Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on December 15, 2005 at 08:37:30 from 80.3.128.6 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: A rig for Mary Anne (was Mainsheet, was traveller) posted by John on December 10, 2005 at 04:07:54:
Accepting all this, nevertheless do make sure that the sail is big enough. Most modern designs of dinghies except those designed for racing are woefully undercanvassed.
I don't think I have ever owned a boat except for racing dinghies where I have not increased the size of the sails whenever I have had to get a new one. Hebe's lug rig is 30% bigger than the gunter sloop rig she was designed to carry, and still I hardly ever need to reef her.
It actually doesn't matter if a racing dinghy is slow, provided that all the rest are just as slow - or preferably even a bit slower. But for general sailing speed is quite important - it can make the difference between whether or not you even reach your destination - the pub for example.
When you sail you spend an awful lot of time wishing that you could go a bit faster in light winds. And reefing is no great problem when the wind does get stronger. Procedure for reefing a lug rig is clearly described in SA Chapter VI