TOPIC:

I would be interested in viewpoints and experience on the pros and cons of high versus low aspect jibs. My current set of Macs sports a high aspect jib which seems to be the current thinking and trend wheras an older set has a lower aspect cut. Also how about other sailmakers thinking such as Speed and Hyde and of course the new 'Pies' set? I have certainly found the characteristics and setup differs considerably between the different cuts but which is best? On the basis of ongoing development and improvement logic would indicate the high aspect is better overall but I have found the older low aspect cut still refreshingly good. Trouble is I am currently sailing against a bunch of single handers and 'other makes' in a handicap fleet so find comparison almost impossible and can only go by my own race results.


Albacore Andy

GBR A7525

Blue Jay

This is a question for Mike MacNamara or Barney Harris in the USA who have had some experience of alternative rigs. I will email Mike and ask him to reply on the forum or to me & I will post it!

Thanks Jeremy Mike is always very helpful and I will be interested in his input as always as well as anything Barney or anyone else has to add. As always it is the search to find the best set up that has prompted the question and experiences playing with an old set of Macs which are more than useful.

This is a question that has occupied Albacore sailors pretty much for ever because our class rules insist only on an area for the jib. Over the (many) years I have been sailing Albacores I have used measured cloth to cloth luff lengths of 12 feet ;12.5 feet and 13.25 feet.

Obviously the shorter sails are wider and it could be argued are therefore easier to set off wind as they have less twist. It could also be argued that they are less efficient to windward because the perceived wisdom is that a tall aspect ratio sail gives a longer slot between jib and main and that the slot is more controllable because there is less overlap etc etc. Other pluses are that the fairleads are further forwards and so are out of the crews way and there must be less luff sag as there is less exposed jib halliard between the top of the jib and the mast. It is therefore easier to control the fullness.

Important as all these are the real biggie for me and the main reason why I use a narrower and therefore taller sail is that on the run the whisker pole tensions out the sail more than on a wider sail. It is therefore flatter and probably shows as much exposed air as the shorter jibs which are fuller (more u shaped even). In my experience a thinner jib can therefore be sheeted further aft than the wider sails where the pole has to be angled forwards. Think also of how difficult it must be for the air to escape from the tighter edges on the wider sail.

The leeward pole has also overcome the twist and supposed weakness of the taller jibs on a reach.

However, there is a BUT and isn`t there always a BUT.... There is a limit to how tall the jibs can be in the UK. Because we rake the masts forwards they cannot be longer than 13.44 ish feet otherwise the head would disappear inside the mast!

Finally do remember that as is so often the case in sailing it is hard to quantify the pluses and minuses and so what we should be doing is use stuff that we feel comfortable with.....then the "nut" on the end of the tiller can get on with what is really important.Shovelling their boat through the water as fast as possible!

Michael McNamara. mikemac2010-02-23 09:11:01

Just on one point, we have found that when using the max height jib , there is a tendency to over pole the jib on a reach, causing it to flatten out.

We have now calibrated the pole control line for easy reference & are about to try a system led to the side decks for the crew to use whilst sitting out. It's not just a question of pulling the leward pole on & that will do, the pole needs to be used in conjunction with the jib sheet to control the shape of the jib. Maintaining the air flow through the slot of mainsail & jib is paramount, but maintaining the shape of the jib is an important consideration. The low aspect jib should take more pole on the reach perhaps due to the sail having more depth lower down.



More importantly get around some open meetings give it a try & keep your head out of the boat, a wind shift you miss may well be far more important than a tweak on a pole....