Does this happen to you?

K

kathyn

New Member
I was sailing yesterday in about a 15knot wind and having trouble getting in because I couldn't "point" well. I was noticing a boat nearby me heading into what would have been for me "the no go zone". Why are some boats better at pointing closer to the wind than others? The Capri doesn't seem to point well at all. Is it me? I've only had the boat about six weeks so maybe I'm doing something wrong. Also does anyone know the logic behind the jib not having hanks so it can stay right with at the forestay? Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks
Kathy
 
You may have unwittingly answered your own question. You mentioned that your jib has no hanks. Do you mean it's only attached at the foot and head? If so, that would account for some of your poor pointing ability.

The tighter the luff of the jib, the better the boat will point. Having it hanked close to the forestay would help tremendously. Also, adjusting the slot between the jib and the main helps you point. And keep the boat flat.

I'm surprised that with a sloppy luff and 15 mph winds you didn't spend most of your time righting a capsized boat. You must have some serious abs (that was a compliment, btw).
 
Is no hanks normal for this boat?

The jib is only connected at the top and bottom of the forestay. There are no hanks at all. Is this normal for Capris? Maybe I don't have the original sail. I suppose I could take this jib to a sailmaker and have them put the holes in it to add hanks. What does anyone think about this?
 
It should have hanks. Mine with the original sails doesn't have many hanks (about 4 I think) but you should get some put on for any control. Kudos for managing out there without them this far!

Joseph
 
If you don't have any hanks, see if you have a wire luff (i.e. a steel cable with each end crimped into a loop). One loop is probably used as the tack and the other as the head. If yes, then you have a sail prepped for roller furling.

If, instead, your sail has a rope luff with a hole (and a grommet) through each end of the sail itself, then you have a standard jib which should have hanks. It should, at least, have a set of grommets where the hanks should be attached. If not, you can add the hanks yourself by buying some jib hanks and grommets from West Marine or simply have a sailmaker put them on. Sailmaker will want about $100.

I'm familiar with all this because I just went through this learning process last month with my jib. In my case, the sail has a wire luff AND hanks ... but cheap plastic hanks which simply screwed through the sail cloth behind the wire luff. Initially, I was planning on replacing the cheap plastic hanks with serious brass ones, then I learned that my sail was actually designed for roller furling but, for some reason, had hanks attached. In the end, I decided to go with roller furling and trash the hanks. Albeit, roller furling is more involved to set up, but should make single-handing much easier.

As a third option, you could probably buy the cheap plastic hanks, like I had, from Catalina Yachts to adapt you roller furling jib for standard use. As I said, they simply screw through the sail cloth. Might be the cheapest option.
 
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