Conditions were right to have the full sail up and be out on the 'big lake' on Saturday. I was able to record a video. Please ignore the mess of lines and dirty boat.

On the starboard tack on a close reach the sail balances the boat just about perfectly without me touching anything. On the port tack there just a little bit of weather helm. It is barely noticeable but it is enough that the boat will tack through if I don't keep my hand on the tiller.

The video shows me tacking to change from the starboard to port tack. It is much more difficult to 'make' this tack. I have 'missed' and got blown back onto the starboard tack several times. (It seems to happen most often when people on shore can see me). Tacking the other direction is very easy. I have never had a problem.

I am trying to decide if this is a problem that I can fix, or if this is just the way it is.

Annie wrote:

I had to have the mat band made because of the stainless steel tubing attached to the back of it, that the bolt goes through.  I was lucky enough to find a real 'old-time' metalworker for this, who took the trouble to understand what it was we were trying to achieve and to sketch it out so that we were both on the same page.  I wish I'd known about him earlier.  He also lined the ring with Mylar to avoid any corrosion between it and the mast.  I obviously didn't take a photo of it when we were stepping the mast - I was a tad distracted at the time!  It's pouring with rain at present, but if you require a photo, I'll take one for you when the weather improves.

I agree with the other comments that lee helm is not unusual in very light airs, with junk rig.  Also, of course, junk rig is much more amenable to adjustments made after the event, than a sail sliding up a track or hanked to a forestay.

Hi Annie,

Thank you for the response. Please do not go out in the rain just to get me a photo. When the weather is better and, if you have time, I would like to see some of the details.

I am always amazed to find that there is a proper nautical term for every part of a sailboat. I spent some time looking at images of 'mast bands' used on traditional western sailing rigs. I had no idea this piece had a name.

On Saturday the weather was just about perfect for day sailing on Lake Michigan. The wind was about 9 knots from the south with smooth water and clear weather. This is perfect for going out on a reach, as far as you care to go, and then sailing right back on the reciprocal tack.

In these conditions I experienced neutral helm and just a slight bit of pleasant weather helm. It was a good day sailing and I am very happy with the rig.

To be clear I am absolutely happy that I converted to a Junk Rig. It is so much better for single handed sailing than a mainsail on a track and a hanked-on foresail.

In no particular order this is what I am enjoying:

- If I need to drop the sail and depower the rig quickly all I have to do it let the halyard go from the rope clutch. This is awesome.

- If I need just a little bit of sail to get moving again in the harbor it is just as easy to pull one or two panels back up and sail slowly. The precise maneuvering I can do under sail is great.

- The sail is so quiet. Letting the sail luff makes a very soft and pleasant sound. To me it sounds like fresh, dry snow under my boots on a calm winter night. This is so much different than a triangular Dacron sail flogging in the wind.

- I can round the boat up into the wind (in irons) to stop for a minute without any stressful sail noise. This has already been useful several times.

- I have one big yellow sail.

- Even when things did not go exactly right hoisting the sail I never had to leave the cockpit. I am sure I am much safer. It is very unlikely that I will fall on to the deck or off of the boat.

- Self tacking! Working my way up wind is fun. No sail trimming required. I just sail back and forth using the tiller. It is so easy and enjoyable.

Scott.

Scott wrote:

Annie: Can please tell me, does Fanshi have a large insulated pipe clamp for a hinge, or was that custom made?

I am a little concerned about the helm balance. With the right wind speed and the right angle into the wind it is perfectly balanced. This is huge change from my South Coast 23 where I had to pull against the weather helm constantly. But in light air the boat has lee helm

I had to have the mat band made because of the stainless steel tubing attached to the back of it, that the bolt goes through.  I was lucky enough to find a real 'old-time' metalworker for this, who took the trouble to understand what it was we were trying to achieve and to sketch it out so that we were both on the same page.  I wish I'd known about him earlier.  He also lined the ring with Mylar to avoid any corrosion between it and the mast.  I obviously didn't take a photo of it when we were stepping the mast - I was a tad distracted at the time!  It's pouring with rain at present, but if you require a photo, I'll take one for you when the weather improves.

I agree with the other comments that lee helm is not unusual in very light airs, with junk rig.  Also, of course, junk rig is much more amenable to adjustments made after the event, than a sail sliding up a track or hanked to a forestay.

hi scott

sitting on the lee side is very convenient in light winds – and it reduces the lee helm a lot on small boats.

Congratulatons from me too.

My little Serendipity has slight lee helm sometimes, in very light wind - and when pushed hard and heeling develops excess weather helm. This is not unusual - hull shape has a lot to do with it, you can't always entirely solve that. But with a small boat like yours -at least with Serendipity anyway - I have found that if I sit right at the front of the cockpit in light airs, the lee helm becomes neutral. And I have to make sure the centreboard is fully down.

(If heeling a lot and over-pressed, the excess weather helm is mitigated by sitting right back at the stern and if necessary, raising the board a little).

Adjusting a swinging centreboard is likely to be more effective for this purpose than with a vertically raising board like yours - but still, make sure it is fully down if you have lee helm. Altering for-and-aft trim with your own weight, if you can, should make a noticeable difference to the helm, on a small boat).