Shoving Off

[toosail]

Ok. Here's the deal, I'm getting ready to shove off on a trip from tx to fl in a cape dory 30 foot plan b, its a cutter rig and I'm not all familiar with the boat nor a cutter rig, what if any advice do you have with a cutter rig or the cape dory. Thanks ahead for any info.

[Feral Cement]

Originally Posted by toosail

Ok. Here's the deal, I'm getting ready to shove off on a trip from tx to fl in a cape dory 30 foot plan b, its a cutter rig and I'm not all familiar with the boat nor a cutter rig, what if any advice do you have with a cutter rig or the cape dory. Thanks ahead for any info.

New boat to you, or friend's boat? CD's are tough, well-built vessels, but are not immune to the effects of time, salt water, abuse, and neglect. Should be similar to your Pearson's. How many total crew? If two foresails is intimidating, fly one at a time. If two sails is one too many, drop the main if moving downwind, the jib if sailing across or upwind. Reef early and often, maybe always.

Be sure to go sailing on her a few times before you leave on a 700 mile trip.

John

[toosail]

Hey john, no its a buddies boat, surveyed and also sea trailed with a licensed skipper, good to go. Im confident in it being seaworthy, just wondering about tricks and tips on the cutter rig. And the make itself, I fully understand the importance of less canvas, I was more looking for technical advice on say, tacking and dead runs...starting the sea trials tomorrow with it, but thought it would might do some good to get out there with some tricks of the trade. It's just me and my buddy.

[rebel heart]

I have a HC 36 cutter. If you have a boom on the staysail it's pretty much a no brainer because it's self tacking and you only need to worry about the yankee.

When the weather gets up there, just douse the yankee, pop in a reef on the main, and you have a great thing going because not only do you have less sail up but it's concentrated in the middle of the boat, reducing weather/lee helm characteristics.

For a run (and for light air) consider a drifter that you either fly with no luff points (next to the furler) or hanks.

A genoa / staysail combo isn't really a "cutter", but it will give you the advantage of having one big ass sail up and not using the staysail really.

In general you just have a lot more flexibility than a standard sloop. What kind of furler and sail compliment are you running?