![]() Issues of weight and space are paramount There are many challenges that come with offshore racing, but from a mooring point of view alone it can be a nightmare. Posted on 21 Sep Which Fenders do I need for Offshore Racing? Solar or Photovoltaic (PV) panels have obvious advantages. Posted on 29 Sep The DCSolar Power Move - Making Power PortableĪ portable solar panel is sometimes the answer, says If you are planning a longer voyage offshore, the question of how to charge your batteries to keep your electronics running is of paramount importance. Having equipment you can rely on, provides a high level of comfort and allows you to relax a bit during a night voyage. It's all about safety at sea, thanks to the LED revolution To avoid collisions at night, navigation lights are one of the most important tools. Posted on 6 Oct Lopolight Navigation Lights That's why having a reliable and tough handheld VHF Radio is a must. Related Articles Icom IC-M25 Handheld VHF RadioĪn important part of your safety kit, reviewed by Being a sailor comes with a lot of responsibility of which a major requirement is to be able to communicate with other boats or services in case of an emergency. If you would like to talk to someone about your rig setup or a retrofit project, please feel free to contact using our genoa reefing enquiry form! Adding an inner forestay requires an attachment point for the new stay as well as a halyard sheave on the front of the rig but also, importantly, additional backstays to support the new, inner forestay load.Īt the end of the day, the right choice for you and your boat will come down to a number of different, competing priorities: your existing rig and sail wardrobe setup, sailing style and of course budget! If your boat is not already set up for a staysail, the retrofit is more complicated than for a solent rig. However, if you really want to keep those twin poles, and go downwind in a straight line, then poling out the code zero with the yankee is also an option!Īs you may be able to tell, Upffront is a fan of a modern cutter rig, however there are some downsides to consider. ![]() Upffront would advocate that sailing your downwind angles with an asymmetric is faster, more efficient and more comfortable than dead-downwind sailing. As you crack off the wind, the code zero provides all the power you would need, up to moderate wind speeds, and then downwind you unfurl the asymmetric. With more wind, furl the yankee and run with the staysail and reefed main. As windspeed increases, furl the code zero and you are in the optimum zone for the yankee and staysail. In light airs, beating and reaching, where the traditional cutter rig may lack power, the code zero will provide the perfect boost. With the addition of a code zero and an asymmetric to a cutter rig you get very close, in our opinion, to the perfect cruising setup. However, this is where modern performance sailing techniques can help to revitalise this classic rig setup. For example, close hauled the staysail can be stalled by the forward jib, and vice versa running downwind. Traditionally the cutter rig - which thrives in reaching conditions - has had limitations on other points of sail. This can facilitate a satisfactory heave-to, which is otherwise unlikely with a boat that has a partially rolled genoa on the main forestay. ![]() This means that the boat sails more upright and reduces the risk of capsizing, facilitating easier handling in varying weather conditions.ĭiagram showing the Cutter Rig versus the Solent Rig - photo © Calanach Finlayson, Ī second advantage of the cutter rig is that, if winds are high and you want to reduce power, the yankee can be furled away completely, leaving just the staysail which can be used with a deeply reefed main. One advantage is that, compared to a single large genoa, the two smaller headsails of the cutter rig produce a lower centre of gravity and therefore heeling angle. Unsure which to choose? In this two-part series, we will provide some views on both setups to aid your choice of rig.įirst, we will look at the cutter rig. It allows the use of two different sized genoas but only one is used at any one time, and the forward genoa needs to be furled during a tack. The solent stay, on the other hand, sits directly behind the main forestay. Both sails can be used and tacked at the same time. The cutter rig utilises two headsails that sit relatively far apart from each other: a high-cut yankee connected to the main forestay (high clew to avoid the foot catching in waves when reaching), and a staysail connected to the inner forestay (the lower-clewed staysail catches the wind the high-cut yankee does not). Two popular options for off-shore cruising are the cutter rig and the solent rig, both sporting their own pros and cons. Here at Upffront, we are aware that many people are searching for the perfect bluewater cruising set up. A Cutter Rig © Butch Ulmer, UK Sailmakers
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