[MHml] Winch vs Tackle

[Ross Hobson]

Claas
yes I agree.
this is  usually not a problem (ie not on the F40 nor on the tri or on the VX40) but Charleston - Formula 28 - has real  lack of bow volume to carry the power - esp in a swell/waves
Charleston has real issue with maintaining bow up in the bear away - it was one of the main reasons (Ted correct me if i'm wrong) why Ted lengthened Rosebud - Charleston's sister boat. We are using the racks to induce bow up via leverage and moving crew aft on the bear away - usually works
 
this lack of bow volume was partly behind our capsize earlier this year - it was a bear away situation, we went bow down, stuffed it slowly,  then fell over. we only had  pete and i onboard and neither of us have a lot of body weight to use the leverage principle
 
also remember the power of these boats (i'm telling Claas how to 'suck eggs here') The Formula 28's are massivly over powered, a 15m rig on 500Kg odd of 28ft cat is not really sane
 
we carry the apparent way way forward in all wind situations and it can be a very big angle to bear away to loose the forward apparent wind effect and get the wind 'converted' into true wind angle and settle the boat. Unless we are sailing very deep and just maintaining the apparent forward air flow, we power up as we bear away
 
Our gennaker will allow us to almost beat in light winds (ie within 10degrees of the jib). We  are learning the 'lake style' of inverting the fwd 1/3 of gennaker to lift the hull and yet sail as close to the wind as jib/main alone. On the 'new list' for 2008  is a much more stable gennaker shape to allow us to do this reliably
in this situation (ie using gennaker upwind) as we bear away, the fwd 1/3 fills and develops more power as Claas says

Ross