That looks like good tacking angles to me, since it includes leeway. How fast is your boat in such conditions, roughly?

Arne

Just an update following some emails with Alan Boswell. 

Yesterday I achieved around 60° into wind at above 3knts SOG (no tide), which was my minimum speed requirement. Going to around 55° the speed started to drop quite rapidly.

I think two of Alan's suggestions that made the difference were putting both sheet travellers to windward with one reef in the mizzen (in 9-15knts wind).

Previously I would have got massive weather helm so I would reef both sails or let out the mizzen. This solved the weather helm but decreased boat speed. With just reefing the mizzen I kept boat speed and reduced weather helm.

I also changed the halyards from 12mm to 10mm on the main and from 10mm to 8mm on the mizzen which allows me to adjust them much more easily. The thicker ones where on her when I bought her and I think the top block gave too much friction.

Finally I think the new sails designed by Alan and made locally make a huge difference to the boat speed especially in lighter winds. Before I really needed 10knts to get going where as now I’m thinking of reefing in 10kts. The hinged battens in the pockets produce a very nice wing shape.

A voice from the past.... (2017)

Off the topic, but maybe of historical interest for Freedom aficionados: I stumbled upon this comment from Robin Blain while skimming through early issues of the JRA magazine: "Gypsy Blue, a Freedom 35 is owned by Mike Abrams who has bases in Portugal and the Caribbean. Alan Boswell designed the rig in 2003 with GRP poltruded bendy battens with his computer programme and Chris Scanes made the sails for Sunbirds. I built the rig and sails and sent them to Portugal for Mike to hoist on the boat following the labels and rigging handbook and all worked very well. Mike does not seem to use sail covers and so is now on his second set of sails thanks to the Caribbean sunshine.This is the second Freedom 35 we have converted to junk and there is likely to be a third soon and additionally Pete Hill converted the boat Roy Denton owns. There is no doubt, as we have also converted two Freedom 30s, that converted Freedoms is the easiest and cheapest way to obtain a junk rigged yacht of these sizes as the existing masts are ready and waiting for conversion. I have got some more good pics of Gypsy Blue if you would like copies for an article. Fitting a junk rig on a Freedom 35 costs approx. £10,000=, but fitting the same size or rig on a Bermudan rigged yacht is approx. £20,000..."

Hello Rob, 

My Freedom also came with a plate under the rudder which the previous owner had done to apparently help with weather helm. 

I set the travellers amidships when tacking back and forth, sailing into the wind.  This means the sail presents itself to the wind, more or less the same on either tack without need for sheeting in or out.  Quicker, and less effort on my part, than pulling traveller cars across on each change of tack.

I would consider moving the traveller to windward when sailing close to the wind, but able to set a course without needing to tack.  Offsetting the traveller then widens the angle of the sheet spans relative to the sail, thus reducing the sheet force needed to keep the sail near the centreline, and reducing the downward component of that force acting on the sail and boom.

The travellers could be set out to lee when broad reaching or running, to reduce compression in the battens.