by talbot » Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:57 am
I often sail with main alone when the wind is too great to balance the boat. Standing rigging does need to be checked regularly, but I never heard that sail configuration was a cause of loosening.
Sailing with the main alone has other problems:
--The main isn't nearly as efficient without the jib. Once the jib comes down, the boat speed drops dramatically. In a strong wind, I first see if I can keep the jib flying with a reefed main.
--With main alone, there is a lot of sail aft of the centerboard, which means the boat has a strong weather helm. Another inefficiency, as you have to sail with the rudder pulled over to counter the weather helm. The weather helm isn't as bad with the main reefed (less sail aft). So my preferred order of sail selection as the wind rises is:
1. full main and jib
2. reefed main plus the jib
3. reefed main only
4. jib only (very inefficient; impossible to get much higher than a beam reach).
Of course, there are other reasons to sail with the main alone, such as the club rules mentioned in another post, need for visibility forward, or because you just feel like it.