Arion's junk rig conversion - pros and cons

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  • 17 Oct 2012 11:55
    Reply # 1106152 on 1105936
    Deleted user
    Though never sailed a junk I intuitively thought a deeply reefed junk would be less than optimally shaped on the wind, while off the wind any old hessian bag would do (opposite to what the other bloke said).
  • 17 Oct 2012 10:56
    Reply # 1106141 on 1105936
    Hi Graham. Good to read all that, thanks. Blondie Hasler's instructions on how to sail a junk-are still relevant and worth a read if you haven't seen them. And there's plenty of 'how to' info in Ask the Junkmaster > Sail a junk. I know you've probably seen them, but I wanted to point that out for the benefit of anyone, particularly new members, who hasn't discovered them yet.
    Last modified: 17 Oct 2012 11:01 | Anonymous member
  • 17 Oct 2012 05:27
    Message # 1105936
    I was talking to Brian Kerslake about my rig conversion and junk rigs in general, so decided to post an edited version of the contents here.  I had been discussing with him the comments about a former junk rig voyager who is no longer an enthusiast. 

    One of the criticisms of this sailor was inherent friction in the rig.  I do not find friction a problem if I feather the sail before reefing or furling.  Not having downhauls, trying to reef with wind in the sail gives me problems but now I just bring the boat beam on, ease the sheet and all goes well.  Perhaps that would be problematic if running in heavy seas but I assume one would be down to the last 2-3 fanned panels by then and a simple yard downhaul would be all that was needed to bring the sail down further.  Alan on Zebedee always lies ahull when he is reefing and has only had a couple of instances when he had problems with reefing, after an accidental gybe and foul up I think.  I would like to hear from other offshore voyagers about their procedures for reefing when sailing with the wind aft of the beam in heavy wind and seas.

    I mentioned to Brian that I felt there was greater potential to get into trouble with this rig, which surprised him.  The following points clarify that statement.  I am a bit nervous about handing the junk rig in squalls and heavy weather, which is amusing after 40 years of offshore sailing, but I am sure that experience will give me more confidence.  I sailed Arion with the old rig for 15 years and knew exactly how to handle it in any situation, and never broke anything in all that time.  I am amused to find that I am once again on a steep learning curve, and worry about breaking battens, fan ups, chafe etc.  I keep looking at the rig and just don't know what it can take, or if I am handling it correctly, whereas with the old rig I knew exactly.   But I am also pragmatic, and remind myself that others, the Hills, Michael Richey, David Tyler etc, have voyaged widely and successfully, so I am sure I can too.  I did love my old bermudian rig, which may sound like heresy to some junk rig enthusiasts, but I believe all rigs are compromises, there is something to love and dislike in all of them!

    David suggested my battens should be 45 - 50mm by 1.6mm.  I was given a set of 38 x 3mm x 4.75m battens so used those.  I will probably increase the size of the upper two sheeted battens before sailing offshore.  My new 100 x 3mm x 4m yard shows no sign of flexing in 20 knots of wind.  Perhaps with the larger diameter battens and a heavier boom I will begin to feel I can trust this rig as much as I did the old one.  For me, a voyaging rig needs to be foolproof, possibly bomb proof.  The Hiscocks and the Pardeys, for instance, never suffered rig damage in all their years of voyaging and it wasn't just down to luck.

    The aforementioned ex-junk sailor also felt that the junk sail is the wrong shape when deeply reefed, especially when sailing off the wind.  Arion is a well balanced boat and I have no trouble running with my single sail.  I have learned to reef early and still make excellent progress due to the efficiency of the sail, but even when I drive the boat hard it remains balanced without the need to move the sail across the mast.  I had the benefit of sailing on a junk rig sistership, as well as my years of sailing Arion under bermudian rig, which prompted me to move the centre of effort about 300mm further forward.  Balance of hull and rig seem the most critical elements to me.

    The cambered sail is now almost as easy to handle as the flat sail I used last year.  The circuit breaker was rigging the upper luff hauling parrel as a proper throat hauling parrel, starting from the heel of the yard, taking the tail of the yard hauling parrel to the heel of the yard as well, before it comes down to the deck, and using rope clutches to control both running parrels.  By keeping tension on these two parrels as I lower the sail it stacks neatly (and sets perfectly when hoisted).  I only have one HK parrel left, in the intermediate panel, supporting the upper sheeted batten.  It does not appear to be under much strain.  I have a lower luff hauling parrel that stabilises the lower luff but does little work.

    Most importantly, I am having fun exploring a rig that has long fascinated me and have no regrets, well too few to mention...


    Last modified: 20 Oct 2012 19:58 | Anonymous member
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