Storm canvas Storm jibs


A storm jib is a small, flat-cut, high-clewed jib that is virtually bullet-proof. If the yacht sets her headsails by hanking them to a forestay or by feeding them into a groove, shortening down to it is simply a matter of taking down the next sail above it in size, bending on the storm jib and hoisting away. Unfortunately, the headstays of most modern yachts are taken up with permanently rigged roller reefing headsails which do not even pretend to set in gale force winds. For a storm jib to be useful it must be easy to deploy, and the best method of achieving this is an additional headstay inboard of the existing forestay. Usually, these removable stays are permanently attached aloft and stored at the shrouds to be brought forward and attached


to the deck when it matters. They may also require running backstays which wait out of the way until their moment of glory. Storm forestays can be successfully tensioned with a tackle, perhaps assisted by a winch, but more often than not they have some sort of lever instead. Once in place, the sail is hanked on and the sheets led aft. Care is needed over the sheeting arrangements, bearing in mind that the boat is not going to point very high under this rig. Any boat with roller headsails going properly offshore must have some such arrangement.


Trysails


The storm trysail has three advantages over the deep- reefed mainsail: • It is rarely used and so can generally be relied upon not to blow out.


• It does not use the boom, and is therefore untroubled if this spar or its gooseneck attachment point has been damaged.


• Its tack is well above the gooseneck, keeping it clearer of any heavy seas breaking over the deck.


Trysail Storm jib


A trysail is set as shown in the diagram below. The luff is attached to the mast, ideally on a dedicated secondary track, but otherwise it is slid into the mainsail track through a gate above the stowed main. It is tacked down to some convenient point and hoisted by the main halyard. The two sheets are led via turning blocks on the quarters to spare cockpit winches. It is not sheeted to the end of the main boom.


Trysails set excellently closehauled or reaching. They are not good on a dead run because without a boom to settle them, they tend to gybe themselves. While this may not be dangerous in itself, the jarring on the gear and mast in 40 or 50 knots of wind is not to be countenanced.


94 | MANUAL OF SEAMANSHIP


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