Can you see under your headsail?

[Panope]

I am wondering how many of us can see the horizon under our headsails when positioned normally at the helm?

Thanks,

Steve

[JPA Cate]

For me, it is not the same for all points of sail. I am rather short, and when we are hard on the wind, say between 20-50 deg, I do have to peer around. However, from 90 downward, no worries, mate. Sometimes we put a couple of turns on the roller to raise the foot of the sail to see under it more efficaciously.

Ann

[Schooner Chandlery]

Jibs with high cut (eg like a Yankee) clews are coming back in favor it seems. The deck sweeping genoas seem to be getting replaced with other higher cut light wind sails.

Our sails aren't in the way though our boat's deckhouse and steep sheer can make a problem for seeing what's directly in front of the boat while motoring in calm seas.

We don't have a problem with not being able to see while sailing because there is typically enough wave action to keep us moving around--can't see everything at once but close enough in our 'not calm' Pacific.


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[Don C L]

The combination of a low foot and my boat's love to sail on her rail means I often can't see much if I'm close-hauled or on a close reach. But I like laying on the leeward side and steering with my knee anyway so I see enough usually.

[Snowpetrel]

Snow petrel one had reasonably high cut 130% genoa (somewhere between a yankee and genoa) that meant I could see all around if I wasnt heeled too far.

SP2 I use a low cut 100% jib, not so good. Though I can see all around by shifting to leeward. It is much better than a150% low cut genoa...But not ideal. I would like a higher cut sail.

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[cal40john]

It depends on whether I have the #1 or the #3 up.

[Kenomac]

Our yankee is cut fairly high. Most of the time we can see under it unless healed over.

[TurninTurtle]

Going to depend a lot on the boat and/or which sails are up... Which way you are sailing and even how you trim the sails.

You can sometimes trim the sail(s) a bit less than ideal for power to get better visibility.
OK for recreational/cruising, not for racing.

[El Pinguino]

My view when standing at the wheel, I can still see the top half of the pulpit when seated.

Thats the working jib which is what I use most of the time.

Full genoa hard on the wind?... not quite so good.... if in a busy area I wrap a bit up so I can see under it without moving from the - centreline - wheel.

[Tayana42]

I could usually see under my yankee but my staysail set on a boom blocks my view to leeward.


S/V B'Shert

[Sandero]

It varies of course depending on point of sail... mostly no but sometimes yes.

[hamburking]

On my Pearson 30 I could NOT see under the furling headsail. It was a great sail, but a real deck sweeper. I had some close calls with boats I did NOT see due to the sail. So I took it in to my local sailmaker and had him reduce it by about 3'...it was a huge sail. I wish I had told him 6'. But at least I could see where I was going after the reduction.

[reed1v]

On our ws43, we kept the foresails high up so we could see and also to minimize scooping up seas. Lose some speed that way but simplifies life. Basically a three foot pendant attached to the tack. When we converted to roller reefing, the sail was cut(Nat Wilson) to be about four feet above the fore deck. We got rid of the staysail.

[donradcliffe]

What is a helm? A real cruiser has the boat on autopilot 99.9% of the time and can periodically move to look behind the foresail. Real cruisers also rarely go to weather.

[CatboatWilly]

I have the Yankee Cut Jib and have great visibility underneath the head sail. The High Cut jib also makes excellent space for the dink to be positioned on the fore deck.