Also see my post "Heavy weather and Storm jib rigging" that updates and extends this page to include larger heavy weather jibs that need a slightly different approach but one that also supports a storm jib.
Size & Type
A good place to start when deciding what to carry is the World Sailing Offshore Regulations for racing (OSR, 2020) para 4.26 “Storm & Heavy Weather Sails”.
Category 3 relates to races “across open water, most of which is relatively protected or close to shorelines”.
Category 2 relates to races “Races of extended duration along or not far removed from shorelines or in large unprotected bays or lakes, where a high degree of self-sufficiency is required of the boats”, Categories 1 & 0 are for more extreme oceanic sailing but have the same requirements as Cat 2 for heavy weather sails.
So a crossing to Southern Ireland from Cornwall would definitely be a Cat 2 (as is the Fastnet Race), RORC cross channel races are normally Cat 2 but with the additional requirements from Category 2 including "a life raft, AIS Transponder [sic, it's a transceiver] and RORC prescriptions".
Cat 3 requires a heavy weather jib with a maximum area of 13.5% of the foretriangle height (IG) squared, I make that =< 15.4 sqm for the A9m.
Cat 0, 1 & 2 also require a storm jib with a maximum area of 5% of IG squared with a maximum luff length of 65% of IG, c 5.7 sq m for the A9m, c 3.1 sq m for an A24 (less than the builders spec).
If the designer specifies smaller then that prevails. Also
The storm jib must be attached to a stay independently of a luff groove, the heavy weather jib may use the luff groove [but clearly that doesn't work with roller reefing!] but an independent method of attachment must be readily available for use if required [but prevention is better than cure especially on a tossing fore deck!].
This is because there is a real danger of a sail pulling out of a groove in a storm. A storm sail may also be too thick to fit into a groove.
A heavy weather jib will be a bit of a luxury on many Achilles types, especially if the furling Genoa is about the size of a #2 Genoa as it is likely to reef pretty well down to the required size, even with a 150% genoa I resisted getting one for several years due to the cost but after being hammered by F6+ headwinds on a number of occasions I have given in and got one, but at 12.1 sqm it is quite a bit smaller than the maximum so it should be good to at least F7 and if I am feeling lazy, which happens more frequently these arthritic days, and it is blowing F4-5 I might well start off with it rigged and more mainsail showing to make short tacking easier and to avoid the hassle of setting it at sea if the wind increases.
I'll probably post about that separately or update this when I have practical experience with it, but rigging is the same as a storm jib on a removable stay (but further forward than may be optimal for a storm jib) and both will require sperate sheeting if roller reefing is in place - the sheets will need to stay on the furling sail to help prevent is from unfurling and I for one would not want to be standing in the eyes of the boat in a rough sea to get them off and put on sail ties..
I started off with a storm jib on the basis that if the reefed genoa was overpowered or ineffective I could go to the storm jib which should at least be on the safe side, except perhaps if I had to beat off of a lea shore.
Storm Jib Design
Storm jib by e-sails. |
- Protect them from waves washing over.
- Get clear wind in rough seas.
- Have the sheeting point further aft and closer to the normal jib sheeting points than would otherwise be the case.
They can be purchased off the shelf from several makers, usually sized in 1 sq m or 10 sq ft steps. A 5.7 Square metre sail (described as 60 sq ft) from e-sails (the on-line brand of Kemp Sails) is currently (2021) around £300, quite a bit cheaper than most sold by chandleries. A 30 or 40 sq ft sail for an A24 is £170 / £215.
But then, unless your boat has hanked headsails it has to have its own rigging.
Rigging a storm jib
If the other headsails use hanks then the forestay can be used, the centre of effort will be well forward so check out the balance of the boat with a close reefed mainsail, use a short strop under the tack to raise the sail clear of waves and above the dropped headsail it will replace or be replaced by.
Hoisting a storm jib on a sleeve, that should work OK but I don't fancy rigging that on a bouncing foredeck. |
- Having a sleeve over the forestay and rolled up headsail then attaching the sail to the sleeve.
- Rather than a sleeve, wire or rope loops with “Parrel” Beads acting as rollers that should be easier to rig and hoist.
- On a removable stay for the storm jib (which may also serve for a heavy weather jib).
- It will be problematical over a large sail and the headsail sheets would get in the way.
- I don’t like the idea of spending all that time right in the eyes of a small boat in near gale or storm conditions to hank it on.
- It may require the jib sheets to be removed and the sail secured before hoisting which may not be easy or safe.
Removable Stays
Most of the rest of this section was moved, with some further explanation, from my page "About the Achilles 9m & Sancerre".
I have two ways of hoisting the storm jib, originally I rigged a movable Dynema inner stay from an existing fitting on the mast below the radar reflector to the U bolt at the back of the chain locker and tensioned with a block and tackle with the option of using one of the cabin roof winches if necessary for further "grunt". The stay is approximately parallel to the forestay, balanced well with the main and allowed the storm jib to be flown as a Staysail.
The problem is getting a halyard onto the sail, the spinnaker halyard works but the pull comes from further up the mast so is not in line with the luff which is not ideal. The spinnaker pole topping lift would also work but has the reverse problem pulling the sail away from the stay, not good, and it does not feed to a winch.
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