Sunday, October 7, 2018

New professionally built sail from Really Simple Sails

As everyone following this knows I've been wondering how much sail area the Robbsboat really needs.  The originally designed 138ft2 on an 18 ft mast is definitely too much around here.  I built the original tarp sail @ 120ft2, and only needed the full area on the very lightest of days.  I spent most of the time on the first reef, which was @ 95ft2.

I finally had Mik Storer build me this one over at Really simple sails.  100ft2 with 3 reef points.  Came out nice.






Got it out for the first on the water test back on September 28th.  Headed downwind against a 1 knot current on the Columbia river between I5 and I205.  My velometer in the parking lot said the wind was hanging out between 3 and 6 knots.  I was going between 1.5 and 3 knots that way.  I got up to 4 plus knots when I fell off to any kind of reach, the current helping with the apparent wind and the SOG. Camera battery died before I got turned around and headed back upwind/down current, but here's some good shots of the sail shape with the wind behind me and going against the current.



I'll get some video with better wind and some tacking soon.  Hopefully before the season ends this year.  

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