This was another successful workshop with 20 attendees from 6 clubs in the M&S District. We were pleased to welcome two lady members. Although Hugh was unable to bring along his beautifully restored 1930s 6 m, there was plenty of detail in re-rigging older boats that were brought to demonstrate improvements that can be made in adjusting ‘rigging’, from a simple method of making an adjustable Dyneema mast ring to close the gap between mast and sail, to basic adjustments of mast shape to enhance downwind performance.
Always the formal talk by Roger Stollery generates questions and after the coffee break he explained the reasons why in strong winds, rigs often perform better when moved further aft or with the mast in the same place, but with smaller jibs. As well as the rigging adjustments for going downwind, the alternative suggested for the conventionally Marblehead was to change the geometry to a swing rig, against which this boat usually competes. As there is already a swing rig mast position to change would not be difficult.
Another question about where the mast should be placed on an 8 metre that that has 3 different mast positions was answered by imagining the mast right at the bow or right at the stern and the effect that this has on the balance of the boat with the downforce the sail either immersing the bow and making the boat luff or the reverse. In the end it comes down to doing trials with the mast in the the existing forward and aft positions and testing which makes the boat go better.
What is good about these workshops is not necessarily the formal talk but the informal exchange of ideas and questions that has the meeting buzzing. Indeed sometimes Roger felt embarrassed to restart the talk when there was already lively debate in the Victoria Hall.
The next workshop is on Friday 20th of February
