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The
New Rig:
- Does the new style jib make any changes
to the performance?
- How do we rig the new halyard system?
- With the jib tack now in front
of the spinnaker chute, does this interfere with the spinnaker
itself?
- How does the mast rake effect the performance
of the boat?
- Any specific asymmetric twin wiring
tips?
Q.
Does the new style jib make any changes to the performance?
A.
The new jib makes a difference from about force 2 upwards.
It does get the boat planing upwind in less breeze than the
existing jib. However, the most significant difference is
that the boat is much better mannered on two sail reaches.
It goes like a train and doesn't have quite such a tendency
to nosedive. My feeling is that the extra roach on the jib
creates additional lift for the bows.
The new jib is quite a bit bigger (6.4m2 vs. 5.3m2).
TOP...
Q.
How do we rig the new halyard system?
A.
The halyard seems to run OK. My set
up on the new mast has the halyard externally fed. Graham
Eeles wanted to run it internally - something I've tried to
stop. To set it up I suggest the following;
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Thread
the halyard through the block at the top and drop both
ends to the ground.
-
Take the halyard end, which comes out of the left side
of the block and run it down outside the gate through
the block on the deck.
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Then
pass it to the double block at the front of the boat,
taking care to go behind the post, which attached the
space frame to the deck.
-
After
the double block, thread it back to the new block on the
floor below and to the right of the mast gate and up through
the block and cleat on the space frame.
-
It
then should be passed under the jib and spinnaker sheets
to the back of the chute and then passed up the chute
(using the tiller extension) to the front of the boat.
This
should work. I'm not with the boat so I might not be completely
correct, but it should be close enough. In essence the system
works fine and if anything allows the spinnaker to drop too
smoothly. The halyard for the new kite is supplied longer,
but it is way too long. When we shortened it to the right
length, it turned out to be just the same as the existing
halyard, so I don't think there is any need for you to get
a longer one.
TOP...
Q.
With the jib tack now in front of the spinnaker chute, does
this interfere with the spinnaker itself?
A.
You should always hoist on starboard
tack to avoid snagging the kite on launch (it is possible
to launch on port, but you must be on a dead run). I've found
that a hoist and then an immediate gybe is OK if I want to
go left down the run. There's not real problem when it's windy,
provided you stay low. Make sure that both of you are hooked
on before you climb to pick up speed. The acceleration in
a force 6+ is pretty alarming and you need to be secure.
Dropping can be exciting when windy. If you drop on port tack,
then the helm should always pick up the left hand sheet and
put the clew of the kite around the jib tack before you start
dropping. That way, the kite falls on the deck and goes nicely
down the chute. When it's honking, Keith (crew) and I always
time our approach to the leeward mark so we can drop on starboard.
The current fashion of twin leeward marks helps this strategy
a lot ! Even on port tacks we can still drop a lot faster
than boats with bags (L5000 and B14).
An
alternative to dropping the kite on port is to approach on
starboard with the kite up, then gybe onto port to round the
buoy, but instead of gybing the kite, pull it in tighter so
that when the gybe is completed, the kite is laying on the
jib. This is all pretty safe no matter what wind strength,
as you are pointing downwind anyway and it is less tiresome
on the crew's arms. Don't let go of the sheet, until the kite
is on it's way down into the chute. This method is called
the "Kiwi drop" and you will find that most bagged
asymmetrics use this method.
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Q.
How does the mast rake effect the performance of the boat?
A.
We're still not sure about mast rake. Certainly when you rake
the new mast, the pointing does suffer. The boat also seems
to be characteristically sluggish upwind until it breaks out
and planes. I'm not sure how to facilitate this. When it's
light, you can pull the new jib in really hard until it just
starts to bend on the lowers (on new masts). This gives enough
pointing ability to match the best pointing boats in light
conditions. The board should be right down when it's light
to keep pointing high.
TOP...
Q.
Any specific asymmetric twin wiring tips?
A.
As for the kite, it just looks after itself. Always
remember to climb high early to get the flow established on
both sides of the kite, even when it's light (force 2). You
will need to twin trapeze always when sailing off the wind.
This is a major change as we always used to single wire it
downwind. I say always, because Keith and I are 29 stone together
(<180kg) so if there's enough to keep us out.... Anyhow,
I think the new kite adds a lot, it is ballistic off the wind.
I will only use my old kite at Open Meetings.
TOP...
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