A fun main topsail idea!!

[rbgarr]

http://www.offcenterharbor.com/2012/03/25/3713/

[Ian McColgin]

If he's really never seen a topsail on its own jack staff, he's strangely out of it. I've watched Vela over the years and have seen that he's a good enough sailor to just not be that ignorant. Judging from the picture, he figured out that the idea of rolling it over to tack was pretty silly.

That aside, it's a good system. A nice sail for a wonderful boat.

[Hwyl]

If he's really never seen a topsail on its own jack staff, he's strangely out of it. I've watched Vela over the years and have seen that he's a good enough sailor to just not be that ignorant. Judging from the picture, he figured out that the idea of rolling it over to tack was pretty silly.

That aside, it's a good system. A nice sail for a wonderful boat.

Perhaps your most curmudgeonly post ever, quite an effort Ian.

[Ian McColgin]

Well, it is a good boat. I've watched him work it in and around Edgartown Harbor and Katama Bay under her original simple rig. She ghosts along beautifully and is surprisingly nimble. Somewhere I got the idea that Captain Hawkins didn't just build her, but designed her or at least had a lot to do with her design.

I was a bit grumpy about his pretense to have invented something since the rig is in so many books.

I think Vela is about the maximum size where a jack staff makes sense. Sometime in the '80s I helped rig a nice little schooner that had two but in practice the foretopsail made less sense than a fisherman. Vela has a nice long gaff so the other addition which the little schooner had, a jack staff on the foot to put the topsail out beyond the peak of the main, is not at all needed.

[rbgarr]

If he's really never seen a topsail on its own jack staff, he's strangely out of it.

Where did he say anything like that? He's merely trying to create some more fun for youngsters he takes sailing, and it's entertainingly, enjoyably and 'simply' harmless.

[Hwyl]

He's a well known innovator, I've never seen a topsail flip like that before. I do question it's usefulness, but that's the role of us mere mortals. By the way, no harm was meant Ian, I know you pride yourself on your stances and respect that.

I tried to find a video of HH's dead to windward propeller boat but could not, one of the coolest thing ever

[Ian McColgin]

From the article:

"Maybe if there were a spar that ran the entire length of the topsail’s luff with the halyard attached to its midpoint, and the clew of the topsail conventionally sheeted to the end of the gaff, we would have a sail that could be flown from the deck and tacked by simply rolling the whole mess over the top of the rest of the rig. You’d let go of the line attached to the lower end of the spar and pull down on one at the top. Yeah right. Never seen that before. Must be something I’m missin’."

Dang right there was something I was missing. I owe Capt. Hawkins' reputation and apology and rb a thanks for getting me to reread. I was going to quote the above with a triumphant "So there" . . . all those "maybe"s making as if he'd invented something. Well, jack staff topsails are a dime a dozen but perfectly symmetrical units with an extra line that can come into play as a downhaul - the one at the top for the moment (shall we borrow a term from jib sheets) being the lazy downhaul . . . Very cool idea and one so new to me that I didn't quite understand what he'd created on first reading.

Doffed cap.

[seedy]

Looks like it has some crabclaw in its genetics...

[Harbormaster]

It's not the best picture, the schooner in front is the Wendameen, but that's Budsie Hawkins' windmill boat in the background. Budsie was Havilah Sr, and this one is Havilah Jr. Both are two of the best and most creative sailors I've had the pleasure of working with. Ian, if you watch the video attached to the above link, you'll get an idea what he's talking about, it explains it pretty well.

[Ian McColgin]

I didn't even notice it was a video there. Very cool.

I love being wrong. Learn more that way.

[Brian Palmer]

Weren't there some wind surfers rigged with a similar pivoting sail to generate lift off of waves so the boarder could make short flights? As they hit the crest of the wave, they would pivot the sail flat into "wing" configuration.

Brian

[Ian McColgin]

The windsurf mast is on a U-joint and for jumps between kicking the board and hanging on the spar the sail indeed is gotten about horizontal. One windy afternoon at my mooring I had the pleasure of watching a guy making lots of amazing leaps out just past the end of the jetty. I was thinking to myself that he could get over and then, he rocketed west a bit and charged the jetty just near my mooring. Cleared it beautifully and then gave an extra leap as he passed us. Very cool.

The parasurfers can do higher leaps.