Shemaya wrote:
David wrote:
My thought on the single masted Nonsuches (and the similar Wylies) is that they are for fair, settled conditions. With all the area in one huge sail, the simple trouble-free taking of multiple reefs is a must, and that's what you can't get in that style of sail.
David,
it's my understanding that one reefs a Nonesuch by letting down the halyard so that the sail drops into the netting below the wishbone boom, where it rests without any further fuss. I could be wrong about that, but this is what I was told by a Nonesuch sailor who rowed his dinghy over to visit in a harbor a couple of years ago. I had suggested how easily he could convert his boat to JR, since he had come to visit because of the junk rig on my boat. But he said "why?" because his own reefing was so easy. I have pondered that question ever since…
Other JR advantages do come to mind, but it sounds like ease of reefing might actually be comparable. Or is there more to it than that, with a Nonesuch? For example no weight of battens, to bring the sail down, and friction in the slides perhaps…
Shemaya
Looking at photos of the Nonsuch 26, I see two clew pennants, and possibly two luff pennants, for hauling down two very deep reefs, down to about a quarter of the full area. That's common practice on main-and-headsail boats as you get into a bit of a tangle and a lot more friction when you rig three or more pennants. In that case, you can get away with only two reefs by having a headsail that can be reefed or changed, but with a single sail, you can't. Compare that with JR, where we can let down four or five reefs, each reducing the sail area by smaller and more convenient steps. I wouldn't like to sail
Weaverbird knowing that I only had two deep reefs available to me, as I would be overpowered or underpowered for much of the time. Yes, slide friction is an issue too, they only move freely when head to wind and jam up with the sail well out, so reefing off the wind isn't as straightforward as with JR.
If the rig worked as well as your visitor claimed, we wouldn't have a number of Freedom owners breathing a sigh of relief after they'd converted to JR, is the way I look at it.