This is the boat he did that on...nice, eh? :-) Took this when passing through Winchester earlier this summer, unexpectedly so or I would have given you a shout, but it was just a last minute change of travel plans with a brief time to walk around the marina... cheers, John S. On 10/15/2017 06:47 AM, Mark Dvorscak wrote:
I used the same technique on my M23 out on the Pacific a few weeks ago. I had started with the 150 Genoa but later in the day the wind picked up enough that I was overpowered. I was solo so I hove to then dropped the headsail. I watched to see how the boat would behave with the main and tiller set as John described. I had a 3-4' swell running from the NW with a 1-2' swell from the South and 2' wind waves from the north. The boat behaved very well and I tethered up, went forward and made the headsail change. It worked out very nicely and safely. Mark Dvorscak M23 Faith Salmon Harbor, Oregon
On Oct 7, 2017 10:09 PM, "John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net> wrote:
Hi all,
Just to report that I put Pajarita back in the water at Howard Prairie lake up in the hills Thursday for a brief while...we're having a last blast of mild early fall weather.
First couple days, there were very light winds early afternoon and I actually got to use the 150 (Genoa) first time in quite a while.
Yesterday I started with that and then after ghosting for maybe 20 minutes, in 15 minutes as lake winds do around here, it reversed and kicked up to overpowered... So I "hove to" on main, and did a headsail change mid-lake.
I have experimented before with some ideas I've read about how to sort of "heave to" on main - it's not like the classic with the backwinded jib. It's more of a slightly luffing windward experience. Basically, somewhere above beam reach, and, not super close to the wind. Rudder set to turn very slightly to windward, and mainsheet a bit soft.
My M17 at least does this quite well, sort of "scalloping" gently to windward (with extra sideways drift of course). She loses way as the slight rudder turns her to windward, but there's not enough speed or rudder to anywhere near come through the wind, so the bow blows off the wind again and luffing reduces and she gains just enough way for the rudder to swing her gently back to slightly luffing...and so on.
This was gusty conditions, without any complications. I have a bungee & jam cleat "tiller holder" and I suspect the flex in the system helps make it smoother - the tiller will give some, but then spring back to its setting, if a gust suddenly blows the bow off faster or scoots her forward faster.
I also wanted to get her out to test having moved the jib sheet cam cleats to a better position than where they were when I got her. I will post some pix separately to show the modification. Suffice to say for now it is WAY better, whether single-handing or with passengers, and I still have no idea why some previous owner put those cam cleats where they did...!
cheers, John S.
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com
