Alberg 35 hove to under bare poles?

[romantic comedy]

Hal Roth wrote some good things about storm survival too.

[msauntry]

My Alberg 35 still has tiller steering (which I love), so its easy to rapidly make steering corrections. Its harder to do this with a wheel. I noticed the following in rough conditions:

1. When surfing down waves, it steered just fine. No tendency to round up and want to broach. I was under jib only, which helped. Post-Fastnet tank testing of hull types also showed the Alberg style boats stable down waves. Others wanted to trip on the keel and broach.

2. When it picks up speed, the bow rises and there was a "rooster tail" coming from about the shrouds on either side of the boat, throwing a hell of a wake.
There was never an episode of the bow plunging into the wave ahead. There is plenty of reserve buoyancy in the bow to prevent this.

3. The design of the transom gives reserve buoyancy to the stern as well, but I did get pooped a half dozen times when waves broke right on top of me. Extra weight of water in cockpit did not compromise handling of the vessel, merely gave me soggy legs and screwed up my starter key.

4. I've done 20 trips between the Chesapeake and Virgin Islands on a Swan 53 and have seen plenty of nasty weather on that vessel. Its hull design DOES want to round up when going down waves. The bow digs in, the waves catch the beamy stern and it wants to pivot around its keel/centerboard. For all its size and speed, it does not have a comfortable motion at sea. The Swan in following seas is by far the more difficult vessel to steer!

The shortcomings of the Alberg design are a propensity to hobbyhorse in chop like you see on the Chesapeake or other near shore areas. Open ocean swells are long enough to not be a problem.

Carl Alberg hates cooks. Just kidding, but it has an awkward galley. Difficult to work in. Not much room was dedicated to meal prep on his boats

[liveaboardL]

thanks

Msauntry,
That's the cat's meow to me. Thanks.
This boat doesn't have a storm-jib, but it does have a stay sail. I hear stay-sails can be used instead of the storm-jib. I hear there are some big fish at the drop off & I'd hate to be stuck out there w/out something if poles won't work.
Cheers

[sastanley]

liveaboardL,
In a storm, I'd rather have a staysail...it is much closer to the boat's center of effort and would likely perform better than either a jib by itself or a main by itself.

[Loki9]

Don't lump all staysails together. Many are too large and/or not built strongly enough to be good storm sails.

[joe_db]

Storm jibs are cheap used. Many racers get them to meet a class requirement and never use them. OTOH mine has got quite the workout on a few trips. Just like guns, fire extinguishers, and parachutes you can go a lifetime without needing one but when you do need one you REALLY need one

[sastanley]

loki - good point. I was thinking of a cutter rigged boat that had a staysail that was built as strong as the other sails on the boat...or maybe I'd rig a storm sail on the inner forestay.

[romantic comedy]

I bought all the rigging to add an inner stay to my Tartan 34. my plan is only to fly a storm sail, not to sail as a cutter. Maybe I could use it for down wind too.

[liveaboardL]

storm staysail

My boat has a storm staysail, but no trisail.

I've never put the staysail on, but i looked at pictures of staysails online & it's just a triangle on the bow. I have a sloop. I coudl take down the 180 genoa & put up the staysail in a storm. That should do alright, but I wouldn't be able to heave to with just a staysail, but I could maneuver to try to keep from getting broached & avoid breaking waves.

[tomsailmaker]

Sails

I am not sure I have your question figured out right?? You are worried about HEAVING TO and steeping down from a 180% genoa to a storm TRISAIL or STORM JIB. Anny thing over about 10K wind you are over powered and should be going to a smaller headsail, say 130% and sail the boat on her lines not knocked over on her beam ends. Then when the wind picks up to say 20K or so step down to a 90% with a 80% luff or so. You can reduce the mainsail area in steps to keep the boat in control and sailing. Sounds like you should invest in sails that you can get some use out of and learn how to use them to keep the boat under control and sailing - and head for cover if you need a storm trisail. YOU WONT WANT TO BE THERE.
IMHO