wing on wing with self-tacking catamaran

[Happy Fluke]

SORRY but we're still learning... any tips on sailing wing on wing on a Lagoon 46? Thanks Friends!

[neilpride]

Your cap shrouds cancel out any downwind wing and wing option, no boom vang.

I am more optimistic about a gennaker or code 0.

[Happy Fluke]

Thanks Neil!

[fxykty]

Yup, totally doable, just not super efficient. We do it often when we can’t be bothered to gybe back and forth.

Generally best to use autopilot in apparent wind mode and set it to 170*. Let the boom out as far as you can to the leeward side; due to the cap shroud, lack of boom vang and not long enough traveller, the boom will lift as you ease the sheet. Stop when the upper part of the sail lays against the rig - the boom will be at about a 45* angle to the centreline. You could rig a boom preventer/vang from the end of the boom to a mid ships block to pull down the boom and get the sail off the rig, and to let the boom out a bit more, but that’s not necessary.

Sheet the jib to windward. We run a separate sheet out to the rail and further forward than the regular sheet lead to pull the jib out to the side and down. This works particularly well with self tacking jibs as their foot is relatively short.

The alternative is to take down your mainsail. If there’s not a lot of wind then maybe a code 0 or spinnaker instead of jib, but in any sort of reasonable breeze your jib alone will be fine.

[Happy Fluke]

Very good information! Thanks so much for the help!

[chris mac]

We do the same as fxykty, although I added a rigid boom vang. So tighten vang, sheet main out and tighten up our boom brake. Then self tacking jib out to windward side and use our spinnaker sheet off the toe rail to pull straight sideways. Typically I also try to stay around 170° but have done ddw. The Dutchman boom brake makes this a lot safer.
On lighter wind days I do similar with the asymmetrical, but windier days or short runs, wing on wing works quite well

[Happy Fluke]

Thanks Chris!

[django37]

This is the way we crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific. A spipole helps holding the gennaker out so you are free to point up a little without it collapses. 2/3rds of the genoa also helps.

[arsenelupiga]

wing on wing is our most used config. most of time with double reefed main and 80% of genoa. Windy down here in east coast AU. Stress free even in significant seas / winds. Good for 20 to 50kn true. We use simplified version of Django setup. Simple bamboo pole for jib allows us to sail down to 145 apparent. I also figured out that jybe prevention with mid cleat is hard on boom link to mast (not sure how is called) So we use pulley linked to spi block and remove spike forces of boom on mast. LAgoon 400

[django37]

Important to use a preventer from the end of the boom. I run it throug a block on the midship cleat and back to a winch and a cam cleat, so it can be released fast. This stops the boom and sail going up and down on the shrouds - but I do have patches on the main to protect the sail where the battens rub against the shroud. Theese are changed every 25,000 nm.

[django37]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Yup, totally doable, just not super efficient. We do it often when we can’t be bothered to gybe back and forth.

Generally best to use autopilot in apparent wind mode and set it to 170*. Let the boom out as far as you can to the leeward side; due to the cap shroud, lack of boom vang and not long enough traveller, the boom will lift as you ease the sheet. Stop when the upper part of the sail lays against the rig - the boom will be at about a 45* angle to the centreline. You could rig a boom preventer/vang from the end of the boom to a mid ships block to pull down the boom and get the sail off the rig, and to let the boom out a bit more, but that’s not necessary.

The alternative is to take down your mainsail. If there’s not a lot of wind then maybe a code 0 or spinnaker instead of jib, but in any sort of reasonable breeze your jib alone will be fine.

We never take down the main, but set the autopilot to 165 dgr true wind angle also with a spinnaker set. Sometimes surfing down a big wave, the aparant wind comes directly from the front, and it would be dangerous if we use awa on the autopilot. Have 2 different spipoles: a short one for the genoa and heavyweather spi and the long (6.5 m) for the masthead spi and the gennaker. Drawing of gennaker set and photo of small spipole on heavyweather spi. With the gennaker on the long pole, it can still be rolled down to just a very small size in a squall. Somehow the World Cruising Club thought, that all Fountaine Pajot cats would be faster than our Lagoon 380 in the ARC, but when you use your downwind sails ...