Hi Gary,
To answer your questions:
- Sail Area
The sail area is approximately 6% smaller however the sail area is located in the sweet spot where it is the most effective. I eliminated the top 7 feet of the triangle that does nothing other than to create a vortex. Instead the gaff channels the breeze aft where it does the maximum good. The “fat head” sail has a 7’ fathead.
I removed 5’ of the foot which was the cause of excessive weather helm when the breeze piped up on a 26 as well as being a safety hazard due to the long heavy wishboom and a lethal mainsheet when neglected in the cockpit area. This reduction permitted me to carry full sail in 20 to 30 knot winds. Prior to the new rig I needed to reef early going to windward to reduce drag caused by the rudder trim.
The standard 30 lb 15’ boom is mounted 4’ above the deck permitting excellent vision ahead. Nothing much is sacrificed by eliminating sail area close to the deck since the wind becomes true the higher it is. On the Great Lakes when the water is cold a lense of cold air prevents warm gulf air from reaching the surface. The contrast can be remarkable. Zero wind speed at the surface and 15 knots at 50’ up.
- Rig design
When I bought Mascouche in 2006 I loved everything about the design except I had reservations about carrying a heavy wishbone overhead. I believed that could be changed to make a safer more seaworthy cruising boat without sacrificing performance. Before making any changes, I wanted to see how the wishbone rig performed in all conditions from light airs to 30 to 40 knots. Jorgen Moller with his electric 26 Pondus and I went out single handed with double reefs when wind speeds were topping 40 knots. The RCYC cancelled racing for that day so a few J 105s went sailing and two Nonsuch 26s. Both Nonsuches behaved impeccably with slight weather helms because the last five feet of the foot had been eliminated by double reefing. We suffered no damage but one of the J 105s managed to break its boom. This experience gave me courage to push ahead with the standing gaff rig. The standing gaff permitted me to keep as much sail area as possible without the boom encroaching on the cockpit and the main sheet mounted ahead of the dodger.
The fixed standing gaff solved the problem of the gaff whipping about at deck level when the sail is dropped and me having to raise and lower it every time I went sailing.
The gaff sheet allowed the top of the sail to be trimmed to the wind at that level. Also it prevented the mast from whipping about causing fatigue while taking some of the load from the mast on reaches and runs.
Any hesitation was eliminated when Jorgen Moller decided to convert Pondus too. He was fed up with losing too many eyeglasses overboard by the mainsheet. My major incentive came a few years before when the top of the topping lift gave way bringing the boom crashing down on the binnacle and steering wheel that took the major force.
At the time, I was between the binnacle and companion way leaning aft. The glancing blow nearly sent me down into the cabin. The safety line would not have helped as the break was above it. The first thing I did when I bought Mascouche was to replace the topping lift as I dreaded its potential to fail and bring a guillotine crashing down on those in the cockpit. All wishboom Nonsuches need to have a strong bimini frame to avoid injury from a T/L failure as well as affording sun protection.
The standing gaff rig is still under development. You can see from the 2019 photo that the lazy jacks prevent the sail from achieving a genoa profile. Since then I have anchored the lazy jacks to the mast at the gaff. Next year I will put a double block on the mast at the gaff and run a pennant down the mast and to the cockpit so I can adjust the lazy jacks so they do not restrict the sail shape.
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