[Rhodes22-list] Go Faster

Fri Oct 29 16:03:51 EDT 2021

Thanks Roger!  The first year I had my boat I used my traveler a lot based
on what I'd read on how to use travelers.  After that I got lazy and rarely
unravelled it.  Stan is sending me the never-ending traveler and I'm
anxious to start using it to dump the main.  Seems like a good idea.

Lee
1999 Rhodes22  AT EASE
Claytor Lake, VA

On Thu, Oct 14, 2021 at 9:14 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

> Hi Lee,
>
> I have 2 comments about your photo.
>
>
>   1.  You have obviously got the helm balanced as the boat is steering
> herself!
>   2.  The control lines for your traveler should not be coiled up around
> the traveler bar whenever you are flying the mainsail.  The picture
> illustrates one way to stow them;  but, they are not ready to use.  If you
> need to quickly dump the mainsail, you have no choice but to use the
> mainsheet.
>
> I don’t know what point of sail you were on.  But, if it was close hauled
> or a close reach, you would find the boat would go faster if you pulled the
> traveler to windward and then adjusted the mainsheet such that the aft end
> of the boom was just to leeward of the centerline.  Given the rise on the
> boom, it doesn’t look like your boat has a boom vang or you had it slacked
> off.  If you have a boom vang, it needed to be trimmed down tight until you
> set the traveler and mainsheet.  Then, you would slowly slack off the boom
> vang until you had the desired amount of twist in the upper mainsail.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows
>
> From: ROGER PIHLAJA<mailto:roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 7:29 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Go Faster
>
> Hi Lee,
>
> It all depends if your genoa size is > 100% .  If the genoa is greater
> than 100%; then, it must go outside of the spreader.  This means the sheets
> run outside of the lifelines.  The maximum you can trim the sail is such
> that the windward side of the sail is just off the tip of the spreader.
> You don’t want to trim it in any tighter because the spreader tip will
> damage the sail in pretty short order.  That’s where the term “close
> hauled” come from – you have hauled or trimmed the sail as close to the
> spreader tip as you dare.
>
> If the genoa is < 100%; then you would switch to the inboard genoa tracks
> that run along the side decks.  Now the foresail can be trimmed in tighter,
> with the limit usually being rubbing up against the forward lower sidestay.
>
> On a beat or a close reach, the genoa usually operates in cleaner, faster
> air vs the mainsail.  Since the thrust generated by a sail goes up as the
> [wind speed]^2, think of your genoa as the primary engine.  That’s why your
> boat went a little faster when you put out more genoa.  Despite the name,
> the mainsail’s primary function is to balance the sailplan so the helm is
> close to neutral or even with a little lee helm.
>
> The Rhodes 22 is unusual among production boats in that it is possible to
> adjust the feel of the helm from lee to neutral to weather.  Most boats
> have built-in weather helm because it is thought to be safer and you are
> stuck with it.
>
> Because of the slot effect, it is not desirable to run the genoa and the
> mainsail at the same angle of attack vs the wind.  In general, you want to
> establish your course 1st, then trim the genoa, and finally the mainsail.
> The optimum mainsail trim will include slot effect interactions from the
> genoa.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> ASM T767
>
> Sent from Mail<
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> for Windows
>
> From: Lee Kuhn<mailto:lvjkuhn at gmail.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 5:54 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Go Faster
>
> Roger,
>
> See attached.  When sailing on a close reach I typically balance the main
> and Genoa so the helm is pretty neutral, but I've found that I can
> sometimes go faster if I put out more Genoa which gives the boat lee helm.
> Does that make sense?
>
> On boats other than the Rhodes, can't you sail closest to the wind when
> your sheets are pulled as tight as possible?  To have the angle of attack
> hit both sails evenly on our boats, wouldn't you need to run the Genoa
> sheets between the mast and inside shroud?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Lee
>
> On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 2:05 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi All,
> >
> > The Rhodes 22 sails fastest and points highest if it is sailed with as
> > little heel as possible and a slightly bow down fore/aft trim.
> >
> > The shape of the wetted surface of the hull becomes very asymmetric as
> the
> > angle of heel increases.  Without going into the physics, this asymmetry
> > tends to increase weather helm.  It also adds lots more drag with
> > relatively little increase in lift to windward.  So, the hot setup is to
> > sail as upright as possible.  Note, because of the tendency to increase
> > weather helm as the boat heels over, it is desirable to have as much sail
> > area as possible in the genoa.  This strategy keeps the center of effort
> > (Ce) of the sailplan ahead of the center of lateral resistance (Cr) of
> the
> > hull.  Adjust your IMF mainsail area to balance the helm while keeping
> the
> > genoa area as big as possible for the conditions.  Use your genoa track
> > lead position and backstay tension adjuster to adjust the shape of the
> > genoa for the conditions.  Be ready to dump the mainsail first in gusts,
> > followed by the genoa if necessary to keep the boat on her lines.  I like
> > to dump the traveler to leeward; but, some people prefer to use the
> > mainsheet.  My experience is the traveler responds faster and keeps the
> > mainsail shape closer to optimum.  After the gust has past, the traveler
> > allows you to trim the mainsail back in and working faster than the
> > mainsheet.  If the traveler doesn’t dump enough wind; then, you can dump
> > some genoa sheet.
> >
> > The OEM standard roller furler doesn’t keep a good sail shape beyond the
> > 1st few turns of the furling drum.  It loses luff tension and the point
> of
> > maximum draft in the genoa moves too far aft.  This is true even if you
> > move the genoa sheet lead position forward on the track.  ( As you should
> > )  The resulting poor sail shape will dramatically affect your ability to
> > point to windward.  It also narrows the “groove” - the angle of attack
> > between luffing and stalling the genoa, thus making the helmsman’s job
> more
> > difficult. Therefore, you want to fly a genoa that is matched to your
> > conditions.  That way, you will be able to fly it fully unfurled most of
> > the time.  For your conditions, it sounds like the 130% genoa is the best
> > compromise.
> >
> > You need a slight bow down trim because the hull’s wetted surface aft of
> > the fixed keel will start to act like a set of landing flaps on an
> > airplane. There is so much wetted surface back there; that, the resulting
> > drag is huge.  A slight bow down trim allows the flow to smoothly exit
> the
> > stern with minimal drag.  However, be careful with too much bow down trim
> > because you still need enough floatation and freeboard in the bow to be
> > able to punch thru waves.  If the bow should happen to submarine; then,
> > you’ve set yourself up to pitch pole.  That’s nearly always the start of
> a
> > bad day on the water!
> >
> > There is also some adjustment possible in the fore/aft rake angle of the
> > mast.  Increasing the rake angle aft increases weather helm.  Since we
> are
> > trying to decrease weather helm, we want to adjust the mast rake angle to
> > give neutral helm or even a slight lee helm under light air.  Note, that
> > this will make the boat’s steering less intuitive for a novice helmsman.
> > But, we are talking about a racing setup here and presumably an
> experienced
> > helmsman.  Between the mast rake angle and the genoa/mainsail area
> > distribution, you want the boat to have virtually no tendency to round up
> > until the leeward rail is in the water.  This will keep you climbing to
> > windward as much as possible.
> >
> > Note that these adjustments are counter to conventional sail rig tuning
> > wisdom.  But, like Stan always says, “When it comes to the Rhodes 22, it
> > pays to not listen to the experts!”
> >
> > If they have assigned you a PHRF rating of => ~260 sec/nm, your bottom is
> > clean, the rig is adjusted properly, and your sails are in good
> condition;
> > then, your poor results are on you, not the boat.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > > On Oct 13, 2021, at 11:57 AM, Rick Lange <sloopblueheron at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Jeff,
> > >
> > > I respectfully disagree with much of what you said about weight on the
> > > boat.
> > >
> > > The bow anchor and other weight forward, like the water tank, help with
> > > pointing if you have IMF.  In winds 15kt+, two crew forward on the rail
> > are
> > > needed to keep the boat flat at all points of sail.  Reduce crew to
> > minimum
> > > allowed below 10kt.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Rick Lange
> > >
> > >
> > >> On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 6:44 PM Jeff Smith Photo <
> > jeffsmithphoto at gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> For Racing.
> > >> Keep crew amidships and out of the cockpit. Even the helms person
> > should be
> > >> as forward as possible. If racing, take everything non essential off
> the
> > >> boat. Especially in the ends. Forward cushions can usually be removed.
> > >> Check your PHRF rules; how many anchors and rhodes are required? For
> > >> successful racers all weight aboard is the enemy! Especially in the
> > ends.
> > >> Think about your bow mounted anchor and the rhode in the lazarette.
> > Success
> > >> in racing  involves a ton of small improvements.
> > >>
> > >> Best Regards
> > >> Jeff Smith
> > >>
> >
> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.http%2F%2FJeffSmithPhoto.Net&data=04%7C01%7C%7C3351b5ff9ee947e4895708d98ea14f44%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637697645746981243%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=l7E6YB%2BDS7Mk3H0x1RoYIyPEgbpo%2FHe113isMqp7%2BDg%3D&reserved=0
> > >> 732-236-1368
> > >>
> >
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