fstauss Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 Out sailing this past weekend. Good wind. Got stuck in Irons and had a devil of a time getting out. Any hints on getting out of Irons with the cat/ketch rig? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 The simple way in any boat is to hold the tiller to one side until the boat lays off and then sail away. The beginner's lament is to keep trying to sail before the boat fully lays off the wind. That insures a continual trip back into irons. On a cat ketch, you can let the mizzen go and hold the main to one side. That will also cause the boat to lay off the wind, provided the loose tiller doesn't fight you. Best to have the crew hold the main to one side while you hold the tiller. There are other combinations, but they all give the same result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Frechette Jr Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 Whenever I am sailing my CS 20 I as helmsman am sitting right up close to the center thwart seat. Only time I need get out of irons is when I purposely put myself there by easing main and hardening mizzen to heave to. Getting out is as simple as easing off mizzensheet, and reaching up to where the mainsheet attaches to the main sprit and hauling it over to side I am sitting on. Boat pivots smartly off the wind and I let go of the main sheet and I am sailing again. Trim your sheets for desired course and life is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Potts Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 I don't bother uncleating anything. If I'm tacking a little too slowly (or if I'm in irons) I grab a handful of the main sheet near the clew (without uncleating it) and pull it towards me so the main is on my side of the boat. That is enough to spin the boat even with the tiller centered. Once the mizzen starts to fill, I let the main return to its cleated position and I'm sailing away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dufour Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 In high winds, I've actually found that the boat can spin too fast out of irons if I pull the main over. If I want real control, I'll push the mizzen slowly out, which will cause the boat to weathercock slightly away from the eye of the wind. This is particularly helpful if I've been laying hove to on one tack, and want to sail out of it on the other. I find I can't get the main out far enough in that case, and pushing the mizzen does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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