26X sail wardrobe advice please

[beene]

Thanks for the link Eric.

Let me know if you find one for the M.

G

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Main sail
Jib
Genoa
Spinnaker
Iron sail

[Frank C]

This webpage shows the same Beaufort Scale, but the copy is a bit easier to read:

Code: Select all

FORCE            DESCRIPTION      SPECIFICATIONS FOR USE ON LAND
        KNOTS

0       0-1      Calm             Calm; smoke rises verticall.

1       1-3      Light air        Direction of wind shown by smoke drift, 
                                  but not by wind vanes.

2       4-6      Light Breeze     Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; 
                                  ordinary vanes moved by wind.

3       7-10     Gentle Breeze    Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; 
                                  wind extends light flag.

4      11-16     Moderate Breeze  Raises dust and loose paper;
                                  small branches are moved.

5      17-21     Fresh Breeze     Small trees in leaf begin to sway;
                                  crested wavelets form on inland waters.

6      22-27     Strong Breeze    Large branches in motion;
                                  whistling heard in telegraph wires;
                                  umbrellas used with difficulty.

7      28-33     Near Gale        Whole trees in motion;
                                  inconvenience when walking against the wind.
 

These show pretty much the same as written earlier in the thread,
(though I have clearly waited too long to insert the second reef);
When windspeed < 15 knots, Mainsail & Genoa or Jib;
When windspeed = 15 knots, it's time for reefed main & standard jib.
When windspeed = 22 knots, Double-reef the main & reduce the jib.
When windspeed = 25+ knots .... furl sails, drop outboard, don goggles & foulies!

In my web-reading I've been surprised to find that many recreational sailors follow the same guideline at 15 knots, even with heavier keelboats, but it's a bit more urgent to do so on the Mac 26X.
Is it any different for the 26M???

[parrothead]

I haven't sailed an , but have done 2 seasons with our , and it balances nicely under main alone - which, from what I have read on this forum, is less true for the X. We had an intermediate reef point added to the mainsail last winter, and we have the standard jib + the asym spinnaker - not the genoa.

I would say the preferred sail plan for the M would be consistent with that of the X up to 20 knots or so - at which point, in our experience, the single-reefed main alone is preferable to a double-reefed main plus a semi-furled jib. The Mac headsail is "roller furling", not "roller reefing", and simply making it smaller does not necessarily improve boat handling in higher winds. The mass of the furled sail spoils its shape somewhat, making it difficult to flatten, and the headsail's center of effort remains just about as far aloft semi-furled as fully deployed [unlike the Main, where the center of effort drops when it is reefed].

[Moe]

The problem with trying to pigeon hole force numbers to a sail configuration or vice versa, is this doesn't consider the point of sail and its effect on heel, the wind's effect on the water given fetch and depth, or the different pointing capabilities of different foresails.

--
Moe

[Frank C]

If anyone has rough measurements on the second reef on the main sail I'd apreciate. Eric

See this thread about Sail Slugs, which links to several preceding threads. I created the drawing based upon measurements (scaled at right of drawing) provided by other members, but haven't yet applied to my own sail. Upper reef is shown here at 84", and mid-reef at 42".
(26X Mainsail luff = 24'9", leech = 25'11", foot = 10'5")

I've never physically measured my sail for these reef points, but they seem about right. The factory mainsail includes the upper reef, not the mid-reef, but most dealers offer mid-reef as an option.
(Bill, was the 26X factory reef point ~7 feet above the boom?)

... That's what a set of polar curves are for...
But a rough guide like the table above is the next best thing.

Polars? ... haven't seen 'em (yet), but isn't that why YOU were inducted??