Sailing to windward

[Sabre27Admin]

yerffoeg
United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 05/01/2011 : 00:51:43
I have few complaints about my Sabre, but she will not point very well (mark 2, bilge keel). The genoa sheet track is mounted on the toerail, which, I feel, does not neccessarily give the best lead for the genoa sheet when sailing to windward. I have considered bringing the genoa further inboard by passing the sheets inside of the main shrouds, but outside the of the lower shrounds. Has anyone tried this? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I know that she will never point as well as a fin keeler, but I feel I could trim her better.

Geoff
Mike T
67 Posts

Posted - 05/01/2011 : 10:42:10
Hi Geoff,
What size is your genoa? I have a 140% genoa and when i crank it in sailing to windward its just touching the end of the spreader. Surely if you bought the track inside of the shroud then the sail will hit the middle of the spreader?

Mike

yerffoeg
United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 05/01/2011 : 19:29:40
Thanks Mike.

My genoa is not that big, but the spreaders could still get in the way. My mast is down at the moment so I will have to wait to the beginning of the season to find out!

robbyc0
United Kingdom
25 Posts

Posted - 15/01/2011 : 08:43:15
I find if I run the car toward the front of the track it helps. In fact with the car about in the middle seems to work for most sailing!
Don't forget if it's windy she might point better with a little genoa furled in and less weather helm..... that way it will not flap against the spreaders either.

sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 15/01/2011 : 12:26:11
Hi Geoff.

No boat will sail efficiently to windward with full cut or ‘stretched, baggy’ sails. The mainsail is just as important in producing drive as the foresail, the combination is greater than the sum of the individual sails due to the ‘slot effect’.

Over sheeting the foresail (or the main) may allow the boat to point slightly higher but may well slow her down and increase leeway.

In practice, particularly on a twin keel Sabre, the genoa car track is reasonably sited on the toe-rail. I have seen a track mounted inboard on the deck on a fin keeler, rare. The sheet must pass outside the cap shroud.

I have experimented using a ‘barber-hauler’ to pull in the foresail clew, thereby closing the sheeting angle and found no noticeable improvement on boat speed or pointing angle.

The position of the car is controlled entirely by the foresail. This will be with the sheet approximately bisecting the sail clew, too far forward and the leach will be closed and stalling, too far aft and the foot will tighten and the leach open and flap.

Then there is the mainsail……

Under ‘S Sails’ in your Handbook, Robert Kemp describes all this with explanatory drawings. Recommended.


Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.

yerffoeg
United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 21/01/2011 : 08:36:05
Thank you for the replies. I will try experimenting with the genoa car position this season; I admit I am rather lazy and tend to leave it alone!