Iain Grigor wrote:

Okay, if my boat sails like Footprints, I will be more than happy.  I will soon know - the mast might go in today, the sail is on site, blocks and cordage and battens ordered, so not long to go now.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the prevailing northerlies hold for my maiden-in-a-junk delivery trip from Ullapool to Arisaig!  Dream on, dream on!

The best of luck with the completion of the project. It will be exciting to see everything finally come together. You will go through a bit of a steep learning curve about use of the rig but we all look forward to hearing about a successful outcome, and of course seeing the pics!

Okay, my junk conversion has an existing bowsprit, so the J measurement is not non-existent.  Of course, the beauty of the camber-panel junk is that one doesn't NEED such a light-weather headsail.

But when the breeze is ten knots true or below, one enjoys a bit of playing-around and sail-trimming: and in that sort of light breeze, one doesn't mind the tiny amout of deck-work that a little headsail would involve. 

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

 

I find with the camber panel sail on Footprints that she has very good light wind ability, especially once the wind begins to come around to the beam, and downwind she just flies along even when there is minimal breeze. The large camber panel sail being so effective at capturing whatever breeze there might be. It was not the same of course with the previous flat sail. So I have never been tempted to add a light weather headsail. If however I did want to add such a sail I can imagine it would need to be flown from some sort of bowsprit, or prod as they call them on multihulls. This would be to prevent the headsail becoming fouled with the junk sail.

Also by fitting a headsail we start to get away from the simplicity of the junk rig and  need to also consider the structural effects on the mast which may not be designed for such loading at the top of the mast, and there is the complication of needing some sort of sheeting system for a headsail and maybe even an extra winch.

OK, Chris, that is interesting.  How deep can you usefully go with the crusing chute?  As deep as, say, 160 degrees?  And how far up can you usefully come?  Wind on the beam, maybe?

Of his light-weather jibs, Roger Taylor writes in "Mingming and the Art of Minimal Ocean Sailing" : -

".....these sails are very small but their effect on our speed is at times considerable.  In particular, they punch well above their weight when the wind is forward of the beam.  In very light airs, the nylon genoa can keep us ghosting  along when we would otherwise have stopped".

".....the trouble was, they worked.  They could convert immobility to progress. Close hauled they could give a noticeable turbo-charge to a stalled mainsail.  With the wind a little freer, they could add a knot or so to our speed". 

Would anyone care to comment on the use of small light-weather windward jibs in winds of up to, say, 10 knots true (as per Hasler's Pilmer).  Such a sail can be set loose-luffed and taken-off with a downhaul. What is wrong with that, if anything?  Or it could be set, perhaps, on a fairly loose conventional forestay, and also taken-off with a downhaul.  Again, what is wrong with that, if anything? 

Okay, my junk conversion has an existing bowsprit, so the J measurement is not non-existent.  Of course, the beauty of the camber-panel junk is that one doesn't NEED such a light-weather headsail.

But when the breeze is ten knots true or below, one enjoys a bit of playing-around and sail-trimming: and in that sort of light breeze, one doesn't mind the tiny amout of deck-work that a little headsail would involve. 

Any thoughts, anyone?