Drifter, Genaker or Asymmetric

[nial]

Hey Captain Eric, love those Hans Christians. Real sea going ships.
nial

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by nial

Hey Captain Eric, love those Hans Christians. Real sea going ships.
nial

Thanks man. Certainly never ending maintenance associated with it but on the whole it's been great to us.

[PamlicoTraveler]

Here is our "Drifter" in action... It's a good sail in light air from any point of wind.

[btrayfors]

Pamlico Traveler has posted a pic of the only sail I'd call a "drifter".

1. Real drifters are LARGE....very large.....maybe 170% or more. You sheet them in near the aft cockpit.

2. Real drifters are constructed of VERY LIGHT WEIGHT nylon or Dacron...like 1.5 to 2.5 oz.

3. Real drifters have many more than "4 or 5 hanks"....unless you're on a 17-footer.

I absolutely LOVED my drifter on Born Free, for the first 14 years or so of ownership. GREAT light air sail. Tremendous pulling power. Good on close reach to almost a run.

In the Eastern Caribbean in the days before roller furlers were popular, it was common practice to furl headsails and tie them along the upper life lines. So it was with Luke, and I had a special green sailcover made for him from Sunbrella to match the other sailcovers on the boat.

I remember that when furled along the lifelines, Luke's clew extended way beyond the opening gates amidships, so I had to fold about six feet of the sail forward.

I tended to fly Luke in much more than light airs, and paid the price. Had it for about 8 years in the Caribbean, and my sailmaker sewed it up as many times.

Last time, I was singlehanding from Trellis Bay, Beef Island to Cooper Island in a bit of a breeze. About 20 knots across the deck. Going like a bat out of hell. About 200 yards from rounding the point on Cooper Island into the protected waters of Machineel Bay, there was a thunderous....
B O O M !

My much loved "Luke the Drifter" (named after Hank William's original stage name) split from the forestay to the clew, shaking the whole rig.

I knew this was likely to be the last dance for Luke, but took him to the sailmaker anyway. As I feared, that was it. The sailmaker pronounced Luke DOA, and that was that.

Still looking to replace him. I've done the asymmetrical/drifter calcs, too, and since I no longer have a bare forestay (the ProFurl LC-42 now lives there), it will very likely be an assymetrical with just a head, tack, and clew.

Sure miss Luke, though :-) RIP!

Bill

[PeregrineSea]

Great colors too!!

[PamlicoTraveler]

..much loved "Luke the Drifter" (named after Hank William's original stage name) split from the forestay to the clew, shaking the whole rig.

I knew this was likely to be the last dance for Luke, but took him to the sailmaker anyway.

Our sailmaker made a living off our drifter until we learned to take it down at about 10-12 knot winds.

[smurphny]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

Last time, I was singlehanding from Trellis Bay, Beef Island to Cooper Island in a bit of a breeze. About 20 knots across the deck. Going like a bat out of hell. About 200 yards from rounding the point on Cooper Island into the protected waters of Machineel Bay, there was a thunderous....
B O O M !

My much loved "Luke the Drifter" (named after Hank William's original stage name) split from the forestay to the clew, shaking the whole rig.



Bill

Ok Bill, how did you get Luke up and down single-handed without a sock? I have a "Flasher", an asym spin, that I'm afraid to mess with single-handed. How to keep boat straight? How to douse without someone at the wheel?

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by smurphny

Ok Bill, how did you get Luke up and down single-handed without a sock? I have a "Flasher", an asym spin, that I'm afraid to mess with single-handed. How to keep boat straight? How to douse without someone at the wheel?

Good questions!

The secret is to know your boat, to plan ahead, and to practice.

Have the drifter (or other head sail) ready to hoist, lying free on the deck, halyard attached and ready to go.

With the main set and underway at a good clip, look for a good opportunity to come up into the wind and do so smartly as if you were going to tack. But, don't. Stop turning short of coming thru the wind. Set the brake on the wheel with the rudder set straight ahead, or just a bit to leeward.

Now, run (carefully) forward and haul up the head sail fast. Make it secure and rush back to the cockpit as the boat falls off the wind.

Then, get in the sheet quickly and you're off. You can make up the halyards nicely when underway and all is set in the cockpit.

You can douse the drifter in the same way. Come up into the wind slowly, go forward and drop it, gathering it quickly inside the lifelines along the leeward rail.

At the time, ALL my head sails were hanked on (#1, #2, #3 genoas, working jib, stormsail, drifter, etc.), so I had lots of practice :-)

It's easier on larger boats since they don't turn so fast :-)

It's really not rocket science...just a matter of playing the wind and sea conditions and practicing.

Bill

[Flcapt]

Another approach that worked for me. We had a drifter that could be put on the foil but often flew loose to save pulling the Genoa off the foil.
We found We could in the right conditions bear off and the drifter would get sucked in and collapse behind the main.
Rounding up may be safer since you don't want it to ever land in the drink.
Nobody seems to even know what a drifter is any more. We found it as versatile as a Genoa on point of sail for anytime the wind was to light for the genny.

[danstanford]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

Good questions!

The secret is to know your boat, to plan ahead, and to practice.

Have the drifter (or other head sail) ready to hoist, lying free on the deck, halyard attached and ready to go.

With the main set and underway at a good clip, look for a good opportunity to come up into the wind and do so smartly as if you were going to tack. But, don't. Stop turning short of coming thru the wind. Set the brake on the wheel with the rudder set straight ahead, or just a bit to leeward.

Now, run (carefully) forward and haul up the head sail fast. Make it secure and rush back to the cockpit as the boat falls off the wind.

Then, get in the sheet quickly and you're off. You can make up the halyards nicely when underway and all is set in the cockpit.

You can douse the drifter in the same way. Come up into the wind slowly, go forward and drop it, gathering it quickly inside the lifelines along the leeward rail.

At the time, ALL my head sails were hanked on (#1, #2, #3 genoas, working jib, stormsail, drifter, etc.), so I had lots of practice :-)

It's easier on larger boats since they don't turn so fast :-)

It's really not rocket science...just a matter of playing the wind and sea conditions and practicing.

Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moYSojRJN1E

This is a letter box drop. It can be done via the tack as shown or by the clew.
In any case singlehanded is possible as you don't have to go out on deck to do it.

[311sailor]

I am ordering a Drifter..(2 ounce nylon) .with no hanks, to fly free ...without any hanks would it still be called a drfter?

[Adelie]

If it’s cut as a Genoa where the luff can be tightened to the point it’s straight then it’s a drifter.

If the luff is cut rounded it’s more of an asymmetrical chute or cruising chute.

[Nekton73]

I have an Asym and find it quite versatile and effective for most points of sail save close hauled and ddw, and if I drop the main I can sail pretty deep. Dousing sock makes it fairly easy to manage single handed in winds up to 10kts. I tend to take it down if wind builds beyond that to keep things easy, and the boat sails just fine on white sails in anything stronger.



Not used often but nicely fills the light wind gap that my regular jib doesn't really work in. I'm glad I bought it.

[Hasbeen]

I spent a lot of time between the equator & 10 south, so often in light airs. My drifter I had made from 3 Oz terylene & was pretty much a slightly fuller No2 Genoa, slightly shorter on the luff.


I sailed usually with the 150% No2, or the drifter. The drifter worked beautifully on the wind up to about 6 knots true & 10 K apparent wind, more would stretch the thing. I had a large deck bag into which I would drop the No2, & zip up the bag, with the sail still hanked on. It stayed there when not flying.



The drifter was hanked on above it, with a short down hall, & was used as a Genoa. I did try setting it flying, not hanked on, but it was far less effective on the wind, & required more wind to fill it.



It was a great sail & would often have me sliding along at about 3 knots when heavier sails would not set at all.