Prepping for Irma, dropping the RF jib

[Suijin]

No yard is going to fault you for taking the jib down before a storm...that's just nuts.

So yeah take it down at night...or at dawn. [emoji10]

[Kenomac]

Take it down at night.

[Snowpetrel]

Plan B, or if too windy for that go plan D. Lower the whole forestay, sail, wire, foil and all. Take some spectra or wire and bulldog grips up as a replacement forestay. Unroll the sail on the ground and stow the foil and forestay on deck.

[neilpride]

Skip mate, 20 knts or even 25 are nothing , i know is noisy with the jip flaping but done in 30 seconds like others say....go plan B....your boat still stand upright even with the sheets tight... so full loose the sheets and drop it in a rush, done.. good luck i hope the Cane skip your location...

[svHyLyte]

Frankly, early morning or late evening (although in the evenings, one frequently has rain/squalls). A more salient question is why you'd leave a sail bent on with the boat stored for the season? Aside from the risk you're dealing with now, why let a sail weather during the harshest season of the year? Most of the hard-stand yards here abouts have a rule that a boat must have it's canvas stripped before hurricane season commences.

[skipmac]

Hi All,

Thanks again for all the posts. If unrolling the jib to drop it will work then I really don't give a shirt about the rules. At this point, due to the front that passed through and the winds I'm more concerned about getting it done safely. If in a clear area would be less concerned but I'm on the hard with boats close by on both sides so also concerned about fouling the sail on a neighbor depending on the wind direction.

Current plan is to drop the sail if the winds are even close to reasonable. If not, roll the sheets around as many times as possible, then wrap the spare jib halyard and the spinnaker halyard around the jib as well.

Meanwhile the forecast track keeps moving farther to the east which is the worst case scenario. It keeps more of the storm over the water so it will maintain more strength and it will more impact on the east coast of FL (including me).

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Frankly, early morning or late evening (although in the evenings, one frequently has rain/squalls). A more salient question is why you'd leave a sail bent on with the boat stored for the season? Aside from the risk you're dealing with now, why let a sail weather during the harshest season of the year? Most of the hard-stand yards here abouts have a rule that a boat must have it's canvas stripped before hurricane season commences.

Boat wasn't hauled for storage for the season. Original plan was to haul long enough to replace two through hulls and do the bottom paint. Problems getting the right parts (wrong bits shipped three times) delayed the job. Then a family obligation intervened and I had to leave town on short notice and ended up staying much longer than anticipated.

Believe me, if I had planned on leaving the boat this long the decks would have been stripped down. Sometimes stuff happens.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Boat wasn't hauled for storage for the season. Original plan was to haul long enough to replace two through hulls and do the bottom paint. Problems getting the right parts (wrong bits shipped three times) delayed the job. Then a family obligation intervened and I had to leave town on short notice and ended up staying much longer than anticipated.

Believe me, if I had planned on leaving the boat this long the decks would have been stripped down. Sometimes stuff happens.

Ah.. Yes, you're in a tough spot. Since you're not a long term storage customer, I suspect even the yard managers will agree that getting the sail down and secured at a windless moment is the wise move. I doubt you'll have an issue. Good luck...

[omc]

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[Privilege]

Just a thought...not speaking from experience; when you unfurl the jib, make sure that you pull it open by hand and not by cranking it with the winch. If the sail fills and there is no slack on the jib sheet, the boat might try to sail off the stands.

[FabioC]

I have a related question on boat storm preparation.
When preparing the boat to ride a storm at the dock or on the hard, taking the jib down is a must. What about the main? Last year, we prepared the boat for a local storm while she was on the hard, but were advised by the marina folks to leave the main and dodger on. I never quite understood why it is better to keep the main on. Same for the dodger. Can somebody shed some light on this issue?
Thank you,
Fabio

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by FabioC

I have a related question on boat storm preparation.

When preparing the boat to ride a storm at the dock or on the hard, taking the jib down is a must. What about the main? Last year, we prepared the boat for a local storm while she was on the hard, but were advised by the marina folks to leave the main and dodger on. I never quite understood why it is better to keep the main on. Same for the dodger. Can somebody shed some light on this issue?

Thank you,

Fabio

That was bad advice.

For a serious storm, remove the main,dodger,Bimini,boom, sheets, blocks, etc....

[Deltasailor]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Plan B with a standby case of beer for any yard employees who happen to be up this late.

B for me. Make sure the boat has the best chance. To hell with the rules!

[Hickers]

Almost every sail boat in Airlie that did not remove their furled sails, Bimini covers etc lost them during Cyclone Debbie.

[Suijin]

I've done this solo even when the wind was less than dead calm. What I do is release the halyard THEN unfurl the sail. Comes shooting down and makes a pile. The trick is keeping the pile on the boat. Even if it falls off it just means more trouble flaking and packing it, but at least it's off. And honestly it's easier to flake it solo when it's on the ground than on the boat.