As long as we are updating a very old thread I will add my experience.
40' boat with
Cutter rig an a Profurl
roller furler on the bow. We had a 135%
genoa for the first six years and a 120% genoa for the next 14-years. We've been thru the following with the genoa wrapped (furled) on the forestay:
- three 55+
knot events underway (including up to 12' breaking seas) where we had either a small staysail rigged or no headsail at all
- a 65
knot storm at
anchor
- many 50-knot storms at
anchor
- many dozen full gales while underway
- three or more 55+ knot
events at the
dock
We have never once seen any indication the genoa was going to come unfurled or exposed to the
wind. When a storm is imminent we do the following to prepare the
roller furler to keep it securing wrapped on the forestay:
- when furling the sail we hold the two
sheets such that they wrap tightly around the furled sail in an alternate pattern. That means the bottom 1/2 of the sail is fully wrapped in 1/2" sheets. We lead one sheet to a midships cleat and the other sheet to a bow cleat.
- when furling before an anticipated storm - we put a lot of tension on both sheets while furling and use the furling
winch to pull the furling line. This results in a very tightly wrapped genoa.
- tie a 1/8" high strength line to the clew and wrap it tightly around the furled sail three times and then tie it, again to the clew. This procedure can be dicey because it is necessary to stand on top of the pulpit rails and reach overhead to do the tying and wrapping.
- We tie a 1/8" high strength line to the starboard upper pulpit rail then wrap that line around the furler drum four times, opposite the way the drum unfurls, then tie the line to the port pulpit rail. This is done so the line is under great tension.
The rig will come down before the sail unfurls!
I have been at sea in another 42'
cutter in over 50 knots one time and 40-knots another with the genoa furled and tied as described above with no problems.
During the 65-knot at anchor event two other boats in the same anchorage secured their RF genoas the same way as I with no problem. The incoming waves were breaking 6' up onto the RF sail with no effect.
A 4th boat did not take similar precautions in the 65-knot storm and their 135% genoa came partially unfurled and was destroyed.
However, in three cases of a predicted
hurricane impact while at anchor, I have removed the genoa (as well as the main and the dodger) and stowed it below. That seems to kill the storm because, in one case the hurricane very unexpectedly died before hitting with less than 40 knots, and in the other two cases it veered away and we saw less than 45-knots.
The ONE time I did not take down the genoa, because the hurricane was
forecast to go ashore 125 miles SE and we would not even see 25-knots, the storm changed course and parked 20-miles east of us for 12-hours.