more comments - This will make the response that Tom Smith and Jane Van Winkle get from Kerns more interesting. My M15 storm jib has the clew very high off the deck and I attach the tack to the deck fitting as I would the standard jib. The storm jib is cut so that the position of my fixed jib sheet fairlead is quite suitable for the high clewed storm jib. It works quite well in this fashion and I have used it more than I would have thought. I will keep it this way. If I were actually contemplating going offshore I might think differently but for almost any normal use of an M15 or M17 I would have the sail cut for use with the tack on the deck. (Roughest "normal" use - Chesapeake Bay, San Francisco Bay, Vineyard Sound or the Gulf Coast on a bad day.) --- chbenneck@juno.com wrote:
Hi Gang,
Most of the time (all the time) you want the storm jib off the deck and on a pennant.
Reasons:
If the bow buries in a sea you don't want the storm jib to act as a big water scoop. Keep it higher and let the water flow freely under the sail.
Visibility: You want to be able to see where you're going and see what's coming at you (waves); so you can take evasive action. If the storm jib tack is at the bow fitting visibility is impaired.
See Hal Roth's book, "After 50,000 Miles" for more details.
Connie
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