Maine Sailing Partners

Letter from the South Pacific

Hi Win.

We just passed through Pohnpei again where we picked up the Hydranet genoa that you made in 2005 and i thought i would update you. In 2005 we left there and went back to the Sopac and then to Australia continuing on to Tasmania for a year and a half. From there we came back up the east coast of OZ, through PNG and ended up in Palau for five years where we did tons of diving but little sailing. Palau is one of the rainiest place on earth and hot. Everything grows a layer of green mold [even teak rots]. The Hydranet came through with very little mold problems even though it spent most of the time rolled up. We left Palau this last july and went about 2500 miles east just north of the equator in mostly 5-10k breeze with a few squalls.

The jib still has a great shape and the only thing wrong with it is the spreader patches have disintegrated. The UV cover put on with Tenara thread is still fine. Once we got to 170E and the equator we made a right turn and headed for Vanuatu and New Caledonia hard on the wind in the trades for 1200 miles.

We had North New Zealand build us a tri radial spectra staysail in 2002 and on the the leg to Vanuatu it totally delaminated much like the main they built us. We dragged out the staysail you built us at Shore sails out of CL90 and put that back in use. It is a bit baggier than new and the 1/4" welded tack ring disintegrated but it is still hanging in there.

We are off to NZ for a much need refit and are putting the boat on the market (http://sites.google.com/site/svdancerabeking/) as we would like to trade up to a big cat to better carry our dive equipment and skiff. Hope all is well with you. All the best.

 

Code Zeros

Interest in code zero sails has grown steadily since they first appeared in the 1997/98 Whitbread as light air, close reaching sails.  Their relatively flat cross-sections and large overlap make them especially effective from about 45 to 75-degrees apparent wind angle.  No longer considered just a light air sail, a code zero can be used anytime the addition of more horse power can make the boat go faster.  This is a narrow niche for some boats, but there are many boats that can benefit from additional sail area when close reaching.

To prevent sailmakers from building oversized genoas, PHRF considers a code zero a spinnaker so the mid-girth must be at least 75% of the foot.  PHRF also penalizes boats that carry code zero sails - 6 seconds per mile for boats that carry genoas with LPs of less than 130% of J and 3 seconds per mile for 130% or greater.  This pretty much limits the usefulness of code zero sails to long reaching races where the improvement in performance overcomes the penalty.

It's a different story with cruising boats where there are no such restrictions or penalties.  Here we can take advantage of innovations in code zero laminates, continuous line furlers, and anti-torque luff ropes to make sails that don't comply with the racing rules and can't be penalized but are as easy to use as roller furling genoas and very effective windward reachers.

Finally, there is a loop hole if you race a classic yacht in CRF regattas like the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta.  Provided your boat is already rated for a spinnaker, these kinds of sails are treated as a spinnakers no matter what the cut and without penalty provided they aren't set on a permanent stay.  Such a sail could be devastatingly effective anytime it's too tight for a spinnaker but you need more power than you can get from the genoa. 

Eleuthera dreaming

Sometimes, we're jealous of our sails -

Here in Yarmouth, Maine, the first snow of the year is falling.  But in our in-box, this picture from customers Garry and Leslie Schneider:  "This is one of your sails heading South along the West coast of Eleuthera."

Down East and how to get it

How to get your J/37 (or other boat) to Maine in a hurry.  Hoist the MSP asymmetrical and go.

Update - The owner sends the following note:

Hi MSP,

The sail is fabulous!  First time I used it I walked away from a friend who usually kills me downwind.  Thanks again.

Cruising Maine

Just got back from 2 plus weeks of Maine Coast cruising.  A great way to unwind from a busy summer here at the loft.  Here are a couple of images that give a hint of Maine's unique flavor (click for a larger view):

Seal Bay in morning fog:

Lobster boat at dawn:

Windjammer glimpsed between islands:

Full Moon

Last weekend on Friday the 19th I had the pleasure of sailing my boat overnight from Portland to Islesboro in Penobscot Bay.  This was an especially wonderful trip because of the full moon we had.  If you have ever sailed at night with a full moon you know what I am talking about, and if you haven't, next time we have a full moon get out for a night sail.   It was partly cloudy but when the moon was out from behind the clouds it was like sailing in the middle of day.  The picture is the  moon at about 3:30am, and a picture of our dog, Bella, at 7:00am looking more tired than us even though she got twice as much sleep as we did!

Follow your dreams

If you think you should wait to follow your dreams take it from these guys, life's to short.  I met Neil and Stacey last winter when they were a little more than half way done with their renovation of Zora, their Mariner 39.  They are now working their way  south aboard Zora continuing their extended cruise with their daughter Liv.   They have a great web sight of the total renovation and their trip so far.  Reading this sight will make you want to jump on your boat and head south.  Check it out:  www.sailzora.com