Weather helm.


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Posted by Jock on August 23, 2005 at 14:16:14 from 217.172.246.144 user Jock.

In Reply to: Re: Swallow anew? - but which one? posted by Andy G on August 23, 2005 at 11:29:21:

I learnt to sail in jib-less boats: tiny high-peaked gaff rigged-clinker dinghies on the boating lake at Walton-on-Naze and then polished my skills on a larger, though still single sail, balanced lug dinghy on the River Thames between Teddington Lock and Kingston.

The former had considerable weather helm. This was not a problem in reasonable wind conditions, but during strong winds or a sudden squall, the excess weather helm forced the tiller round. Unless you eased the sheet out, the boat luffed itself up into the wind. A very useful safety feature, particulary if you were a beginner.

The latter (she was exactly how I had imagined Amazon) had once seen better days and could be sailed really hard. She had much less weather helm. When the wind blew hard you could sit out on the gunwale and skim along the water. Her helm was so light that she was once sailed under by a couple of youngsters who were learning to sail and hadn't got to the bit about luffing.

In a small single sail working boat the weather helm would be an important safety feature. If caught in a squall you could let go of the tiller and drop the sail secure in the knowledge that boat was keeping its head to the wind. These boats were not meant to be sailed with the crew sitting out on the gunwale. If there was too much wind you reefed or rowed or anchored. They did carry a lot of canvas so that you could get home in a light air.

When these boats came into recreational use and they were sailed by sportsmen jibs were added to reduce the weather helm. Working boats with jibs also had ample weather helm. They had their weather helm reduced by moving the jib forward by adding a bowsprit. For anyone wondering why increasing the sail area forward or moving it forward decreases the weather helm, may I refer you to the appropriate section in the classic user handbook Sailing by E.F. Knight.


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