Twin Jibs - is it cheating?

[pbryant]

My YRA rating is without spinnakers. Is flying twin jibs cheating? Just checking and wanting to play fair...

My largest jibs are 155%. I did show "155%" as my largest jib on the rating form, but there's no place on the form to say they may fly as twins.

[Wylieguy]

I'm not aware of a NC PHRF Certificate that is "without spinnakers." Boats, such as my Wyliecat 30, obviously don't fly a chute, but we must sail in spinnaker divisions. It's "as if . . . ." There is a list of such boats on the NC PHRF website. There are two Wyliecats that were re-rigged to fly a chute. They took a substantial "hit" on their PHRF rating for doing that, and although only one currently uses that rating, it's only for downwind races. I suggest a little investigation with the NC PHRF folks.

[BobJ]

Yeah that, but I think he's asking if twins are okay. Absolutely - they are specifically allowed in all SSS races including the SH TransPac. Some hoist two separate sails, and some have "butterfly" twins made with a common luff rope. You can use one or two whisker poles.

In the SHTP twins are kind of an institution. There's at least one thread in the forum archives talking about the finer points of leading the sheets, etc. In 2008 I flew two 155's with twin telescoping poles: a 30' boat with a twin rig almost 36' wide. A spinnaker was still faster, especially after I broke one of the poles.

[todd22123]

A spinnaker was still faster, especially after I broke one of the poles.

Hi Bob- Were you able to use the autopilot effectively with either the twin jibs or the spinnaker?

Thanks, Todd

[BobJ]

Twins are very stable. The boat rolls more so the CLR moves around a bit, but the autopilot handles it easily. It's B O R I N G.

Under spinnaker on our boats you need to heat it up a bit to stabilize the kite. At that point you need to define "effectively."

[solosailor]

Hi Bob- Were you able to use the autopilot effectively with either the twin jibs or the spinnaker?

In stronger wind the autopilot will have an easier time with a reef in the main. The horsepower up front holds the nose down and the boat doesn't try to 180.

[pbryant]

Yeah that, but I think he's asking if twins are okay. Absolutely - they are specifically allowed in all SSS races including the SH TransPac. Some hoist two separate sails, and some have "butterfly" twins made with a common luff rope. You can use one or two whisker poles.

Thanks!

And to BobJ: I like boring - especially when I'm sleeping!

[BobJ]

You can sleep when you're dead - this is a race! Hoist the gollywobbler AND the whomper!

[Critter]

Pbryant, back to Pat Broderick's comment: I snuck a peek at your PHRF certificate, and you have the standard rating for a Pearson Ariel in Nor Cal PHRF: 258. The statement on your cert that you're not carrying spinnakers doesn't earn you a rating credit. I don't think there's any need to take up your case with the PHRF board.

As for twins, in 2010 I carried a spinnaker most of the time during the day and sometimes at night. But I hit my highest speeds on two consecutive windy nights when I was carrying my 130% jib top on one side and a 110% staysail on the other, with the main down for at least one of those nights. It was dead stable, but I wasn't bored - I stayed up most of the night watching the speed on the GPS!

Max

[The Smokester]

Pbryant, back to Pat Broderick's comment: I snuck a peek at your PHRF certificate, and you have the standard rating for a Pearson Ariel in Nor Cal PHRF: 258. The statement on your cert that you're not carrying spinnakers doesn't earn you a rating credit. I don't think there's any need to take up your case with the PHRF board.

As for twins, in 2010 I carried a spinnaker most of the time during the day and sometimes at night. But I hit my highest speeds on two consecutive windy nights when I was carrying my 130% jib top on one side and a 110% staysail on the other, with the main down for at least one of those nights. It was dead stable, but I wasn't bored - I stayed up most of the night watching the speed on the GPS!

Max

Do you pole them both out? Or just one? Or does it depend on...?