SAILS
Jeremy White of ElvstrØm
Sails UK: “As with any
project, the first thing was
for our team to understand
the boat and how she’s
used, the problems the
owners had experienced
and their future plans. It
transpired one of the main
challenges with Ragdoll
has been upwind ability,
especially against the tide,
which created limitations
to passage planning.
“We started with
detailed measurement of
the boat, looking at the
existing sail combinations,
her hull shape, and
understanding her
strengths and weaknesses
and deciding on what
could be changed,
increased or decreased to
improve performance.
“One of the main
developments was
introducing a ‘blade’ jib,
which is a much more
effective sail than the
original working jib. We
brought the tack down to
the foredeck and the clew
lower towards the deck,
filling in the lower section of the sail, giving a much more effective
No 2 for punching through chop. It also meant the sail has a much
wider wind range, whereas before there was too much reliance on
the larger genoa, which caused it to be overloaded too often.
“Other important considerations were what was available on
board, such as jib tracks and strong points for sheeting.
“These tend to be limited on a classic boat and we have to
bear in mind that we might be restricted on sheeting angles, that
we cannot pull everything as hard as on a modern boat.
“Also important is the rig, as a wooden mast
and boom can often not be straight, and it’s
less likely we can get as much headsail tension,
so we have to allow for a certain amount of
natural luff sag and the implications that will
have when designing the shape of the sail.”
INGRID AVERYMark Rushall, world-class
coach, British Sailing
Team, and co-owner of
Ragdoll: “Considering
racing is my business I
suppose I should not have
been surprised with the
speed and handling
benefits of our new sails
for Ragdoll. However, I
guess we have always been
more interested in her
wood and varnish. Our
cruises normally go
whichever way the wind
blows and tide goes, and if
all fails we use the iron
topsail. The most dramatic
improvement has been in
the balance. The blade
foresail, with maximised
low-down area, gives more
punch upwind in the waves
and less weather helm,
with no perceptible
increase in heeling
moment. That feeling of
nodding up and down,
going nowhere in the
waves, has disappeared
and we worry less about
the wind direction when
planning our passages. The
old mainsail was built with
maximum roach: that contributed to the weatherhelm, and as it
stretched and deepened with age, things had got steadily worse.
“The new main has a more traditional profile, combined with a
luff curve to suit the wooden mast which sets up very straight
upwind. The cloth seems stable so the fullness stays where it
should be: this all helps the balance, keeps the power up and the
heeling moment down.
“The genoa has given us heaps more drive and height upwind,
and the cloth stability means we can hold on to it significantly
further up the wind range than before: the mast
has an internal track so the main has a bolt rope,
no slides, the slab reefing is not led back, and the
jibs are hanked on. So a set-up that works
through a larger wind range makes sailing two-up
a much more relaxing business.”CASE STUDY
The cruising yacht
What did a new suit of sails do for cruising yacht Ragdoll,
a 1965 Honeybee 28, owned by Mark and Liz Rushall?“One of the main
developments
was introducing a
‘blade’ jib”