Windward performance

[Richard Hood]

This question is to gain a better understanding of the expected windward performance of the CSY 44 w/o.  During our last trip to the boat in the BVI we sailed from Tortola to Anegada.  Normally a 16 mile close reach in about 3.5 hours.  This day the winds, which had been going around the compass rose for weeks had again clocked around and were blowing right in our teeth.  There were significant 6 - 8 foot north long period swells running that were mixing with a smaller NE wind swell.  Now that you have that image in your mind, this is what we found our boat able to do.  Which leads me to believe we may need to make some changes. 

Shoal draft
Standard mast

Rhumb Line 035
wind direction 030 - 040
Stbd. tack heading 330
port tack heading 090

If we pinched it a little harder we would loose 2kts and only gain 5 to 10 degrees less tacking angle.  With our tacking angles and sea state the gps showed we were only making 2kts towards our fix.

The boat does not have a staysail which is the root of the question.  Is this typical performance going to windward in these conditions or would a staysail given us a better tacking angle and power to go to windward?

We are still wrestling with the option of re-installing the staysail and if this is an indication of the windward performance without one, we need to move that up to the top of our list.

Thanks in advance for your input.
Richard

[Dave McCampbell]

Richard,

We have a shoal draft, tall rig, new heavy cruising sails, two Profurl furlers, a clean bottom, properly tuned rig and staysail.  Our tacking angle in reasonable sea conditions with about 15 kts of wind is about 100 degrees.

I would definitely reinstall the staysail to help your windward speed and performance and before you lose your mast if anything on your headstay breaks.  The boats were designed to have the staysail in place to support the midsection of the mast.  We recently met a couple with a new Bavaria 46 who had just lost their mast in 15 knots of wind when a fitting below their furler broke.  They did not have their staysail rigged at the time.  A $60K mistake.

Dave

 

[Richard Hood]

Thanks Dave, 

Good feedback.  We need to work on that during our off (summer) season.  Boat goes back on the hard end of April.

Hope you and Sherry are having a great PAC SEA cruise!

Fair winds
Richard

[Warren Daniels]

Dave or anyone else,
Where would one go to find out what the proper tune on our rigging should be?  Is a tensionometer required?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Warren

[Daq Hanssen]

Dave or anyone else,
Where would one go to find out what the proper tune on our rigging should be?  Is a tensionometer required?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Warren

Yeah, tension measures required for proper tune, but if ya have a lot of experience, ballpark tune could be achived without...?

(If memory serves right, 15% of breaking strength is about right for 19 strand SS wire rigging...?)

[Harry L. Rezzemini]

Richard - Yes, by all means, get that staysail back in place!  Not only will the stay provide proper support for the mast, but that little sail makes a lot of power, in no small part by greatly improving the lift provided by your yankee jib.  I wouldn't leave home without one!
    BTW, when things really get piping the staysail and a single reef in the main provides decent balance, but it really has to get blowing hard to need to do that ... 30kt plus.

[Dave McCampbell]

Richard/Harry,

I agree that the staysail is a very important part of your sail inventory.  And you should have it set up so that you can use it both up and down wind.

During our recent passages from the Galapagos, via Easter Island and Pitcairn to French Polynesia the staysail was up the entire time except for a day or two when motoring in a flat calm.

Our normal sail configuration upwind and beam reaching was main, usually reefed, full staysail, and 120 pct jib, usually reefed.  All sails on the same side of the boat.  Down wind we used Tom's rig of reefed main vanged and prevented out leeward, jib on the fixed pole upwind and staysail sheeted tight down the middle of the boat.  In both cases we tried to get the main reefing right long before we needed to reduce sail and then just rolled the jib in and out as needed.  Sometimes the jib was reefed up to 90 pct.  But the staysail was always out 100 pct keeping us steady and moving. 

We usually had at least one reef in the main.  Most of the time wind speeds varied from 15-25 kts.  We put the first reef in the main at 15 kts and the second at 20 kts.   

We always carry the RIB dinghy upside down on the cabin top while at sea.  If we had had the staysail on a clubfoot, the sheet and traveler would have interfered and we would have had no place to adequately stow the dinghy.  You need to both stow the dinghy on the cabin top and be able to fly the staysail, especially if you encounter a storm at sea.  Beaujolais had this problem during their recent downwind passage from the Galapagos to the Marquesas, so could not fly the staysail down wind to lessen the roll and help reduce the boat's tendency to round up.  Much better to fly the staysail loose footed with all rigging out of the way of the dinghy.

Dave