Schooner Sailors

[emichaels]

I was out sailing yesterday and watched while a 2 masted schooner got underway. I was wondering if there is a particular order the sails should be hauled on a two masted schooner. The particular boat I watched set the main first then a club footed jib then the gaff foresail. Then last but not least another jib out on the bow sprit. The fella seemed to be working alone and it all looked orderly. So what do other schooner sailors do ???

Eric

[McKee]

I'm a big fan of the adage "The fore's'l should be the first sail up and the last sail down". Sailing on and off the hook can be done easily under the fore and stay's'l. You generally don't go to weather so well, but you can reach, tack and jybe just fine. My brother and I have a theory that the setting aft to forward practice comes from folks who learned to sail schooners w/ auxilieries, as you can use the engine to keep head to wind, but its just a theory. That same school that does that also generally strikes fore to aft. I was taught that way until I heard a story about some old timer going out on one of the Maine "windjammers" giving the crew no end of grief about not setting the fore first. I spent 2 seasons trying it and I'm sold.

[lofting4fun]

I have found that if the jib / fore sail is first set you WILL NOT be able to do anything but run.Of course the current wind conditions will dictate ,you need the main to balance the rig, with the jib/pre-main ( gaff in my case) are set you can have a greater range,but for control and to head up- the rig has to be balanced...I dont know if I understood the first reply posted ,but with just a fore sail/jib on a schooner feels similar/ the same as a spinniker alone on a sloop....:confused:

[McKee]

I have found that if the jib / fore sail is first set you WILL NOT be able to do anything but run....

I've tested (fore and stay sail) that on four different schooners (all gaffers) ranging in size from 24 feet (Boldger Lt schooner), 45ish (Peterson Coaster 2), 65 (Sophia Christina, don't know the deisgn but NY pilot schooner themed), and 145' (replica revenue cutter Californian). Its very true you can't really point, but you can tack, jybe, reach, and run, and on those boats it was pretty balanced. Pointing comes later once you get the main up, and the jib is generally left for last.

Using the main and jib I have on occasion found it difficult to jybe, or fall off, and I like to have my options open. These, as you pointed out, are all condition dependend. What sort of schooner do you sail?

[Brian Palmer]

With the wind coming from the head of the harbor, I've seen the crew of the Shenandoah (>100 ft on deck) set the staysail first and then back it to push the bow around as they dropped the mooring. They then raised more sail running downwind.

Different situations require different tactics.

Brian

[SchoonerRat]

Most of my schooner sailing has been on staysail schooners. I always set in this order. Main staysail, fore staysail, main, then headsails. Staysails alone is good for motoring upwind especially in light air. Helps steady the motion of the boat a bit. A little more wind and a little bit more off the wind and up goes the main. I generally leave the jib(s) down until there's enough wind (or desire) to kill the aux. Staysails are usually self tending and you can keep them pretty full even when motoring with the apparent wind "nearly" on the nose.

[lofting4fun]

Hi McKee,
1930 32'LOD Ralph Winslow design ( built at Madden and Louis San Fran) ,club jib,genoa,gaff pre-main,marconi main-fisherman sta'll, and set of square that fly on the pre-main...sail out of Ilwaco...leaving the 22cd on another trip.The sails all set easily, ( used rubber bands on the fisherman and roll and use rubber bands on the squares) but its a little much when bringing down by myself,usually seems that I do it in heavy seas...broke two ribs last time out in a gale..( May). because I wait longer then I should to douse...and I end up shaking all the reefs out too early and,sigh,it usually starts ripping soon afterward....but worth every second

[Ian McColgin]

It really does depend on the conditions. Goblin, an Alden 43 rerigged staysail (pity that) was safe jogging on mainstaysail and forestaysail in a howler but in anything like normal conditions she needed more. So I always hoisted from the back forward, main first and sheeted hard to hold her in the wind while everything else got up. Worked fine sailing on and off the mooring or an anchor. Most of the time it was also right for making a dock under sail.

Dousing sail was the opposite. The huge fisherman always went up last and down first but it was really a light air sail more than a real working sail and did not affect balance, just power. Aside from that, jib down first, then forestaysail, mainstaysail and after the anchor was set or the mooring made, the main could come down.

But Goblin was one of those who'd put her head in the wind if the main was up and strapped in.

[EuroTrash]

Sails up from aft to fore, sails down from fore to aft.

ET