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  2. Downwind Sailing

Re: Downwind Sailing

Dave_Benjamin
 

For deep downwind we often drop the main and just let the twins do their thing. We carry a roll of self adhesive insignia cloth so we can create sacrificial patches in the event we notice chafe in any of the sails. So far the biggest issue we have is the main has picked up some damage while flaked due to the non-skid on the top of the dodger.

--- In amelyachtowners@..., "svbebe" <yahoogroups@...> wrote:

Can't say what others do, but we never let the mainsail touch the shroud. Sails are too expensive to risk damage and it seems that the shroud would wear on the sail. If it is anticipated to be only a half-day run dead downwind, we normally just pole out the jenny and put the mizzen to the opposite side with a preventer, taking care to also keep the mizzen sail off the shroud. We leave the main furled because it just isn't possible to get the main far enough out with the wind directly astern. If winds are very light, we pole out our asymmetrical (not a standard Amel sail). The asymmetrical is not designed for dead downwind, but it works fine with the pole and stays filled better than the heavier genoa because it is such a light material.

For downwind sailing we use just one pole probably 80 to 90% of the time. After you get used to it, rigging the pole is very easy for 2 people.

You will probably get several different answers on this question.

Judy
S/V BeBe
SM2 #387
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