Headsail change setup

[VeloceSailing 10]

Hi all, 

I'd be curious to hear your set up for headsail change. In my specific case headsail peel is not an option therefore at some point two sails are on deck. 

How is your set up to prevent the sails being washed up? How do you hold the tack of the sail in place until the previous is down? How do you move the sail down, racing bag or simply folded?

Thanks for input. 

[Misbehavin' 124]

Hejsan

I'm following this with interest. When changing between 100% jib and 155% genoa - or the other way around, with a single headsail halyard and forestay , we:

1) Take off a couple of the lower hanks of the already hoisted sail, and hank on the new sail on the windward side.

2) Lead the new sheets back. Both headsails have their own continous sheet with a soft shackle in the middle. Tighten the lazy sheet.

3) Tack

4) Pull the old headsail down at lightspeed, taking the hanks off as it goes down, and transfer the halyard to the new sail and pull it up. The old headsail is now down on the deck to the windward side of the new headsail.

5) Fine-trim headsail.

6) Down with the old sail through the foredeck hatch.

[VeloceSailing 10]

Cool. A few questions on set up. How do you hold the new and old sails in place? I have a shock cord per side on the lifelines, but it's hard to wrap them around the flaked sails. 

We have a furler and the medium jib has vertical battens.  Real crap for headsail change, as taking them out on the way down flog the sail to death, taking them out on deck means no way to fold the sail on deck. Ideas, except getting rid of the furler?

Often the sail goes out of the profile while going up. Somehow the pressure between feeder and pre feeder is too much for the feeder. Ideas?

When you have the sails on deck, isn't there anything holding the tack in place?

 

 

[Rushman 239]

2 snap shackles for the tack

[Misbehavin' 124]

28 minutes ago, VeloceSailing said:

Cool. A few questions on set up. How do you hold the new and old sails in place? I have a shock cord per side on the lifelines, but it's hard to wrap them around the flaked sails. 

We have a furler and the medium jib has vertical battens.  Real crap for headsail change, as taking them out on the way down flog the sail to death, taking them out on deck means no way to fold the sail on deck. Ideas, except getting rid of the furler?

Often the sail goes out of the profile while going up. Somehow the pressure between feeder and pre feeder is too much for the feeder. Ideas?

When you have the sails on deck, isn't there anything holding the tack in place?

 

 

Mine is done this way, see the photo below, and it's the same on a 34" boat I occassionally crew on. As it can be seen, I only have one snap shackle. I guess I could have two, but I don't do that many headsail changes. Why don't you just do a quick roll of the jib?

I can't help you with the furler, as it can be seen on the foredeck in the picture, I only have a downhaul routed to back to the cockpit, for pulling the jib down.

Apologies in advanced for the capsized photo, I can't seem to rotate it.

[European Bloke 492]

6 hours ago, VeloceSailing said:

Hi all, 

I'd be curious to hear your set up for headsail change. In my specific case headsail peel is not an option therefore at some point two sails are on deck. 

How is your set up to prevent the sails being washed up? How do you hold the tack of the sail in place until the previous is down? How do you move the sail down, racing bag or simply folded?

Thanks for input. 

It rather depends on how big your boat is and if you have hanks or a foil. Also if you have a forehatch and what furniture you have below that you like to keep dry and sweet.

Bit lacking in info for any helpful input, but obviously that never stops anyone.

[ryley 458]

headsail changes with vertical battens is a pita. if you're in a position where you're doing a LOT of headsail changes, maybe consider getting the sail modified to folding horizontal battens. they've got their own challenges, but at least taking the sail off the furler (which was never the consideration for vertical battens) is easier.

[JL92S 207]

On 4/29/2020 at 7:54 AM, Misbehavin' said:

Hejsan

I'm following this with interest. When changing between 100% jib and 155% genoa - or the other way around, with a single headsail halyard and forestay , we:

1) Take off a couple of the lower hanks of the already hoisted sail, and hank on the new sail on the windward side.

2) Lead the new sheets back. Both headsails have their own continous sheet with a soft shackle in the middle. Tighten the lazy sheet.

3) Tack

4) Pull the old headsail down at lightspeed, taking the hanks off as it goes down, and transfer the halyard to the new sail and pull it up. The old headsail is now down on the deck to the windward side of the new headsail.

5) Fine-trim headsail.

6) Down with the old sail through the foredeck hatch.

This is exactly how i do headsail change racing 2 handed except with non overlapping jibs it’s hard to stuff the sail down the foredeck hatch, I usually stick 2 sail ties round the sail, drag it back, leech flake it on the aft side deck, brick into 3rds and stow downstairs! I think we got it down to 3 minutes bare headed, the whole manoeuvre took around 15 minutes 

[Misbehavin' 124]

8 hours ago, JL92S said:

This is exactly how i do headsail change racing 2 handed except with non overlapping jibs it’s hard to stuff the sail down the foredeck hatch, I usually stick 2 sail ties round the sail, drag it back, leech flake it on the aft side deck, brick into 3rds and stow downstairs! I think we got it down to 3 minutes bare headed, the whole manoeuvre took around 15 minutes 

I agree, and good point about the sail ties. Re-reading my post, my jib is actually 105% overlapping, with small horizontal battens in the leech.

[VeloceSailing 10]

On 4/29/2020 at 2:33 PM, European Bloke said:

It rather depends on how big your boat is and if you have hanks or a foil. Also if you have a forehatch and what furniture you have below that you like to keep dry and sweet.

Bit lacking in info for any helpful input, but obviously that never stops anyone.

32ft, foil although not impressed from the older factor r series that I have, forehatch available, nice furniture, however the mattresses can be removed in case the conditions require it

[stealth 3]

Use double headstay foils: https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?name=hood-h9303-1-luff-extrusion&path=-1|118|2358486|2358490&id=1167774