Camberspar bent, now what?

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: Camberspar bent, now what?

Post by mike cunningham »

Hans,

Yes, I am torn, no pun intended. The big disadvantage of storm sails is the difficulty getting them up. The big advantage to my mind is their robustness. I bought my sails from the sail warehouse in Monterey. They were not crazy expensive and are bulletproof. I could probably have made the argument that my third reef was adequate to meet race rules for storm trysail and I actually did sell the camberspar jib and reefed main as a storm system for the 2015 Longpac (400 miles out and back to the Golden Gate). But that race left me with a sour taste. I had to drop the main entirely and sail for 18 hours on the camberspar in 30 to 35 Kts. No damage during that race but it left me feeling like I did not have many layers of protection.

Ultimately I bought the storm sails for the Transpac but I did not prep the sails/rig due to time constraints. I had no viable way to raise the trisail and a one off practice with the storm jib. During the race I flew my camberspar to destruction and ran with no main for 24 hours or so in 30 to 40 Kts. Even the 3rd reef was too much sail and this reef takes the main down to just below the sail number.

The Transpac made me rethink my strategy. After totaling the camberspar I raised the storm jib to get a headsail up for the remainder of the race. I turned out to be a beautiful, albeit tiny, sail and I was thinking to myself I should have had the damn thing up during the worst of the weather thus preserving the camberspar. With regard to the main, In retrospect I think I would have damaged it had I left it up, even with a fourth reef, had I added one. The remaining batten(s) really gets bashed and chafed and the sail itself is just not built to take the abuse. You have all your boom hardware involved: bales, traveler, etc. I would have been more comfortable with a heavy and simple trisail up. As you mentioned though, you have to have a bulletproof and simple way to get the sails rigged and that is a challenge for sure.

I think another point is the availability of storm sails on board does provide some redundancy should you have a failure in the primary rig as was the case when I lost the camberspar.

Mike
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

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mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: Camberspar bent, now what?

Post by mike cunningham »

Hans,

To your other point I totally agree with you regarding reefing. In my case, Above 20 Kts I have two reefs in (I almost always skip first reef) and above 25 I have the third in. The boat goes extremely well even if she is deeply reefed.
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

TonyB
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Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
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Re: Camberspar bent, now what?

Post by TonyB »

I know this thread is old. But here is a good video by Skip Novak, who may have more heavy weather experience than just about anyone alive. He argues against trysails as they are too difficult to rig when you need them. He is for an additional reef. While adding extra reefs impacts sail shape and performance, it seems like the better solution for ocean going boats. https://youtu.be/P66FPQhRwy8
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

TonyB
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Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:33 pm
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
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Re: Camberspar bent, now what?

Post by TonyB »

Also you can have that area above your 4th reef heavily built with extra sailcloth. Never used a trisail, but it seems like it only makes sense with its own track (problematic on the Freedoms with the "collar". Even then I think you would need to get it on early and not wait till wind and swells picked up.
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

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