this is the same as a "drifter", which is what my sailmaker suggests and describes in the same terms. He suggests a size ~ 150%.
Cruising asymmetrical: very similar; maybe bigger and with more draft (?). Secured at tack and head outside (forward of) the forestay, allowing gybing the sail outside of the forestay in a very simple fashion.
[n.b.: I have no convenient place to secure the tack, but perhaps could drill a hole in the anchor fitting forward of the roller furling. I believe the second foreward halyard is inside the forestay (i.e., not a spinnaker halyard, though maybe I'm wrong -- need to get the binoculars and look carefully), which may present additional problems for this alternative.]
As far as I can ascertain, the cruising asymmetrical is most useful farther off the wind (and a lot easier to gybe), while the gennaker/drifter is better for going vaguely upwind to a deep-ish broad reach, but more of a pain to gybe. I'm unclear if it matters which one gets in terms of utility wing and wing with a 130% jib. My sailmaker has suggested the "drifter", as described above; he is a multi-transpac vet, so should know, but... the asymmetrical sounds sort of easier to deal with to me (the gybing thing seems nice), assuming I could find a way to rig it.
--> I am unclear which format (genneaker vs asymmetrical) is most generally useful for a singlehanding non-racing Ericson; would appreciate any comments/advice.
PS: I have no pole, and no ring on the mast to support one. Of course, that (or a mast track) can be added, and eventually I will rig this, but not having one now I am also interested if one (or both) of these sails requires use of a pole.
Many thanks!
References in case anyone else is ever searching this:
https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/headsail-size-selection-e34-2.19524/#post-152463 (in which Goldenstate has a picture of an asymmetrical; thanks!)
ATN makes a spinnaker sleeve (for dousing) and a "tacker" which I am a little less sure I understand the point of, but seems recommended for asymmetricals. However, it is suggested (https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/32-3-spinnaker-rigging.13255/) that the tacker is unnecessary and skipping it allows rolling out the jib with the spinnaker set.
I am trying to sort out sails prior to the summer sailing season, and could use some advice
Specifically, as I will keep the roller furling for another season (I do listen) it will be hard to change jibs. All summer I will have a 100% up. In the (SF Bay) afternoons that's fine upwind, but there are the lower-wind mornings, and the downwind which is much more entertaining if one can pop a larger sail. Plus outside the Golden Gate it can be a lot quieter. So I would like a big, light, easy-to-deploy (and manage singlehanded) sail. I imagine a spinnaker-like sail with a free luff (attached only at the tack, clew, and head), which I can set/douse easily with my jib rolled, or possibly later fly wing-and-wing with the jib.
As far as I can tell, amidst a huge proliferation of names, these types of sail come in two main varieties:
Gennaker: a big jib with an unsecured luff, made of spinnaker-type cloth, with the tack and head inside (aft of) the forestay. May have (e.g.) a spectra line in the luff to allow tensioning it significantly. Tacking or gybing requires bringing the sail through the foretriangle.
[n.b.: I have handy holes in the anchor fitting that would allow shackling the tack aft of the roller furler]
- I am unsure if this is the same as a "drifter", which is what my sailmaker suggests and describes in the same terms. He suggests a size ~ 150%.
Cruising asymmetrical: very similar; maybe bigger and with more draft (?). Secured at tack and head outside (forward of) the forestay, allowing gybing the sail outside of the forestay in a very simple fashion.
[n.b.: I have no convenient place to secure the tack, but perhaps could drill a hole in the anchor fitting forward of the roller furling. I believe the second foreward halyard is inside the forestay (i.e., not a spinnaker halyard, though maybe I'm wrong -- need to get the binoculars and look carefully), which may present additional problems for this alternative.]
As far as I can ascertain, the cruising asymmetrical is most useful farther off the wind (and a lot easier to gybe), while the gennaker/drifter is better for going vaguely upwind to a deep-ish broad reach, but more of a pain to gybe. I'm unclear if it matters which one gets in terms of utility wing and wing with a 130% jib. My sailmaker has suggested the "drifter", as described above; he is a multi-transpac vet, so should know, but... the asymmetrical sounds sort of easier to deal with to me (the gybing thing seems nice), assuming I could find a way to rig it.
--> I am unclear which format (genneaker vs asymmetrical) is most generally useful for a singlehanding non-racing Ericson; would appreciate any comments/advice.
PS: I have no pole, and no ring on the mast to support one. Of course, that (or a mast track) can be added, and eventually I will rig this, but not having one now I am also interested if one (or both) of these sails requires use of a pole.
Many thanks!
References in case anyone else is ever searching this:
https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/headsail-size-selection-e34-2.19524/#post-152463 (in which Goldenstate has a picture of an asymmetrical; thanks!)
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