Trysail track mounting - port or starboard?

[memelet]

Is there a preferred side on which to mount the trysail track? (eg, starboard to help move towards "safe" quadrant).

-barry

[Ian McColgin]

If you have a track and switch system so the trisail can be kept bagged or boxed at the foot of the mast, then since most action on sails abaft a mast are controlled from the starboard side, the halyard should come down there but the sail, track below the switch, and all that should be to port. This gets the gear out of the way. It leads to a preference for hoisting on the starboard tack but the deed can be done the other way.

I personally remain unconvinced of the value of a trisail. It's so much smaller than a triple reefed sail that it's not going to help much more than bare poles. I rather like the Scandanavian notion of "winter sails" - generally battenless and at full about the size of your normal double reef. When you put three tucks in that, you're not really a lot bigger than a trisail, but you're dealing with a sail designed to move the boat rather than just heel her over. For what it's worth.

G'luck

[Ian McColgin]

Ahoy again,

Thinking more about the meaning of "safet" I see you could be thinking of being on the starboard tack which, if you happen to be on the west side of a northern hemisphere storm is not just the safe quadrent but also the correct tack for the job.

Trisails I've set really didn't care which side of exactly dead center back of the mast they were for whatever tack.

G'luck

[memelet]

Thanks Ian!

One of the reasons I asked this question was because since the trysail track will be mounted next to the tides marine track, its seems that the trysail will lay over the tides track a bit on one tack. (ie, No track switch -- two tracks).

So I guess second issue is how to prevent this. Maybe extend the webbing a bit and massively reinforce it for chafe? Or will it not matter that much? Or will the tides track make using the trysail a bad deal no matter what?

[Ian McColgin]

I don't see how it will make much difference laying across the track. Try just setting it up with the sliders spaced normally and see how it sets.

G'luck

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Very few people have actually set trys'ls in anger, and some, like Ian, prefer a heavily-reefed main. I'm a trys'l fan myself (tougher, usable if the main or its boom is damaged, not nearly as expensive as a main, lower C of E, etc.), but only for the rare installations that might actually work when you need the sail; I've heard plenty of stories of people struggling to get that sail up when the wind is 40+ and rising, and having a hell of a time. I can tell you that having the sail track on the same side of the mast as the halyard tail is a big plus. So is having a dedicated trys'l halyard, preferably pre-attached (very easy, it seems, to have the thing blown out of your hand when you're trying to attach it, even with a snapshackle, in a gale).
The other big obstacle is lazyjacks, which can foul the trys'l on the way up; rehearse and reconfigure as necessary to get these clear. With the type we prefer, it is easy to pull the lazyjacks forward in a large bight,and loop them under the bagged sail.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[pelorus32]

This response is a bit late but...We have our trysail track on the starboard side - I think originally borne out of the old fashioned notion that you should heave to on the starboard tack if you have a choice.
We've got a 32 foot Lyle Hess cutter and I've used the trysail "in anger" as Brion puts it. I'm a big fan. This is a sail that's designed for the conditions; the boom and mainsail are safely stowed in the gallows where they belong; you don't have the bunt of a reefed mainsail ready to swallow up a big sea; no large loads on questionable reefing cringles; no large loads on the boom from the loose footed mainsail; the CE is nice and low and the whole construction of the sail is fit for purpose.
When we heave to with the trysail we lead each sheet to a turning block on its own quarter and thence to a primary winch. This gives you endless control over the sail and allows you to prevent any potential to flog and flutter as the boat luffs slightly - as it's apt to do from time to time.
I wouldn't go to sea without one in this kind of boat.

[edzacko]

I dont think it really matters to the boat which side the trisail is mounted. Ours is mounted on the Starboard side because that is where where we work the Mainsail.

Over the years we have used the tri countless times"in anger".

We love it primarily because it does NOT heel the boat in big wind. It is cut flat and as the wind gusts, the excess just spills off the sides of the sail and we drive forward.

I feel that the Trisail is a far better alternative than a triple reefed mainsail for two main reasons:
1. I can set it in less than a minute in all conditions---far faster than tying in a third reef(don't forget the conditions that require that reef)---
2. Most importantly--it eliminates the boom from the equation--- the last thing I want in big wind and large seas is that boom flying around. I came very close to being knocked overboard by the boom in such conditions.

Once that tri is set, the boom is lashed down into the gallows and safely out of the way.
It cant smash fingers and heads and also wont snap in hallf when you get down into those troughs and drag it while vanged.

The only time I use a triple reefed main is if I am sailing in sheltered water(no big seas--just a lot of wind) and can tie it in before leaveing the anchorage.

Otherwise, my third reef is a "I lost my mast above the spreaders and have to get home" reef.

Ed

[Brion Toss]

Hi again,
I'll just forward a tidbit from the estimable Carol Hasse, World's Greates Sailmaker. Hasse says that trys'ls can also be great in very light winds. In those conditions, with any kind of sea, that main will want to slam around, wearing itself out but not being terribly effective at stabilizing the boat. But a trys'l, sheeted in hard is a great steadying sail. Save that main for when you have some wind.
Plus, by setting it in light airs, you get to practice, and to work out any kinks in non-horrendous conditions.
A practical note:
Trys'l sheet blocks typically take about twice the sheet load. Even if your trys'l is a dinky 100sq ft, and it is set in 60 knots, there could be close to 1.5 tons on that block, which by the way is probably pointing directly at the cockpit. So it pays to have really good blocks,a generous safety factor, and really good attachment points.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss