MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : Rule 42 and the top batten

If it takes me 2 or three attempts to tack the top batten, am I in breach of the aforementioned rule?


Posted: 04/05/2005 22:48:57
By: Jon
Yes


Posted: 04/05/2005 23:12:50
By: Lord Nelson
Why worry? People rock like crazy even when they're not flipping the batten, and no-one ever protests. (sigh)


Posted: 05/05/2005 09:02:11
By: Grumpy
Yeh Yeh, i remember when I sailed at Salcombe and everyone in my race except I have to say willy warren, rocked their way round the Bag.It was a disgrace, not a single protest, but it's all a bit of a laugh ........right?


Posted: 05/05/2005 09:34:28
By: perfect
It's not cheeting until you get caught.


Posted: 05/05/2005 11:41:59
By: Crew
Whilst repeated body movements or flicks of the sail are banned by 42.2, this is without limiting rule 42.1 which say "Her crew may adjust the trim of sails and hull, and perform other acts of seamanship, but shall not otherwise move their bodies to propel the boat. "

I would argue that getting the batten to set is an act of seamanship, as you can't expected to sail with an inverted batten, so 42.1 applies and you would not be breaking a rule - but then what do I know?


Posted: 06/05/2005 17:08:04
By: Alan
Thankyou Alan, that was what I was after.

J


Posted: 06/05/2005 19:43:03
By: Jon
I generally find that if it takes more than 3 goes to get it across the subsequent loss of temper, aggro and general messing around means you're going slower than if you hadn't been pumping anyway.


Posted: 06/05/2005 20:19:04
By: Chris
Oh god don't remind me!!!!!


Posted: 06/05/2005 20:37:30
By: Jon
I agree that if you a repeatedly having to use your movement to pop the top batten, then your probally going slower than you should be..

Get a softer top batten!


Posted: 06/05/2005 20:55:00
By: Hugh Fletcher
Softer battens rarely, if ever, make any differance.

Sails are designed to work with a batten of a given stiffness, and what seems to happen to my sails if i try a softer one is a huge bulge towards the front of the sail and a hooked leech at the back - this is not fast!

Tecnique and practice are the answers.


Posted: 06/05/2005 21:12:13
By: Chris
Interestingly in really light stuff a reasonably stiff top batten I believe is easier to tack. Softer battens have a greater cord to deflect then invert, Also I suspect that older boats with generally stiffer alloy rigs will also find it more of a problem, there masts not flexing therefore luff curve cut into the main adds to the cord/depth of sail as the batten is compressed.
Minimal or no tension should be aplied ignore any small creases it's the sailshape thats important.
Ditto to technique & practice.


Posted: 06/05/2005 22:05:23
By: Barry Watkin
When we first got 2988, someone had made a super-stiff top batten by taping two battens together. The problem was that the they had been stored slightly bent, and the sticky tape ensured an asymmetric 'memory'. We could tack fine and flip the batten through, but even with the sail full & set to the new 'correct' curve, the batten then flipped back to the 'wrong' stored memory shape at the slightest opportunity.


Posted: 12/05/2005 18:06:35
By: Rod & Jo
Seems like time someone produced a Carbon Batten! Shouldn't be too hard to produce Stiff thru to flexi ones. Don't sailmakers provide suitable battens with sais, North do for instance but what about the favoured MR SM's.


Posted: 12/05/2005 18:23:16
By: WVM
The answer, sadly, lies in technique only.

Mike Calvert had very little difficulty popping the top batten in my boat at Rutland when the weather went light. Of course my crew, who was in the boat at the time likes to remind me of this occasionaly when I'm struggling with the darn thing.......


Posted: 13/05/2005 08:17:15
By: Jon
My Rowsell main came with a carbon top batten - talk to your sail maker.
Technique is essential as is the right top batten.


Posted: 16/05/2005 08:56:47
By: Commentator
Post Script

My crew can also tack the f*****g batten better than I can, as she proved on Sunday.


Posted: 16/05/2005 20:11:36
By: Jon

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