Raising Sail Advice

[llama]

This seemed most appropriate forum for the question. I'm not doing any single handed ocean racing or anything. Just trying to sail my local waters. having a good time but I am having inconsistent success with a major part of sailing my boat: getting the sail up without much issue.

Its a marconi rigged catboat. I believe 130 sq ft of sail area. I am sailing with my wife, and also want to go out alone.

Most of the time in light breeze I can get the sail up with minimal fuss. Point into the wind best I can, raise topping lift a bit and hoist the sail. I usually have the engine in neutral and centerboard up. Once sail is up I drop the board, kill the engine and off we go.

If the winds are a little gusty or variable it all goes to hell. The boat tends to go beam to the wind while I'm trying to raise the sail. I keep the sheet free. Trying to have my wife at the tiller is not really going to do anything with no headway, but I have tried having her center the tiller, and even just let everything go. Also have tried to get her to hold us into the wind with tiller and engine in gear and making way, while I am up on the bow, and we wind up off the wind and struggling anyhow. We either get the sail up and continue on our way eventually, or regroup. But sometimes its far from seaman like and I must be missing something.

What I get:

sheet loose

some topping lift

point into wind

hoist sail and fall off once everything its set (outhaul, halyard, downhaul etc.)

I would like to be able to do this without the engine if at all possible. is it better to have centerboard up or down? Is it better to do with the boat moving? 

I have also considered a shock cord from bottom of boom to tiller in such a way that if I do go beam to wind the boat should theoretically go into irons should the sail catch wind while Im hoisting. Any advice appreciated.

 

[Overbored]

you are doing it the hard way, board down, boat moving forward so you can steer into the wind and then raise the sail

 

[IStream]

What Overbored said. The lateral resistance of the centerboard, combined with the resistance of the rudder, is what gives you heading control. Drop the board before you start trying to raise the sail and I think you'll find it's far easier.

 

[Marcjsmith]

why shut off the engine?  I've been out on my 37' solo,  and i get the boat HTW, turn on auto pilot(or use wife or daughter) and throttle back ease the main sheet some

go to the mast and raise the main.     return to cockpit,  turnoff otto, and fall off and start making headway.  then Id unfurl the Genoa... and then turnoff the engine...

with your wife,  it should be easy enough for her to keep you HTW even if under a moderate throttle   CB down as that will give you your lateral resistance.  IE it makes it harder for the boat to  spin plus gives you more directional stability and also less roll.

if you are solo,  i would def rig  up a way to lock the tiller  even something as simple as  a davis tiller tamer,  or  even just a single line running from port side of the cockpit to starboard with some half hitches around the tiller  just to hold it steady while you leave the cockpit  would be a huge help

 

[IStream]

Yeah, I didn't even catch the "engine in neutral" part.

Not to be unkind but you're doing this completely bass ackwards. Drop the board, motor into the wind, raise the sail, bear off until the sail's moving the boat, kill the motor. Easy peasy.

 

[boat1]

Yeah dude. It seems to me that the last advice is straight to the point. If there are any difficulties with an electrician, go here https://automarinetechnology.com

 

[johnsonjay17]

Just to add the motor has to have enough power on to keep steerage. The faster the boat speed the easier it will be for your wife to keep the boat into the wind. Do not idle the motor back keep some power on.

JJ

 

[Corryvreckan]

...

if you are solo,  i would def rig  up a way to lock the tiller  even something as simple as  a davis tiller tamer,  or  even just a single line running from port side of the cockpit to starboard with some half hitches around the tiller  just to hold it steady while you leave the cockpit  would be a huge help

Alternatively, running the halyard aft will let you steer with your knees.  Sounds like you've got a pretty small boat, so this might be simpler than trying to set up tiller controls/autopilots/etc. 

But keep the engine on so you can steer.  I reckon a catboat will fall off the wind pretty quick with the mast so far forward.

 

[llama]

Yeah, I didn't even catch the "engine in neutral" part.

Not to be unkind but you're doing this completely bass ackwards. Drop the board, motor into the wind, raise the sail, bear off until the sail's moving the boat, kill the motor. Easy peasy.

It’s not unkind. If I have my wife at the helm motor is in gear and enough throttle for steerage. If I’m alone I put the motor in neutral. The only thing I’m missing is board down so I think that’s the move. Thanks. 

 

[ryley]

of course if you're on a mooring, drop the board and raise the main there. if you're not and you're solo, pick up a mooring and raise the main  

In seriousness though, get a tiller tamer for your solo adventures and figure out what it takes to keep the boat moving in a reasonably straight line (with the board down). Of course, your catboat is small enough that you will probably steer the boat just by moving around on it. you don't have to be moving forward very fast to maintain the steerage and you should be able to get the main up in plenty of time.

Have fun