When I decided I wanted my own boat there were a couple of things I had to take into consideration. Firstly, I would mainly be sailing single-handed, secondly my arthritis means that clambering on the coachroof or hanking on foresails wasn't an option. After much reading and suggestions I started to look seriously at the junk rig. A single sail, all lines easily handled from the cockpit, reefing being an almost one-handed job. It looked ideal.
Being new to sailing, and having no interest in fitting in with the "Yacht Club" types it even looked odd enough to attract me!
For the uninitiated, I'll just give you an idea of sail handling.
Being heavier than a "normal" sail due to the wooden battens, the halyard has a 4-1 purchase using blocks, which makes hoisting the sail easy. I've added a winch to my coachroof to help with the job as the arthritis gets worse, but rarely use it yet.
The sheet "zig-zags" from the pushpit anchor point up to each batten and back, in use it gets treated as a single sheet.
The only other lines are the yard hauling parrel, this simply pulls the centre of the yard up and in towards the mast, and the luff parrel which moves the whole sail backwards or forwards in relation to the mast in order to balance the boat.
Hoisting the sail is just a matter of letting all the lines go and hauling the sail up! No need to point the boat into the wind, but better if the wind is forward of abeam as the sail will then "weathercock". Once it's hoisted the sheet is taken in and you're sailing! The other control lines can be altered to suit whenever you're ready......
There's no need to haul the sheet in with the sort of force normally used on a "Bermudan" rig, in fact if the sheet starts to feel heavy it's probably better to ease it back off! The stresses and strains on a junk sail are far less than on most other types.
It's often been mentioned how quiet and relaxed sailing a junk rig is, I couldn't agree more!
Read more here.
3 comments:
Dear Sir
Can you possibly send us a drawing showing the set up for this sail
I recently accqured a KESTREL 22 and I am thinking about a junk rig for her
She has a mast that is fitted to the deck via a tabernacle Can we still use a junk rig with this boat
Thanks
Neil
aka Capt Tuna the chicken of the sea
I would recommend you to post the question on the blog of the owner of the junk-rig. The link is in the post. (Read more here...). You could then communicate directly with him.
Better yet, join the yahoo junk rig group and access an overwhelming amount of knowledge. Ask what you need to know. Might be wise to read Blondie Hassler's book and Van Loans, first.
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