Proper #2 headsail

I find in our Lake Superior conditions, with winds regularly in the 10-15 knot range, me and the crew often find ourselves agonizing about which headsail to use.  The genoa we can carry up to about 12 knots (depending on crew on the rail) and with Lake Superior chop we try to carry as much sail as we can because moving up to the lapper too early kills us.

The 'cut' of your lapper might make a difference also. For a long time after I got the boat I sailed the #1 + #3 that came with the boat. Then I finally got a new #3 from my sailmaker, who also raced a Laser28. The new #3 had a lot more power than the old #3 and I don't use a bigger headsail any more. js

I think you should be the first to try it Chris. I have thought of it, but noting that the current lapper already hits the spreader at the leach, and in light airs hangs up on the mast when tacking, you won't be able to add more sail up top. One could take the LP back quite a bit further and add to the lower half of the sail. I'm not sure if that is going to add a lot more power, but would be happy to know how it works out for you. Ideally, since most Lasers are now using much more mast rake, one wishes he could move the chainplates aft about 10" and then really build a nicer #2, however one would obviously be out of class conformity, and getting a new chunk of stainless steel inside the longitudinal structural beam would not be an easy job. With the current rake, the termination for the shrouds at the current chainplates is nearly a foot forward of the spreader tips. On most fractional rigs with swept back spreaders, the shrouds drop straight down from the spreader tips. Ours used to, but not now.

Bill has it right that once your clew passes the shrouds, the further back you can get it, the better you can shape the sail. My cut-down genoa works quite well, but it is pulls bolt tight against the shrouds at the foot and we still cannot get much twist in the leach. On the other hand, you have sailed on Voila with that sail up in light airs and participated in our win over a fleet that can seriously out point us if we used a full 155% sail.

One thing else that could be tried, is to cut a genoa with a higher clew that sheets to the coach top (old style) and go with a full 155%. Doing that will allow the clew to be pulled even further back because of where the LP measurement is taken from. This will better align the curvature of the foot at its apex to be adjacent to the shroud. With our cut-down genoa, our clew is quite close to the shroud, requiring that we pull almost all of the foot curvature out of the sail, even in light air if we want to promote twist.

Bill experimented with a sail such as mine, and found out that he could point higher, but another competitive Laser with a full 155% still could beat him to the windward mark with more speed and better VMG. Our own experience is that we do far better in all conditions using the cut down genoa than with the full 155%. If we were sailing in a Laser one-design fleet, it would not matter that the 155 can't point, but in a mixed fleet, we were always forced to either tack off, or just suck it up and cross behind the whole fleet after the start, and then find out own way to the windward mark. That is a most disappointing way to start the short races we have in our multi-race regattas. There just is not time to recover the loss. IF you start well, you must be able to point with the fleet, or get spit out the back and die.

The Laser's pointing issue is not just about the rig, it is also about having a tiny little keel that stalls and slips more than many other boats of similar ratings. You just cannot pinch our boat except for short moments. It is a boat that prefers to sail free and not tight. Much of that is a keel issue.

You are right that maintaining the angle is a very big deal on this boat. The problem we had with a full #1 was that with the leach outside the spreaders (which are wide on the Laser at about 36", the sail is really trimmed to a fetch instead of a beat. As such, it is bagged both horizontally and vertically because you cannot pull it tight enough to make it a wing owing to the spreaders, hence after 12 knots it must come down. With our modified genoa, we can blade it tight and carry it into 18 knots apparent with good effect, and without back winding the main. It is great in medium conditions where most Lasers have problems.

Driving makes a huge difference is for sure.

I'm with FatJ on this one.  Driver!  So far, my experience is that the driver CAN dance along the edge pretty well with the 155 up in 9-12knts.  I'm dumping traveller and pinching as needed.  In that condition, if I'm fast and high, why do I care if the main is backwinded?  I find that since my crew is getting better, I'm putting proper attention on the helm.  That allows me to get to that sweet spot a lot more often. Starting to keep up with the 7.9's going to wind, and that makes me very happy. I do agree that once over 12, dumping traveller starts to become inadequate.  Probably time for the lapper.

Edited by Ron Waterson - 03 March 2016 at 11:24pm

Because if your main is backwinding it is closing the slot and you are forced to dance that fine edge. The boat will sail fast without main backwind.... meaning the main is flatter and has a more open slot. You don't have to dance with the helm the boat just goes fast. Back wind could be one of two things, either too full a mainsail or genoa car too far fwd.

Edited by Bill Layton - 04 March 2016 at 8:22am

Also if you find you frequently get back wind on the main even with back stay on full you can loosen your lower shrouds some. This will help flatten out the main and reduce the bubble that causes back wind.

Chris,

Shroud tension is entirely a matter of how your main is cut. It has nothing to do with the Laser as a boat. We sail with our cut-down #1, which is a code 4 phrf, and can carry her up to 18 knots Apt with the main full-on with 6 people on board. It goes like a train. That sail does act as a good bridge and compromise between a 155 and the lapper.   Plus we trim it about 4-6" inside the spreader tip and let the leach deform a bit against the upper shroud. We do this not just to point higher, but pulling it in that much flattens the sail and prevents backwinding of he main. Flattening the genny also means less heel.

We won are final winter Snowflake series race on Sunday. We beat Clint Curries custom 26 that rates 16 points faster boat for boat and left the rest of the fleet in the dust other than a custom Yamaha 36 with a 7' keel and 3' higher rig designed by Don Martin. We beat her on corrected with plenty to spare. Conditions where 14-20 and we used our lapper.