BLUEMOMENT

You are sailing Claymore, a 30ft long keeled Motorsailor. Leaving Tobermory to head back to Ardfern, Forecast wind is North East 3-4 going 5-7. Month of July.
Anticipating a reach down the Sound of Mull you set full main and Genny. With Salen abeam the wind is firmly on the nose so its a beat down to Craignure and then the wind goes left, increases and frees you back onto the anticipated reach. Once clear of Duart the wind picks up to 30kts straight from Fort William and whilst coping, you are clearly overcanvassed with the boat doing 6.5 to 7 knots and the gusts are putting considerable strain on the wheel steering . The other issue at the back of your mind is that Pladda and Dorus Mor don't open until around 18:30 - it is now 13:00. Attempting to furl the Genoa, it jams leaving about 3/4 of the sail set.You have 3 or 4 goes at sorting it out, there is a knot on the furler and 1/4 reefed is the best you can do - this is too much sail for the conditions which seem to be strengthening
What are the options?
This happened to myself and Muzzy this summer, just wondering what others might have done.

I'm afraid my sail solution involves putting on something more substantial than carpet slippers and actually leaving the sanctuary of the greenhouse, or you could send the crew ......

Unroll genny fully and drop the thing onto the deck - or - faff around tacking/gybing untying and tying sheets until it is fully wrapped round forestay. That's got rid of the sail, now about all your spare time - the Troosers will be open so just head across and lose a few hours there. If you are wise you will sort out the furling line and rehoist the sail before trecking over the hill. There may not be the enthusiasm or inclination after returning.

Plan A:
open your copy of "How to become a RYA yachtmaster in 3 easy payments/lessons" and find the correct chapter

Plan B:
radio the coastguard (in Gaelic if after December 2012) and ask for
a) a radio check
b) a forecast
and then casully mention that you have a wee problem at the pointy end (no its a claymore, just call it the front) of the boat
You'll then get the Oban lifeboat out and a complimentary mention in "for Argyll"

Plan C:
unfurl the genoa, tighten the halyard and then try again cursing the day that the new-fangled roller reefing replaced piston hanks

Plan D:
Marisca's solution

Plan E:
a "Modified-Marisca" i.e. once sorted keep going as its Scotland, the wind will drop and you'll be late for the tidal gate

Plan F:
If the "Marisca" failed, use the lazy sheet, flip it around the front of the forestay/genny and pull back the on working/loaded side , release the loaded gennysheet and flip it around the front so that you roll the genny. Repeat until crew complains (promises of single malt will motivate) or until the genny is rolled away

Plan A: Grit teeth for a while longer till you have enough sea room to turn directly downwind, decreasing apparent wind speed, and sheltering genoa behind the main / conservatory. Send crew forward to sort out the furling line.

Plan B : ( my preferred option ) Tack around through 180 and sail back up the Sound of Mull, then motor into Lock Aline, with genoa flapping, and anchor. Sort out the problem with genoa. Have a late lunch. Set off again or stay the night depending on forecast / schedule.

Ash

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Sail almost dead downwind so genoa is blanketed by main, drop genoa, bag and sort the problem later when the wind drops. Pop into Craobh to wait for Big Doris.

Nick wrote:.
Sail almost dead downwind so genoa is blanketed by main, drop genoa, bag and sort the problem later when the wind drops. Pop into Craobh to wait for Big Doris.

I can understand why you wouldn't want them in the Troosers.

Is the problem of time caused by skedaddling out of Balamory before "she" came round for the money?

marisca wrote:

Nick wrote:.
Sail almost dead downwind so genoa is blanketed by main, drop genoa, bag and sort the problem later when the wind drops. Pop into Craobh to wait for Big Doris.

I can understand why you wouldn't want them in the Troosers.

Is the problem of time caused by skedaddling out of Balamory before "she" came round for the money?

That only ever happens when Para is on board.
No - the problem of time was caused by us going along a bit quicker than anticipated and the wind came in sooner than we thought it might. Interesting responses so far.

Rolling hitch on the furling line above the knot , take strain on the added line, undo knot and bob's yer uncle.

I would reef the main ASAP, or even drop it altogether. Then I would reach across to find a lee off the bottom of Karerra or in the entrance of Loch Feochan and sort out the reefing on the jib.

The Centaur could probably go into Loch Don, but you aren't in the Centaur, and I don't know how much shelter would be had in there.

Going into Puilladobrain with the wind up the chuff and all sail set could be interesting when you try to stop.

I'm assuming that wind over tide @ Pladda would make it a place not to be, we have always hit tidal gates right (mainly right) so I'm not familiar with the alternative.

I'm going to try furling by repeatedly tacking the boat, see what it's like.

Must learn how to do a rolling hitch too, folks keep suggesting uses for one and it's usually not when you want to be getting the book out to see how to do it.

.

If the sail can be fully unfurled dropping it on a run is going to be the least traumatic option. Sorting it at leisure on a pontoon is going to be easier than anchoring with a sail uip in half a gale in Puilladobhran.

Was it a furling drum problem, or halliard wrap at the top? If the latter, increasing the genoa luff tension often fixes it.

It was the drum Nick
I think I probably caused it by not keeping enough tension on whilst I furled it away

claymore wrote:It was the drum Nick
I think I probably caused it by not keeping enough tension on whilst I furled it away

I'm sure it was actually one of your crew who failed to keep adequate tension on it

So, out with it, what did you do, which pub did you go to, and what have you done with the hippo?

There are reasonable mobile signals in that area, so the obvious thing would have been to go online and post a query on an Internet forum.

Muzzy was helming so it was me on the furler!
We tried a few times to furl and unfurl but it was going nowhere and the sail and sheets flogging needed to be stopped.
We decided to tuck in at the south end of Kerrera as Pullers would have been a tad challenging.
We considered anchoring but the foredeck was no place to be so once downwind of the Island we motored slowly head to wind whilst I had one more fruitless go.
We then dropped the genoa and set off again for Pladda, having dropped the main to the first reef point to slow us down.
That was it really - it continued to blow all the way back to the big yellow feller.
What surprised me was my tunnel vision, I became transfixed by trying to undo the knot on the drum and couldn't see beyond that to dropping the Genoa for ages. In fact it was Muzzy who suggested it.
It took about an hour in the morning to unravel the drum - I'd a few bruises from my antics on the foredeck. We decided that spinning the boat was untenable in the conditions, Claymore is not keen on crash gybes and I felt the risk of added damage was quite high.

I was surprised at how little shelter there was beneath Kerrera, I was below the Castle and the sheltered water looked too close in to attempt.