Messing About With Headsails

As some of you may know, we have been developing, testing and refining an accessory headsail for the Kayaksailor.

For those new to sailing, a headsail on a boat is commonly referred to as a jib or a genoa (named for the city in Italy).  The main difference between a jib and a genoa or ‘jenny”,  is the overall sail size and it’s position in relation to the main sail.    A genoa is larger than a jib and overlaps the mast with it’s leech when close hauled.  Jennies are typically used to maximize overall sail area and are commonly seen propelling sailboats in light winds.   They can make boats faster and more powerful not only because of the increased overall sail area but because of the synergistic  relationship between the two sails.  When pointing close to the wind with the leeboards  down, a properly designed and trimmed headsail allows the main sail to work at a higher angle to the wind without stalling.  This  makes reaches to windward more effective.   Another nice feature of headsails, especially genoas, is  their low aspect ratio shape.   The low center of effort  makes them powerful with minimal heeling and therefore easy to control from the cockpit.

Our  head sail project has been in the works for a while now and with the Columbia Gorge winds kicking in, research and development is in full swing.
For those of you who are unaware the Columbia River Gorge is North America’s natural wind tunnel and dishes out some truly amazing winds.  We get everything from two knots to thirty plus (and often higher!) on a regular basis.  This makes for an ideal place for extreme sailing as well as putting prototypes through their paces.

I must say that this  headsail has us pretty excited!  We have gone through several prototypes to determine an effective size and shape and are currently working on refining the foil profiles.

Our original plan was for a small self-tacking jib that could be controlled by the main sheet but we soon found that a larger genoa was simpler and way more fun to sail with, even with the main reefed.  Our current prototype has 3mm genoa sheets that lead through micro blocks on the cross tube and run back to micro jam cleats located within easy reach of the sailor.  The rig still folds and unfolds normally but when folded the wind moves the headsail around a bit on the foredeck.  We would really like to build a micro or nano furller that would allow the sail to roll around itself.  I have some basic drawings for a system but it is going to take some time to develop.  It would be a nice addition, but for all practical purposes, we find our sails to be up most of the time.  Generally the only time we fold the rig is for capsize recovery, launching and landing, and when the wind dies completely.   In the meantime,  I think I can live with a somewhat loose sail on the foredeck when the rig is folded.  I will keep you posted as things progress!