Conference unifix::sailing

I'm not sure I'd call 15 to 20 knot winds mild! That's about time for a 
reef in the main. Anyway, 15 to 25 degrees of heel on a beam reach seems 
a bit much. If you overtrim the sails, you'll heel excessively. A reef 
in the main or a smaller headsail would help, too.

There are two solutions to a cockpit too wide for the crew. One, get a 
taller crew (which is probably not an acceptable solution), or make the 
cockpit narrower. You can do this by putting a cushion behind you (easy) 
or by attaching a strip of teak (or something) to the cockpit wall for a 
foot brace. We use a cushion. 

    Actually what is normal for heel depends on the boat.
    
    We have a Northern 25 which is supposedly optimum around 15-17 degrees
    of heel. At this point the water line length has increased by rolling
    over on the bow and stern flairs, and the drag and keel lift have
    not become unmanageable.
    
    Try finding an old Pearson manual to find out what the optimum angle
    is.
    
    Some ideas to try to help your short crew member;
    
    1. Try using some cockpit cushions to shorten up the distance between
       the seats. Put the cockpit cushion on the edge of the far seat
       to absorb some of the distance.             
       
    2. Change the place the person sits, to the cabin top amidships.
       (If your short person is a small child this may be undesirable
       from a safety standpoint)   
       
    3. Rig some sort of strap that the short crew member could brace
       their feet against. What come to mind is putting a couple of
       eve straps on the sides of the seat in the cockpit, and getting
       a piece of wide nylon with eye hooks on each end. This would
       act like a hiking strap but you would be bracing you feet against
       it, rather than using it to hold you down. Using eye hook would
       allow you to remove it when not needed.
       
       
    Basically the only solutions I see, are moving the crew member to
    some place where they fit the boat, of somehow shortening the distance
    between seat back and where foot bracing can be obtained.
    
    /jim

    You've great taste in boats!!!
    
    If your boat has jiffy reefing, slap in a reef when you get to 15-20
    degrees of heel. Get an inclinometer ifyou dson't have one installed.
    The P26 develops a lot of leeway (sideslips) when you go beyond 15-20
    degrees. This should reduce the heel without cutting your spped much at
    all. If you don't have jiffy reefing installed, do it immediately.
    you'll have to buy a couple straps, cheek block and some cleats,
    but it's like getting a bigger boat! The Schaefer hardware catalog
    has (had) a good description of how to do the installation. 
    
    
    Work on cultivating a tase for the lee side. You get a much better
    view of the telltales and can see behind the jib or genny better
    than from the windward side.
    
    We used the "cushions behind the person" trick. My wife's a runt and
    I'm not much bigger. 
    
    Don't know how handy you are but I thought about building a moveable
    bar...
                         Leeward side of cockpit
       __________________________________________________________
               ||      ||  <- brackets ->     ||      ||   Top 
               ||=|  |=||                     ||=|  |=||  View
                 ======                         ======
                   ||      footrest               ||
          =========================================================
                  THis slips inside brackets and you put feets against
    it. When you tack,just move footrest to leeward. (Thank goodness
    for overstrike mode in EVE!)

    Ed  

    re .-1:   I extracted the note, highlighted the section
              on "runt", and mailed it to Carol. 
    
    Regards..
    
    Rick 

    If you think that'll prevent me from reporting your yachting attire
    to the world....
    
    Maybe I'll give it a second thought.
    
    Ed :-)