Main sheet at wheel

[John Langford]

One design flaw of the C34 from a single handers perspective is that you are a long way from the main sheet especially when you are going down wind in strong weather, the autohelm is not up to the job and a jibe looms. So, I am just about to purchase a block with cam cleat and becket which I will attach to the aft starboard cleat with a couple of turns of kevlar line. When it looks like I might need instant access to the mainsheet I will leave one turn of the sheet on the sheet winch drum under the dodger, lead the sheet through the block and take control of it from behind the wheel. The run of the sheet does not interfere with the starboard sheet winch. It ain't pretty but it should work when off the wind.

Any thoughts?

[Jim Price]

I don't have my own photos of my rigging but I got the idea from Dave Davis in CA.  His photos are attached.  The fiddle block is replaced with large triple Harken block with cam cleat.  For instaltion, the block is attached to the car and the cam cleat is reinstalled UPSIDE DOWN from normal.  This allows the mainsheet to tail off the cam.  This used to be the fixed end at the fiddle.  You release by pulling upward and set by pulling down.  I have a tail long enough to reach the wheel so when I single hand in heavy wind, I can release quickly without leaving wheel.

I carried the other tail through the blocks to the mast and back to the starboard winch.  This line is only long enough to make necessary turns on winch and I use this end to tighten mainsheet when pressure is too strong for hand pull on the triple block end.  The winch acts as adjustable cleat on one end and block and cam cleat handle the other end.

You only need to use longer mainsheet for this set up.

[Stu Jackson]

For those of us with dodgers, that arrangement becomes a bit difficult.  On Aquavite, our traveler cars are set up so that the cam cleat is NOT on the car ends, but inside the dodger.  The mainsheet is the standard fiddle block arrangement led to the starboard side cabin top winch..  When I'm single handing I'm rarely behind the wheel, working in the cockpit with the autopilot, so access to both the mainsheet and traveler is never an issue.  If, for whatever reason, I happen to be behind the wheel going upwind and feel that the boat is overpowered (which would require dumping the main either by the sheet or the traveler), I just head up a bit, luff the main, and get to making adjustments in trim when I can.  I don't see it as a design flaw, it's really a trade off, because the only other option would be a mainsheet at the boom end -- it's a traditional trade off for a boat, and many, many C27 owners have had that conversation, since the C25 has end boom sheeting and the C27 is on the cabin top.

I do, however, steer from behind the wheel going downwind -- and love it when it's really windy  --  great ride!!!  My approach is to set the main, and keep it to one side with the traveler, and then steer so that the jib may luff but never have to worry about the main coming over.  I'd much rather have the jib flop a bit than have the main go.  This works on the open San Francisco Bay, but may not apply when going through narrower channels and between islands up where John lives.

It is possible to gybe the main when single handing if you get out from behind the wheel.  I find that with a small amount of wheel brake friction with the autopilot disengaged, I can control the wheel from in front of the binnacle and tend the mainsheet.  Rather than starting this maneuver from either dead downwind or sailing by the lee, I deliberately head up a bit first and then slowly adjust the wheel to have the boat turn into the gybe.