Can you see under your headsail?

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by 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.

True. First Principle of Sailing: Gentlemen do not go to weather.

[scareygary]

I do a fair amount of club racing. On my old Yankee 30, I had all headsails cut to fly on pendants that kept the tack and foot above the lifelines and pulpit and that helped visibility a good deal. Lost some sail area, but collisions make one quite slow as well. I still won plenty of pickle dishes.

[Paul Elliott]

We have a slightly high clew on the genoa to help the visibility. It's no yankee, but definitely higher-cut than the stock deck-sweeper. From the helm I can peek under it when we are sailing comfortably. If the rail's down then the view is blocked.

[PuttingDoctor]

I'm happy to say yes. This wasn't the case until recently. My roller Genoa had a 20" pennant at the head and when I removed the sail for a repair to the luff I simply reversed the pennant which is now new and at the tack. I now have full view ahead under and through the pulpit. This also makes tacking smother as well with the sail flying higher and away from the lifelines.

[scareygary]

Paul, I'm the guy who's friends with Rich and Edie in Portland. I met you on the dock in CA when you mentioned my Oregon Offshore shirt, then showed me your boat. Beautiful. Good to see you on this forum. Might CU in FH some day as we cruise up there some....Gary

[Panope]

Originally Posted by 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.

You may replace the word helm with watchkeeping station.

By the way, I sail my boat with the helm LOCKED 90% of the time. And I am not even a real cruiser

Steve

[Cheechako]

I usually like having about a 2 ft pendent on the tack of the headsail. makes viewing easy. See avatar.

[jrbogie]

i've always had my sails cut with the foot as low as possible, even with roller reefing, so no, i never see below the sail. can't see the need and i like performance.

[Excalibur5]

My prout snowgoose (catamaran) has a large deck-height genoa that completely obscures the view forward on one tack. The PO got around this by sewing in a see through panel similar to the ones on sailboards low in the sail. It does help, but is not perfectly clear by a long shot. Downwind the sail lifts quite a bit and allows visability, but upwind it is pretty obscured.

We have one picture of the sail in use downwind showing the window on our blog, you can see it here, about halfway down the post.

Cruising Kyrie: Kyrie's Big Adventure North, part 1

I'm also not sure how long it will last in relation to the rest of the sail which is heavyweight dacron - but it is what the boat came with.

Just one idea that might help.

[leftbrainstuff]

Depends on angle of heel. A high cut yankee will solve your visibility problem

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by jrbogie

i've always had my sails cut with the foot as low as possible, even with roller reefing, so no, i never see below the sail. can't see the need and i like performance.

And you sailed around the world like that?

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by reed1v

And you sailed around the world like that?

I did, and didn't hit anyone.

[Lantau]

We've got a high-cut genoa on our Pacific Seacraft 37, so we can see where we're going.

If a boat is heeling so much that you cannot see under the headsails, maybe it's time to reef for safety's sake (to see ahead).

I've had to alter course quite a few times for blind sailboats with super-huge genoas that skim along the water's surface.

[Paul J. Nolan]

I have often wondered if a dog could be trained to stand watch. Bark at approaching starboard tackers on the race course and at the sight of a light on a solo night watch. I suppose the first thing to do would be to teach him not to sleep on watch. Should be good for an episode of "The Dog Whisperer."

That dog would be worth a lot of money!

Paul

[Stu Jackson]

I got the long links plates with out ProFurl LCI32 and the tack of our sail is high enough to be over the bow pulpit.