Team Wheels second leg

[Unicorn 0]

I am not sure that the arrangement at the tack of the headsail is up to the job. But then again it may just be the photos (which are most impressive for the view of the seas).

 

It looks like the rather long strop that is in use would allow the tack to move away from the forestay as the strain comes on. Even downwind there is quite a gap evident between the tack and the forestay. Coming closer to the wind the horizontal strain will increase greatly. This will put huge pressure on the first point of connection of the sail to the headstay with a good chance of failure. It will also make it really hard to control the shape of the sail.

 

A strong mechanical fastening point would be ideal, but a somewhat shorter strop or a firm lashing direct to the headstay would also help keep the tack much closer to where it should be.

[wheels 543]

Good spotting. I lifted the headsail up higher to get it over the railing. That extension is a 12mm spectra extension and loops through the tack and down to the shackle, so it is doubled. I don't have the halyard under any great tension, which if I did, it certainly would pull that tighter. The sail entres the track at the point you see and then a gap where it feeds in and the track then carries on down again below, but that bottom part always pops out because it doesn't slide down deep enough, dues to being lifted for rail clearence. I have never had any issues with it pulling out of the track ever, but nmaybe I should look at anything that can be bettered there.

[Marshy 30]

I would suggest you put a simple lashing from the tack of the sail around the foil extrusion which will stop this. I did notice it too. Or a sail maker can make you a "Nappy" that is about 100m wide and sewn into the sail, that can spread the load on the foil a bit better, but wraps around the front and ties back to the sail. This takes the foot load off the boltrope.

[PaulR 3]

In that blow, the halyard should of been tighter, if only to stop the luff tape being ripped out of the extrusion in a gust.

 

Again a few furls, would help keep the luff tape snug inside the extrusion.

 

Where did your sail rip?

[wheels 543]

We had a small tear develop when the sail caught the lower spreader as we went to tack. The spreaders have these tangs on them (dumb idea in many ways) that we did have taped up to protect the sali when i had torn it there once before. But the protection came off and the sharp edge was enough to get the edge of the sail. Eventually the small tear became a larger one that has gone from seam to seam verticaly in the panel, but still out at the edge. I expected it to be OK in what we expected to sail in and I could get the thing fixed in Auckland. Yeah yeah I know, but sometimes it isn't as easy to get stuff sorted in reality as it is in theory and you have to make do.

The inner head sail sits directly under that forward hatch and hanks on. I can fairloy easily get the halyard for just that one back to the cockpit and will do so in the future. That makes it easy for me to hoist and blah blah. Once again, it's all a time and money thing and not something we have been able to do when the boat has been so far away.

Also, the 10.6kt was not out of controll. It was GPS SOG and through the water was not that much. But over the ground we were flying. Just a combination of swell, tide and wind making the sea move along and we going with it. The fastest we have had through the water ever, is 9kts and the entire boat vibrates. The fastest this trip was probably not much over 8 if even that, but over the ground we were rocketing.

[Guest]

Regarding that vibration at speed. I used to make my surfboards, fins and all and they would be fine on normal beach waves but when a cyclone swell came along the fin would get humming on the bigger faster waves. So used to take a sanding block and some wet and dry paper to fair the back of the fins. If they were blunt in the rear they would hum. It was like having the brakes on the drag was incredible. Wasn't only mine that did this as you could hear these guys boards humming as paddling out. Once refined at the rear of the fins the humming would cease and speed would return. Your yacht was fine yesterday.

[Guest]

That's right, but the trick is to chamfer one side, not both. Ends up non symmetrical, looks wrong, works.

[Guest]

Hi Zen,

Yes like the old twin fin fins. These were back in the good old days of single fins. Just had to get the foil correct for them not to hum at speed.