440: Asymmetrical Sail

[JeffBurnes]

I am looking a purchasing a new or in very good condition Asymmetrical sail for my L440. Does anyone have one to sell or know of one who does not use there's. Thanks

[maxingout]

I love trade wind sailing, and I first tried to do tacking downwind.

I eventually switched to double headsail downwind sailing with two poles holding the sails outward so that the rig works well as long as the wind is behind the beam. Occasionally I tweak the sails or alter the course slightly if the wind moves forward, but the double headsail rig works well and it keeps the autopilot happy. I love not having the mainsail up as the helm is much better balanced without having to deal with a mainsail, plus the mainsail chafes against the spreaders downwind.

MAXING OUT - JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

[Bean Counter]

On close to DDW we run our (heavy weather) 2.5oz Asy Spi at 160- 170 Apparent, by using a bridle to move the tack over to the windward bow. We then loosen the tack line or halyard so the sail pulls around to windward. We run the sheet through a snatch block (tweaker) on the mid cleat so stop the sailing lifting too much. Have run this in 20knots plus. Boat is doing 7 - 9 so the kite is only feeling 12kn. We have one or two reefs in the main and let the traveler all the way out but crank down on the sheet. We set the autopilot to vane mode so we are not having to adjust minor wind angle changes all the time. You still have to watch the wind, it is not a set and forget arrangement. By tacking down wind it is a pain to jibe the kite on a regular basis, and usually with one crewman asleep ,not something to do one handed, although possible. If you screw up the jibe in over 20 knots the spinnaker can be a handful.

[Bean Counter]

Originally Posted by JeffBurnes

I am looking a purchasing a new or in very good condition Asymmetrical sail for my L440. Does anyone have one to sell or know of one who does not use there's. Thanks

Bacon Sails Annapolis, they have a website which you can search for second hand sails. There is another place in Florida.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by YOLLATA

Hi.
...

Further info is that it came to us on a furler which we swapped for a cruising sock made by quantum sails. It works great and sailing with two children on board makes it easy to douse it in a hurry single handed.

Cheers

Yollata

DREAM BELIEVE CREATE SUCCEED

This is somewhat surprising, as I have found the furler to be easier to use than the sock (I have 'some' experience with both systems).

[Krabimike]

Originally Posted by maxingout

I love trade wind sailing, and I first tried to do tacking downwind.

I eventually switched to double headsail downwind sailing with two poles holding the sails outward so that the rig works well as long as the wind is behind the beam. Occasionally I tweak the sails or alter the course slightly if the wind moves forward, but the double headsail rig works well and it keeps the autopilot happy. I love not having the mainsail up as the helm is much better balanced without having to deal with a mainsail, plus the mainsail chafes against the spreaders downwind.

MAXING OUT - JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

I would love to see some photos of how you attach your polls.. i have also sailed with my code 0 and Genoa crossing the indian ocean. I just run my sheets to the outside of the boat and then back. However i am not the most experienced sailor. But a lagoon rep told me that it was a bad idea as the rigging is not designed to gun only front sails. So i have only did it in very light winds 10 kts. On our return trip we had 25 kt winds at 180° good weather & following seas for 13 days straight so I set the auto pilot at 160° had a great ride. But i often wondered if the wind had calmed down at what wind speed i could have taken it with the head sails. Guess my code 0 is rated for 16 kts TWS so that would have been my mark. I also thought of just running the main at 3 reef to give some back stay support.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Krabimike

I would love to see some photos of how you attach your polls.. i have also sailed with my code 0 and Genoa crossing the indian ocean. I just run my sheets to the outside of the boat and then back. However i am not the most experienced sailor. But a lagoon rep told me that it was a bad idea as the rigging is not designed to gun only front sails. So i have only did it in very light winds 10 kts. On our return trip we had 25 kt winds at 180° good weather & following seas for 13 days straight so I set the auto pilot at 160° had a great ride. But i often wondered if the wind had calmed down at what wind speed i could have taken it with the head sails. Guess my code 0 is rated for 16 kts TWS so that would have been my mark. I also thought of just running the main at 3 reef to give some back stay support.

I fabricated a fitting that I placed over a cleat, and I attach the poles to the fitting on the cleat. I did not want to have poles attached to the mast. Less risk to the mast this way. Also it is easy to attach the poles and leave them up when sailing in the trades.

Here is a photo of the bow fitting.

I fabricated it in New Zealand, and it survived intact the last half of the circumnavigation. It makes it dead easy going down wind. I just leave the poles out there in the trades, and they are ready to go when I want to use them. I rig them before I pull up the anchor or before I leave the dock if I am going to be running downwind in the trades.

[svrevelations]

Originally Posted by YOLLATA

Hi.

We have a L440 that came to us with an unused asymetric sail. we have had it up and it works well etc etc. It appears to be the one that Lagoon supply. Narrow shoulders on it.

My question is this.... what wind strength do people fly these up to. I realise its all about sea conditions etc but would like to hear back from the 440 community as to what they think. We have been told by one person not to sail it in over 12 knots which is a pain as the boat really gets up and goes in that type of wind with that type of sail.

Further info is that it came to us on a furler which we swapped for a cruising sock made by quantum sails. It works great and sailing with two children on board makes it easy to douse it in a hurry single handed.

Cheers

Yollata

DREAM BELIEVE CREATE SUCCEED

We have 2 asymmetrical spinnakers on our yacht - one bought and the other a gift. We fly our asymmetrical spinnakers in anything from 4 to 20 knots wind speed. On our Atlantic crossing, one night a squall crept up on us from behind and the inexperienced crew did not notice it (inexcusable).

We were sailing in around 15 knots of wind and with a blast, the wind speed increased rapidly. Within seconds, before the crew could even re-act, the wind speed was around 30 knots. They were shocked, bewildered and scared to take down the spinnaker in that wind power. The wind speed stayed at 30 knots for a minute or two and the crew thought everything would hold until the squall passed. But then the wind speed increased yet again, at 32 knots, the spinnaker tore. The wind peaked at 40 knots, after 15 minutes the squall passed us and the wind settled back to 15 knots. We spend around 90 minutes getting everything sorted out.