Farr 920 advice re Sails and Trimming

[Kwela 0]

Hey guys

Started playing on a Farr 920 but it's extremely different to anything iv sailed. I'm an ocean sailor that has always sailed big heavily rigged cruising yachts and feel out of my depth on a small light racing yacht. Would love some input on how to sail a little Farr 920

With full sails at 15 - 20 knots in gusts it rounds up uncontrollably.

With one reef and full furled out headsail it manageable but main does not set nicely.

Sailing on headsail or mainsail alone it seems on one or the other the speed is only marginally slower than with both up beating or running.

It seems to me to have a very large main for its size ..

 

Another thing .. It has a single running back stay that adjusts the mast take dramatically .. What is the best way to use this.

 

 

As I'm very unfamiliar with type of rig, boat and sailing I would really appreciate and advise on how to trim this boat.

Thanks

[Island Time 1,235]

I had a 940/noelex 30. they are primarily main driven. they need way less sail than you think! don't be afraid to reef. when overpowered, crank on the backstay. the mast will bend heaps! this flattens the sail, opens the leech, and moves the centre of effort fwd, easing helm balance. also, main outhaul and kicker on hard. experiment! esp with backstay. the groove is narrow, but they go real well when in it.

 

My 940 had a BBW designed keel - wings and heavier/deeper. She was about the same performance as a young 88...

[Guest]

By the sound if it she's taking about a half-ton ior style Farr 920. Not an easy beast to tame especially short handed

[Farrari 4]

Cruising my Farr 1020 results in the same sort of behaviour in similar conditions. The mains are relatively big and the design assumes there is plenty of weight on the rail to keep them flat. Adding additional weight with the cruising gear alters the waterline and makes the behaviour worse.

 

I generally start depowering about 12 knots by flattening the main and tightening the genoa luff tension to bring the draft forward. Flaten the main by progressively adding more outhaul and backstay. Apply cunningham to keep the draft forward. The backstay bends the mast significantly but don't be afraid to use it. I will look at changing down headsail size at around 15-18 knots while cruising and quite commonly will go from a number 1 to a number 3 especially if I am expecting the breeze to freshen. If I am hard on the wind, a reef in the main will follow quite soon after. The headsail size doesn't seem to make much difference to boat speed unless the conditions are really light. Personally I am not a fan of furling because I can never seem to get a decent shape.

 

There is a reasonably good guide on the Farr 1020 website. While it is racing focused you can pretty much subtract 10 knots from the recommendations for cruising.

 

http://www.farr1020.org.nz/tune/tune.html

[khayyam 68]

does the 1020 not have quite a lot more ballast than the 920?

[Guest]

Farrari is on the right track. And having sailed a lot on the 920 and owned its bigger sister the 1104, I can offer some advice.

From your post and experience, I suspect you will be horrified at the amount of mast bend you can get. And how easy it is to adjust sails. And how often you have to trim the main. But this is ok, and the sailing will be more fun and faster and in more control as a result.

The main responds to backstay, outhaul, main halyard and boom vang. Use the Cunningham if the main halyard isn't tight. And in a breeze, don't be afraid to reef the main. Say 15 true cruising, 20 true racing. But ensure you blade out the main with the halyard and 1st reef rope.

The single backstay should be just tight in light winds and moderate winds downwind. Crank on more going upwind as the wind increases, but ease it reaching and downwind. Similarly use more vang upwind in moderate and strong winds but ease it reaching and downwind.

The boat is designed to sail easily with just the main up. So if you are cruising and the breeze continues to increase, it is quite ok to furl the jib completely and just use the main. An added advantage going up and down the harbour is visibility is heaps improved. And you will still be going faster than other 30 footers of the same vintage.

If you have friends used to sailing more modern boats such as Young 88s or Ross 930s invite them out. Or other larger trailer yachts like Noelex 25s. Their experience is directly comparable to your boat.

Have fun. Once you are comfortable you will be amazed how lovely the 920 is to sail, and how advanced the design was for its time.

[Kwela 0]

Thank you everyone!!! This for sure gives us some 'stuff' to work with.. Very much appreciated!