last september i got caught in a blow on carr inlet (south puget sound); winds about 20, gusts into the mid-20s, seas 2'-3'. i had too much sail as the current main only has a single reef - i'm looking to changing this situation before the '07 season begins. i also don't have a storm job. i went down to just the jib and found you can't make any headway (not to be unexpected in a sloop) ... i was not loosing ground, and the boat healed only slightly less. i did three tacks looking at the same houses on each side of the bay and called it a day (broke out the 'iron horse' and went into a nice cove for a cup of hot coffee). after this experience i did a forum search and found some comments from jerry m. about the M15 in heavy winds. i looked and couldn't find his posting to share, (maybe someone else has or knows the correct search terms to find the helpful post) but this is what i remember - *most of the 'power' in the M15 comes from the main. *releasing tension on the main (letting out the sheet, or taking down the sail) takes all the tension off the forestay resulting in the jib 'bagging' and therefore making heal worse. *you need to reef the main and balance the boat in order to gain ground. jerry commented that if you get the right amount of sail the M15 will really go. i agree that if you get the right balance (using both sails) the boat is a fast, stable, and amazingly dry for the crew (in the above situation when i was under sail i got little spray in the cockpit ... only when i began to motor did i get wet). when running downwind the discussion changes - the only reports of a M15 (or M17) i could find that 'turned turtle or were knocked down where when the boat was running with the wind. i've not experienced a knockdown in my montgomery, but have on much larger boats. in all those cases the excitement happened when going downwind. david scobie M15 #288 (as yet not named) Harry & Nancy <nanarry@shaw.ca> wrote: Also,is it possible to sail with just the jib --------------------------------- It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar.

Congrats on your new toy Harry. I think that you and I might be the only Canucklians in this group. Welcome ..... from the self appointed Grand Pouba of the north of 49'ers.....Kelowna Division. (You can be the Grand Pouba of the Thunder Bay Division) I crew for a chap now and again that is Scottish. He has an interesting trait. Dual personality. On land or on someone elses boat he is quiet, respectful and polite. As skipper of his own boat during a race he is loud, obnoxious, foul and cunning. Yes, you can sail a boat like the 15 from the companionway. At least partially or some some degree. I do it with my m17 and my other sail boat all the time. I rig steering lines for the other boat. These are just lines running from the tiller, out to the side decks, through blocks and various turning points to the companionway top. From there I can adjust the rudder at will. On my M17 I have an electronic device called a Tiller Pilot that will steer a course all by itself. This is my favourite luxury toy, his name is Otto. For single handing Otto is King. He will even do a pretty good job when I am trimming a spinnaker. I can't comment from experience with the 15, but my 17 balances very well with either main or head sail...but with limitations. With either sail alone you will not sail as high as with a balanced rig. In other words, You may only get up to a close reach or around 60-70 degrees off the wind direction. And by a balanced rig, I mean both sails combined....in windier conditions.... both reduced in size(reefed main/smaller head sail). With a balanced rig in heavy conditions you will still be able to sail the usual points of sail....though spend a bit more effort. I feel the balanced rig is more safe in that you can keep all points of sail available to you when you get yourself into a pickle. Having said that, I sail in over 20 knot conditions all the time. Depending on where I am, who's on the boat and where I want to go, I might sail with one of my smaller jibs only....or the intermediate....or the 155. If I use one sail only, more often than not it will be a head sail. I find in very heavy air a head sail tends to be a bit more relaxing. But as I said before ....best used for downhill ranges. If you were anywhere around a beam reach and above, if a single sail is going to be used, a main alone might be a better choice. The fun of getting new boat is finding all these things out for yourself and developing a system that suits you, your comfort factor and your boat. As for anchoring, ask any local sailors what they find works well. Other than that, a Danforth style tends to be a general all-rounder and I have read it is particularly good for sand and mud. The depths you will anchoring in will determine rode length. Pick your deepest anticipated anchorage and multiply it by 10 for a rode length. So 30' depth....300' rode. A 10:1 scope is considered safe for bad or storm conditions. For regular overnighting in general conditions a 7:1 scope is fine. I would consider using 3/8 three strand nylon and about 10 feet of 1/4" chain. Personally, I always have two anchors and tackle. Both of mine are Danforth styles, both with lots of rode and chain, but one is lighter than the other. I also like to have some sort of markers on the rode. Hope this helps. Have fun. Tim D. Kelowna BC M17 #369 Puff ========================== Harry & Nancy wrote:

Greetings from Thunder Bay,Canada: Note the neat Hull#. I feel some kinship to James Bond, allbeit stretched.( In truth, my only "kinship" is that Sean and I are the same age and my ancestors are from Scotland.) Perhaps some one can share thoughts on the following: Is it possible to sail a M15 from a standing position in the cabin (of course, with the hatch open)? Having experience on L.Superior from the comfort of my kayak's cockpit(lower body totally protected and upper body churning away) from breakup to ice-over means the longest possible season.I'd like to be able to do the same in hull#707. Sitting in the cockpit,even fully clothed,I think the cold (30F in shoulder -seasons) combined with wind, might be off-putting.Hence my question of operating from the cabin.Also,is it possible to sail with just the jib,and not use the mainsail, again controlling from the cabin? West Marine is mailing me a 2007 catalog from which I hope to do some ordering(Thunder Bay's only sail shop closed a few years ago)Which anchors work best with a M15(rock ,sand and mud bottoms)?What type of rope,its length, and rode? Bob Eeg: Thanks for the phone call enquiring about our trip home.You said that we're missing some part,I've forgotten its name.What is the part and when are you sending it? Thanks. A publisher in Duluth ,Minn. is sending me a copy of Bonnie Dahl's book on cruising L. Superior which is apparently very useful. Regards from the White North. Harry Elmslie. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats