Riding Sail

[Bill Jenks]

When I anchor our C34 I find that that the boat swings from side to side and "sails" up the anchor line.  Has anyone found a way to stop this?  I am considering a riding sail.  Has anyone used one on a C34 with a split backstay?  How did you rig it?  Did it stop the swinging?

Thanks

[sail4dale]

Had a Cat 30 for 18 years and never found a want to stop it.  some boats just do it.  Can't answer about my new 34 yet.

Dale

[captran]

This is common to all 5 boats I have ever owned.  The only way I know that works is to anchor with a modifed "bahamian moor".  Two anchors out at between 90 and 120 degrees.  The boat sits in the middle of the two anchors and stays pretty straight.  Helps with keeping the bow into the wind for ventilation via hatches, and nearly eliminates swinging.

[Stu Jackson]

Bill

One way to do this that we've found works is to run another line from about ten or more feet off the the bow tied onto the anchor line back to a winch.  Then tighten up on the winch so that the boat is somewhat sideways into the wind.  While it doesn't guarantee absolutely that there will be no swinging, it sure reduces it a lot.  We found this idea in the Pardey's Cost Concious Cruiser book.

Stu

[mcmagic1]

Bill,

We have a 1987 model with a split backstay (but, we had it modified so the "vee stays" are the length of the newer models).  I mention this because the length of the vee stays on the older models are much shorter and the anchor sail would not have had enough length to raise it.  With that said, our anchor sail works great and eliminates the "swinging at anchor" we experienced before.

We raise it on one of the vee stays with the main halyard and use a line through the vang shackle for the forward, lower corner and a line through the backstay turnbuckle for the aft, lower corner.  Each line needs a loop tied in it so you can feed the free end through it to tighten the sail.  The sail must be as flat as you can make it.

Hope this helps.

Bill McMillan/C34 #352

[Jim Price]

Here is a good article on the anchor sail.  Made sense to me when I read it.  Good Old Boat Article

[Merit]

Yes, we use an anchor riding sail on our C34, and believe it helps.  I purchased the kit from Sailrite, and have made 3 more since for envious friends.  Just pick a stay to hoist it on.  You can also make a "baby drogue" such as my husband did by drilling holes in the bottom of a bucket, re-inforcing the rim, then securing it to an aft cleat while at anchor.