Hi There,
I have been considering trying to add a small jib sail to my Guider. The idea behind this would be to use as more of a storm jib in pretty heavy wind. Not so much for use when the main sail is up. I actually capsized the other day with a double reef in place while trying to tack upwind (20 kn sustained with gusts of 30 kn). Granted, the capsize was more user error than anything (I should’ve let out the main sheet when I was holding it in trying to make headway, when a very strong gust hit). However, the thought of a small jib, maybe half or 2/3 the area of the double reefed main area seems appealing. I envision adding a small bow sprit for this purpose. So, questions:
- is this just a non-starter/terrible idea and why?
- if it’s a reasonable idea in principle, any thoughts on how to execute having a sheeve or block for the jib halyard partway up the mast without it interfering with the raising/lowering of the mainsail yard?
Second question. After said capsize, I ended up rowing upwind for quite some time. As a result of the challenges of the bow catching the wind, I am considering adding a very small mizzen mast with sail aft of the rudder. This would be simply for use as a weather vane when rowing upwind to keep me pointed upwind. Presumably this could be pretty small, just enough to be greater than the bow free board area forward of the beam of the boat? Anyone done something like this? Any rules of thumb for the size necessary to weather vane in such a manner? Again, this would not be meant to be used as a sail, just a way to keep head to wind while rowing.
Thanks for your thoughts!