Rigging And Sails

[Dennis]

Greetings from the West of Ireland. I have a Yachting France Jouet 820. Is there any way of finding out the original sail sizes. The boat is producing bad weather helm at 5.5 knots in a strong breeze,my wife is wondering is the foresail to large.

Dennis

[MMNETSEA]

Hello Dennis

These people have brochure on the Jouet 820 - worth contacting them to see if the brochure actually has a sail plan :- JOUET 820 ------

Also it might be worthwhile phoning XBoat in France tels :- 34 637 292 495 or 34 695 292 495

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You don't say if the foresail is on a furler or is hanked on ? Facnor Furlers have listed the 820 with the following code for a fore sail furler = SD 100 12M42c30. They should have the foresail plan here is their website FACNOR

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Have you the measurements of the forestay/Mast/ and distance between mast and tack on present sail ?



I guess (without further information) that the headsail said you are describing, is a Genoa ?

which leads me to anther question - do you have a jib ? and if so, when using a jib does this cure the weather helm ?

[edsailing]

More likely an oversheeted Mainsail - ease the traveller first, if this does not fix it, ease the sheet or put a reef in.

[JeanneP]

I would agree with edsailing that you've oversheeted the sails. Reefing and easing the sheets should ease weather helm and make your boat go faster, especially if you're heeled more than 10 degrees. If you're heeled 20 degrees or more and your wife's knuckles are white, you need to rethink your sailing tactics or you just might find yourself a solo sailor.

Reefing and sail trim took a long time for us to master, but it made our passages more comfortable and faster once we got it figured out. Lots and lots of practice.

It's fun, too.

[MMNETSEA]

Hi Dennis,

Without knowing a little more about what sails are on your Jouet 820, or on what point of sail you experience the weather helm, therefore difficult to add to the suggestions made above.

By the way does your model have a lifting keel like some of others in the Yachting France Jouet stable - if it does, it can also contribute to the equation of how much or how little helm is produced.

This excellent article on managing helm by John Ellsworth, I provide a link to - with John's permission :-

BALANCING HELM

Richard

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by JeanneP

I would agree with edsailing that you've oversheeted the sails. Reefing and easing the sheets should ease weather helm and make your boat go faster, especially if you're heeled more than 10 degrees. If you're heeled 20 degrees or more and your wife's knuckles are white, you need to rethink your sailing tactics or you just might find yourself a solo sailor.

Reefing and sail trim took a long time for us to master, but it made our passages more comfortable and faster once we got it figured out. Lots and lots of practice.

It's fun, too.

I pointed your post out to my husband. He's not having fun unless the boat is heeled 20 degrees. I've informed him that when we re-launch he won't be going over 15 degrees on the inclinometer

[JeanneP]

Here's more. Peter, too, thought that the more we heeled, the faster we were going. Then we sailed over to Nantucket to meet some friends, and left Sunday to get home for work on Monday. The weather turned cold and very windy, and we had no choice but to beat into it to get home.

We were heeled 20 degrees or more, and at the rate we were going, we weren't going to make home before sunset, even though sunset in summer was no earlier than 8 pm. And as we were sailing along with full main, a smaller boat passed us with two reefs in the main! I pointed it out to Peter, he said "Okay, if you insist, we'll try reefing the main!!!" Hah! Two reefs and we gained almost 2 knots!

Even more dramatic was our second Heineken Regatta, when "professional" sailors crewed for us. From near last place the first year, to 3rd place in leg 1 of the next year. Reefing was the secret. Second was proper sail trim, especially on a reach.

I could go on, but that's enough for this time. For those who still don't get it, crew on a successful racer's boat for one of their beer can races. You will learn a lot, and every bit of it is a skill transferable to cruising (except, maybe, their cavalier attitude to breaking gear).

Okay, now I'll get off my soapbox.

Fair winds,

Jeanne