Re: [Cal_Boats] Blade jib?

<Maybe I don't understand something so I am asking this list if anyone has experience using a blade jib with a low clew for general day sailing as well as racing. > All of our deck sweepers just bunch up over the life lines and it's not a big deal. We do put little 4" diameter "spinners" on the life lines to help the sail over the life lines but up at the bow the sail just rides on the life line. Some people take the life line from the last stanchion forward down to the deck at the pulpit to releave that pressure but we never did for safety reasons. <Maybe I should forget the blade jib idea and just stick with the old sail I have, which has a clew 4 feet off the deck.> Wow- that's a lot of sail area lost. That said, my sailmaker told me that you don't really lose a lot until you get above your cabin top as was concerned about going from a deck sweeper to a roller furling sail. <It should be pointed out that there is lots of wind here > I'm on the Chesapeake . . . wish I could say that :-( Paul West Adventure Kwest '80 Cal 39

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 1:27 PM, <pw… [at] aol.com> wrote: > > > > > <Maybe I don't understand something so I am asking this list if anyone has > experience using a blade jib with a low clew for general day sailing as well > as racing. > > > *All of our deck sweepers just bunch up over the life lines and it's not a > big deal. We do put little 4" diameter "spinners" on the life lines to help > the sail over the life lines but up at the bow the sail just rides on the > life line. Some people take the life line from the last stanchion forward > down to the deck at the pulpit to releave that pressure but we never did for > safety reasons.* > I have my lifeline go down to the deck at the pulpit but thanks for the input on the sheet over the lifeline. I guess I won't worry about it. Now I can just worry about seeing under the thing. > > <Maybe I should forget the blade jib idea and just stick with the old sail > I have, which has a clew 4 feet off the deck.> > > *Wow- that's a lot of sail area lost. That said, my sailmaker told me > that you don't really lose a lot until you get above your cabin top as was > concerned about going from a deck sweeper to a roller furling sail.* > Actually, the existing sail is a 92 and the biggest sail I can seem to expect to fit inside the rigging is a 90 so the sail area is actually about the same given the 92 doesn't go all the way to the top. > > <It should be pointed out that there is lots of wind here > > > > > *I'm on the Chesapeake . . . wish I could say that :-(* > > > Be careful what you wish for or you will be spending all your time gluing your boat back together like I do. It is winter now. You can go sailing as everything isn't frozen but there are typically two kinds of winds in the winter, too little and too much. > *Paul West* > *Adventure Kwest* > *'80 Cal 39* > > > Allen