Downwind sailing: what combo to use

[Sav]

Trans Atlantic using the spinaker booms with 2 foresails... on a 118' yawl.

[django37]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

what do you use for chafe protection?

Selfsticking sailnumber cloth with a 3 mm PVC square under.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by django37

Well, we have sailed that Way 20000 NM over the Atlantic and the Pacific, and we will now replaced the chafe things for the first time.....

Your picture shows full length battens bending sharply where they hit the shrouds. I assume you reinforced the batten pockets where they rub on the shrouds for each reef. However, stickyback wouldn't last long if you really sailed that way.

[catsketcher]

Sailing dead downwind is usually best done with a symmetrical and no main. I have done numerous tests of this configuration and in the end the best way for this ex racer to sail square is to put up an old blown stretched symmetrical kite (mine was a give away). It sheets to each bow. Zero chafe and the boat loves it, the autopilot has it easy because the boat is pulled along by the nose rather than pushed by an oversheeted main.

As we don't have a squeezer I pull the main up if the wind gets up and I want to pull the kite in ( I can pull my main up on a square as our rig is spreaderless).

I love my screecher for main and foresail sailing but when a reasonable wind is behind I set the symmetrical. You don't even know when you gybe. A great rig for the cruiser. You get around 45 degrees of wind direction swing before you have to touch a sheet. Richard Woods flew a kite across the Atlantic on a cat with the main in its bag.

Last cruise the assy got hoisted twice and the symmetrical scores of time. Slightly beaten by the screecher but I would give away my assy before I didn't have a symmetrical to go square with. Any old and strong one will do so they are cheap too.

cheers

Phil

[thinwater]

Just a reminder. The OP was asking about a cat.

• They are VERY comfortable DDW. No rolling. They track straight, so accidental jibes are rare. And with a full length traveler, aren't a big deal even if a preventer is not rigged.
• The main can be sheeted in enough to keep the sail off the shrouds. I do.
• Preventers are easier to rig on cats. Beam means we just use the midships cleats.
• Dipping the boom in the water is impossible.
• Even an asymmetrical chute can be set pretty deep by taking the tack to the windward bow. It's like having the pole 1/2 way back. Going really deep, a bow sprit is not really as useful as a bridle; I've had both.

Cats aren't good at everything, but this they do like a magic carpet. You can leave a full glass on the table. And as many have pointed out, there are a number of good sail combinations.

[Ozbullwinkle]

I vote for a Parasailor as well. They are a beautiful sail especially for a cat.

On a Pacific passage we ran ours for up to 120 hours in one stretch with very little attention required as the wing stops the chute from collapsing like a normal masthead kite.

Here is a short clip of it on the FP Eleuthera 60 & as you will see it really looks spectacular.

https://youtu.be/WczYas0kslM

I also have a clip on my YouTube channel (same name as my CF name) to show how it was rigged if anyone is interested.

Ok, I have edited my posted & added the clip to show how it was rigged. You may still be interested in some other cat sailing clips on my channel.

https://youtu.be/OBOAMhj1Ayo

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by django37

Selfsticking sailnumber cloth with a 3 mm PVC square under.

excellent thanks, will give it a go. I like your DDW setup but so far very shy to touch shrouds.

[blubaju]

Originally Posted by spiv

I sailed across the Atlantic under Parasailor for days on end.
It stays up from 80 Port to 80 STB apparent with minor adjustments and from 165 to 165 without adjustment. Best sail I ever had, till I blew it sailing with 25kn apparent

On my next boat, if I cannot afford a Parasailor, ...

My only choice too, Parasailor², tho most forgiving Spi you can imagine, it fills silently, no big bang, it airwings lifts the bows out of the water instead of pressing them down. Best sail on bord. The only downside, the price

And sailing a Spi at 80° really looks crazy, but can be done, maybe to avoid the Chinese tanker ignoring all rules of the road ;-)