"Scott Vernon" wrote...
Would shortening sail help? Can it be done on the 470?



Richard Randall wrote:
Good question. I don't know. I have to sail with a jib because it is
integrated with the forestay. But I was thinking about taking one of
my old mains and having reefs put in. Or maybe sailing without a main?
Has anyone done this? DSK, what do you think?

Well, if you've got an old main that you want to experiment with...

I'd suggest getting it re-cut to flatten it (although 470 sails are
already pretty flat IIRC) and take the roach off. No battens, a hollow
curve from boom to mast tip. That will take a LOT of heeling moment off
and it shouldn't affect the helm balance too much. Or you could cut the
leach hollow up to the top batten and put in a really stiff top batten,
that would keep some of the power but make it easier to handle. IMHO
that would be better than trying to put on jiffy or slab reefing.



I know I'm sacrificing speed here, but sailing singlehanded excludes
racing anyway. I don't mind going slow if I can go out more often.
It's just that when the wind picks up, I can't go out by myself.

No racing? Don't you have a handicap class locally? I race the Johnson
18 singehanded sometimes, setting the spinnaker is really fun and I
sometimes wish for a trapeze. Anyway the 470 is a nice boat for good
wind... we had our best races in 20+... so I can see why you want to go!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King