56
SVN Solovelanet Global
If we need to equip a gennaker or a code 0 without
a bowsprit, the pulpit will always be a hindrance
that prevents the sail from working at its best. It
will therefore be necessary to hook the tack higher,
but this will cause a decrease in efficiency. With a
bowsprit everything improves, especially if we have
a furling sail such as a code 0. In this case, neither
the pulpit nor the stay will interfere with the correct
furling of the sail. A bowsprit allows us to equip the
furling sail while we are in the harbour, and leave
it hoisted and ready to be unfurled. If we intend to
keep it hoisted for a long time let's always remem-
ber to provide it with UV protection, or to protect it
with a sock.
Another thing to be taken into account is the im-
provement in manoeuvrability. The more forward
we move the tack point of the reaching sail (gen-
naker, code 0, etc), the more space will be freed
between the sail and the stay. Even though this may
not seem so important, it will allow us to perform
"inward" gybing more easily, especially with a weak
wind. In practice, it means moving the sail between
its luff and the stay instead of turning it outwards
towards the bow. With weak wind, the pressure is
generally not strong enough to allow the clew to
"fly" beyond the bow, and for this reason Jibs might
result in tangles which are hard to unravel.
At present, design is evolving more and more
towards dolphin strikers, rather than simple
bowsprits. One reason for this is so that we can
insert the anchor into the structure, in order to pre-
vent it from hitting the hull while we are setting sail,
which happens frequently on boats with "straight"
bows. In some cases, it is the bow hardware that is
used as a bowsprit to equip reaching sails. Howe-
ver, be careful not to get carried away and use the
bow hardware for this purpose. The anchor and its
chain work mainly with a downward pull, whereas if
we equip a gennaker the stress will be upwards. It
is better to make sure that the structure of the bow
hardware is suitable for the stress we want to apply.
The latest trend is to add a "guy" connected to the
stempost under the bow roller, so as to be able to
equip any reaching sail without problems.
"Is the bowsprit on cruise boats just a fashionable
trend or the response to a real need?" We asked
three sailmakers.
In this photograph: a removable bowsprit,
a fast system for equipping a bowsprit on a
boat that is not fitted with one