I've practiced similar with my M17 - 'hove to' on main alone, no jib. Before I got the furling jib, I was testing to see about changing headsail single-handed. Haven't tried it in anything like 25-30 knots, more like 15-18. Basically I put it in a close to the wind position, but with the main a bit loose-sheeted for that position, and the tiller set to turn gently upwind. So what happens is a cycle - start anywhere, it just repeats: Boat has slight forward way Tiller position causes boat to head up gently Main starts to lose power and boat stalls out Bow is blown off the wind as boat stalls out Main starts to catch wind and power forward way (back to 'Boat has slight forward way'...) So yes it oscillates a bit, and, there is always at least a bit of pressure on the main, it never gets in irons, so it stays heeled at least a bit to leeward. You need some sea/lake room for this, since the boat does sail slowly along, in a direction somewhere between where it's pointing and pure leeward drift. It' great fun actually to try this and get it working well enough to go clamber around the boat as she idles along. Definitely better to try it on purpose and have some practice than to wait for an emergency for your first attempt. cheers, John On 01/28/2019 09:27 AM, casioqv@usermail.com wrote:
It works, but the boat still moves a knot or two, and oscillates a bit. It's not as stable as with a backwinded jib.
Sincerely, Tyler
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rusty Knorr" <rustyinafrica@yahoo.com> To: "casioqv" <casioqv@usermail.com> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2019 9:22:51 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Storm jib
Thanks, Tyler. I’ve always heard the M-15 won’t heave to under just the main, but you found it to work ok?
www.rustyknorr.weebly.com
On Jan 28, 2019, at 8:33 AM, casioqv@usermail.com wrote:
I've hanked on a storm jib in my M15 in 25-30 knots, and it went fine. I found it helpful to first double reef the main, and then get into a hove-to under main alone position, as described in the Pardey's book 'Storm Tactics.' Basically this means the bow 45 degrees to the wind, and the tiller lashed slightly to leeward so the boat stays balanced at this angle to the wind. The boat will heel slightly to the lee side, which gives the stability you need to go to the bow on the windward side. I'm a big guy, but the boat still lists to leeward with my weight all the way over on the windward side under these conditions. I highly recommend a tether and jacklines while doing this. The stainless steel carabiner style hanks that can be used with one hand make it a lot easier also.
In my opinion, sailing an M15 with the main alone in very strong winds isn't a good idea, because weather helm will make the boat very exhausting to control, and you will be unable to go upwind. Motoring doesn't really work in rough conditions either, since the prop will repeatedly come out of the water unless you get it so low that you risk swamping it.
Sincerely, Tyler
----- Original Message ----- From: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2019 10:34:08 PM Subject: M_Boats: Storm jib
Hi all,
On my last M-15 as well as my recent purchase I have a storm jib. My question is...when you decide you need it, how the heck do you get to it?! The M-15s are precarious enough in calm weather, going forward to bend on a storm jib when it’s blowing like crazy seems not only risky, but downright dangerous. So what do you do when you leave the dock in 5 knots and your genoa, and get stuck in unpredicted 40 knot gusts where you really need that storm jib up to balance the boat?
Thoughts?
Rusty M-15 “Vanilla” Duckpunt “The Donkey”
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