Jim, another thought, the in mast batten free sail is a proven passage maker. Battens in the main with some roach in it will improve your windward performance I will agree to that. Just remember when you have to reef the main you'll have to go head to wind. When you get hit by heavy air you release the jib and main sheets. you then must get in all the jib to put the boat head to wind. The boom will be flailing out on your beam and will be head to wind but your bow isn't. If its blowing 45 knots the bow won't come to windward unless you sheet it back in, but you have a full main and you'l be trying to sheet it in while standing the boat on its beam ends. You will end up starting the motor to drive the boat up so you can get the boom lined up with the slot in the main, if there's any main left by now it just might work. This scenario is so easy with Amels way, we just ease the main out hawl and roll up some sail and never change course regardless of wind speed or direction. If I had a reverse gear in my electric jib sheet winch, I'd never leave the helmsmen seat to do anything. What part of this do you not like? If you insist on this go a little faster ideal,make sure you don't go to the Med and get hit by one of their Mistrals, or the Atlantic and get caught in a white squall or where I just came from, 50 degree south and get blindsided by a 55 kt. williwaw blasting down a mountain.
John "Moon Dog" SM 248


To: amelyachtowners@...
From: dave_benjamin@...
Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 23:21:30 -0700
Subject: Re: [Amel] Verical Batons







Jim,

As a sailmaker I am not enthused with vertical battens although there are some vocal proponents. There are issues with vertical battens getting stuck and causing problems. On a cruising boat you really don't want that risk.

Has your sailmaker built sails for a SM before? I saw one SM where a sailmaker made the sail a bit too long on the luff and built patches that were bulky. The sail required several modifications to fit properly.