Junk-Rigged Cruiser Thread and AMA

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Arion1234

There are two situations when junk rig is slower, in my opinion. One is when hard on the wind in the open sea. Mostly I choose not to do that. Once the rig is cracked off to a close reach, the speed is about the same, and with the wind aft of the beam junk rig is more powerful than fore and aft bermudian sails would be. Something like flying a flat-cut spinnaker, but effortless in comparison.
The other time junk rig is at a disadvantage is in very light winds, when bermudian rigs can set light weather sails, from drifters to reachers. This is especially true in a swell. But as I said before, all rigs are compromises, and I am perfectly happy to trade off the above limitations for the low stress on the rig, and the ease of handling. Furling the sail, reefing, running downwind, gybing, etc are all done from the security of the cockpit.

Sailing to windward is slower by all accounts in a junk, though they can point about 5 degrees higher, which can be useful. And anyway, who's in a hurry here?

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by Arion1234

There are two situations when junk rig is slower, in my opinion. One is when hard on the wind in the open sea. Mostly I choose not to do that. Once the rig is cracked off to a close reach, the speed is about the same, and with the wind aft of the beam junk rig is more powerful than fore and aft bermudian sails would be. Something like flying a flat-cut spinnaker, but effortless in comparison.
The other time junk rig is at a disadvantage is in very light winds, when bermudian rigs can set light weather sails, from drifters to reachers. This is especially true in a swell. But as I said before, all rigs are compromises, and I am perfectly happy to trade off the above limitations for the low stress on the rig, and the ease of handling. Furling the sail, reefing, running downwind, gybing, etc are all done from the security of the cockpit.

I could not agree more Arion. We have now sailed our Gazelle with free standing masts for many tens of thousands of miles making a half a dozen or more ocean crossings but we choose them to be off the wind. When we do have to go upwind we tend to have motor assist which is aided by that great British invention, the Autoprop. And although we do not do as well sailing upwind as those with a Bermuda rig we notice that many of them motorsail or even just motor when going upwind. When we first got to Trinidad in 1996 from Canada we were surprised to find how little any people had actually sailed from Canada and the northern states all the way to T&T

And as you point out we can do everything from the comfort of a pilothouse, raising, reefing and lowering sails is a snap.

Jim sv GAIA

[hpeer]

There is a discussion about this boat on
Traditional Sail Worldwide FB page.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by hpeer

There is a discussion about this boat on
Traditional Sail Worldwide FB page.

Hmm, interesting design for junk sails, seems almost like a hybrid gaff, though it is obviously a junk sail from the balanced edge forward of the mast. Though they have lost sail area in the upper half of the sail with that design. I don't have facebook anymore though.

[Paul Howard]

Originally Posted by Gaia

Ahh, nice to see you comment Paul of Lorca and the book 'All in the Same Boat' if I remember correctly. Do you remember giving one of your talks on your circumnavigation in Deep River Ontario?

Jim SV GAIA

Yes, we certainly were in Deep River, early 90's?
Was it somewhere in Brazil we saw you? can't remember, but I think it was in Salvador de Bahia and I was not feeling well.
I would junk rig my catamaran if it didn't already have a rig on it.

[BigNut]

Love this thread. The reason I can weld is because I planned to build my own Colvin style junk rigged boat many moons back and cruise the world. Have all the books from back then. Much older and finally cruising the world, but on plastic, not steel, 2 hulls not one. Oh well. But I still think about what might have been.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by BigNut

Love this thread. The reason I can weld is because I planned to build my own Colvin style junk rigged boat many moons back and cruise the world. Have all the books from back then. Much older and finally cruising the world, but on plastic, not steel, 2 hulls not one. Oh well. But I still think about what might have been.

Why not a junk-cat? They look gorgeous
You could do the conversion with some cheap labour and reasonable access to basic supplies.

[BigNut]

Originally Posted by Captn_Black

Why not a junk-cat? They look gorgeous
You could do the conversion with some cheap labour and reasonable access to basic supplies.

Lol. Sometimes, there are only so many fronts you can fight a battle on at the same time. When we set off, neither wife nor I had ANY sailing experience (except a bit of dinghy and windsurfing for me), so lots of things to learn.

Quite happy with our lot at the moment, but you never know.

[SV Heartbeat]

Hello Captain. I cruise the USA East coast in Aletheia my junk rigged schooner. I have only met one other junk rigged boat during my travels. There is a junk junket every year in Maine sometime in August I believe. I havnt made it there yet. Fair winds. Wade

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by SV Heartbeat

Hello Captain. I cruise the USA East coast in Aletheia my junk rigged schooner. I have only met one other junk rigged boat during my travels. There is a junk junket every year in Maine sometime in August I believe. I havnt made it there yet. Fair winds. Wade

Nice ship mate.
I don't plan on cruising the US again, but perhaps we'll see you elsewhere one day

[Stormsignal]

So you are the new owner of Chineel. Interesting.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Stormsignal

So you are the new owner of Chineel. Interesting.

Yup, to clear up what you may have read online about her, she did lay abandoned for a short while after the builder's death, then was purchased by a couple of idiots. The construction is good, but literally all the "work" done by the last guys needed to be redone.

[Stormsignal]

And now she sails the seas as she should under your care and command.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Stormsignal

And now she sails the seas as she should under your care and command.

As her builder would have wanted it

[sailorxyz]

Lots of Junk rigged boats out there... I sailed my Junk rigged Tahitiana for 26 years. Now have a new 39ft scow bowed boat that I'm busy converting to the junk rig... Should have her underway in about a months time.