Disabling the Spindrift Sleeved Sail on the Water

[Don Silsbe]

Last night, I watched a video about this year’s OBX130.  It is an informal group camp cruise in the Core Sound.  The sailor who took this video sailed a traditional sailing skiff.  I noticed some lines extending from the mainsail’s leech to luff.  I asked him about these.  They are braiding lines, which are useful for dousing the sail under certain conditions.  I thought this might be a good thought starter for you.  Here’s his description:

“The line you are referring to is a brailing line. It runs from the top of the mast to an eye on the leach, back to the masthead, then down to the base of the mast and from there back to the cockpit. A quick pull gathers the majority of the sail and the sprit up against the mast.  Very handy and essential for singlehanding.”

 

 

[Aleksandr Pasechnik]

Is there a way to put in a second reef in the spindrift sail? I guess not really since it would interfere with the zipper?

 

How would one go about designing a “storm sail” or “super low power” sail for the Spindrift? Has somebody already done so?

 

Went out in rather stiff and gusty conditions yesterday, mostly just a close haul upwind, and then a tack, and a beam reach back to the dock. It was fun, and scary, and made me wish I had less sail power. The boat even capsized after I tied up at the dock (after I got out. Got to practice my bailing at least.

 

I somewhat “necessarily” sail in waters where the cost of mistakes is rather high (The alternative would be an hour or two trip to some other water, which means “almost never going sailing” in my case.) The river is pretty quick, changeable, and there isn’t really a shallow beach area to practice and mess about.

 

I’d love to be able to go out in various conditions, and I don’t particularly worry about the fastest or most efficient sailing, just that I can get out and be reasonably confident that I won’t end up spending half my time swimming. Maybe the answer is “I should embrace the wet learning experience “ or “I should have built a bigger (heavier?) boat”, but here we are. The former is unpalatable and the latter is unrealistic at this time. =]