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Mizzen reefing

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Tony:
I need some help and advice here!
Picture the scene. Cardigan Bay Lugger - two reefs in the main (balanced lug) - wind F6 - reaching at 6+ knots on the GPS - so much weather helm in the gusts I'm forced to let go the mizzen sheet to stop the boat rounding up into the wind in a welter of foam. Sailing club safety boat has deserted the 29ers and Comets and is following ME around with a look of pleasant anticipation!
"Ah!" say those who know. "You're over canvassed, ain't you!"
It's true that the boat seems better balanced with just one reef in the main, but in this kind of wind I get laid flat in the gusts. Perhaps the mizzen is a bit too big? Doh!
My (as yet untested) response has been to convert the mizzen to roller reefing. I've moved the sheeting point right back to the aft end of the boom, led the outhaul through a turning block back to a jam cleat at the foreward end and used a rope strop through the clew and around the boom as a traveller. Now, in order to reef, I unhook the boom from the snotter, let go the outhaul and wind in some of the sail by rotating the mizzen mast. A loop of 5mm rope around the mast acts as a new snotter (the original being rolled up in the sail) and the sail is tensioned on the boom with the outhaul. A bit of stick and more string tied to the bottom end of the mast stop the whole thing unrolling again as the sail fills.
Well, it seems to work ok in light winds but I've not had a chance to take it out in a blow yet.

Has anyone had a similar problem? How did YOU solve it? All donations gratefully received....but please don't tell me I shouldn't be out in a F6 in the first place. One day I might not have the choice and I want to be ready!

John Trussell:
You might find a couple of approaches to be helpful.

First, applying tension to the snotter on the mizzen sprit boom would flatten the sail and depower it.

Second, if you raise the centerboard half way, you will move the center of lateral resistance aft and this will also reduce weather helm.

Third, you may want to consider fitting a "storm jib" like the one on Kittiwake.  Under this approach, the boat sails under jib and mizzen with the mainsail lowered and stowed in the cockpit.

Reefing a sprit boomed leg of mutton sail is probably best done by lowering the sail part way, hooking the sprit into the sail at a higher location and tying up the bottom of the sail. I have seen drawings which reef these sails vertically and these schemes seem to use a vertical batten which is tied to the mast when the sail is reefed. Rolling the sail around the mast to reef it is complicated by the presence of the snotter, its block, and cleat.  Sea Pearls in the US reef by rolling the sail up on the mast, but they use a boom attached to a collar and a boom vang (kicking strap?) to hold the boom down.  I was never pleased with how the reefed sail set when reefed in this manner, but the approach certainly reduces sail area quickly.

Good luck.

JohnT

Tony:
Hi, John.
 Thanks for your comments. I will try to avoid the apostrophe in my reply so we dont get all those annoying backslashes!
Applying tension to the snotter? - I think the mizzen out-haul does that. I tend to sail with it as flat as possible already unless practically becalmed.
I have recently fitted roller furling for the jib - which proved tricky. The mast is set well foreward with a balanced lug and hang-ups and tangles occur when tacking if trying to use jib and main.  With the lug sail lowered onto the cabin top (the only place it can be made secure) sheeting the jib is problematic but at least I dont have to crawl around on the foredeck in a half gale to set the jib anymore. Jib and mizzen is much praised as a heavy weather rig - hope it works for the Four Sisters. (These little problems are half the fun of sailing)
I had a look at the SEA PEARL website - and couldnt help thinking that the boat would look better and probably go better with a lug sail.(Prejudiced? Me?)Its beam was a little narrow for my taste...but what about the tri-hulled version? That would shift a bit with a dirty great lug sail!
 Rolling the mizzen round the mast on Four Sisters means using a strop over the rolled part of the sail as a snotter but the sail is still, to a certain extent, self-vanging (Is there such an expression?)but I havent had a chance to test it properly yet.
Must confess that when belting along fully reefed with maximum weather helm Ive been too busy - or is that too terrified? - to think of lifting the bilge boards. Must try it when I next have crew and a good wind.
Thanks again.
Tony

Craic:
Tony,
what you have thought out there how to reef your mizzen probably works.
But I would not do it. As you -as I- have a luff pocket mizzen, rolling the mizzen around the mast destroys the main advantage of the luff pocket, the ideal aerodynamic profile and lift of the sail. You would reduce sail area indeed, but you diminish what the sail is there for to give you, forward pull. Generally speaking you end up with 'heel without pull', not a comfortable situation when you really would want to move on out of it.

If your original mizzen is too tall and large for single handing in a blow, I think it should be made smaller, instead of being made reefable. In a blow you have your hands full with reefing and unreefing the mainsail plus maintaining steering, having to reef an additional sail as well seems a bit much to me.

I today have two mizzens. The original big one for fun sailing with able crew, a shorter and smaller one for staying in control when going out all by myself or with relaxed crew. These simple luff-pocket mizzens are tiny sails by any sailmakers standards, so they are inexpensive to make and buy. To shorten the mizzen mast it just takes a second shorter top half standard windsurfer mast which may be slid onto the lower half, replacing the original longer standard top half, and vice versa.

Your weather helm, I understand you are not really using your jib, so this must be expected.
A smaller mizzen plus adjusting your lee board can improve it, but full balance in a blow can only be achieved with using a jib.

Claus

 
In my book the mizzen -in connection with the jib- should be your fall-back 
Your mizzen appears to be too big and tall in the first place

Tony:
Hi, Claus.
No luff pockets on the CBL, my friend. We are just laced on...but I take your point. Rolling the sail hardly improves the aerodynamics.
I will look at the size of the mizzen again when I have sorted out the problem of sheeting the jib with the main lashed to the cabin top and getting in the way. The jib should balance the mizzen better than a reefed main. The original sailplan supposed that the main would be dropped before the jib was set. Having a second haliard and jib furling gear is my attempt to make that possible while sailing and without crawling around on the cabin top!
By the way. Have you any good ideas for a leakproof mast boot? Ive been using a cut down drysuit neck which went on very easily with each launch and worked perfectly until the Greek sunshine got at it.

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