IV-29 Morgan Out Island 416 Operating Procedures
A. Tips on Sailing the 0ut Island 41
This section describes the sailing characteristics of the Out Island 41 and presents several tips on how to achieve maximum performance from your yacht.
All yachts are a compromise. As such, each design has its strengths and weaknesses; the Out Island 41 is no exception. She is very beamy to allow for more living space below and more room to enjoy the pleasures of being on deck. In addition, her draft was kept relatively shallow so as to allow her owners to enjoy many anchorages and gunk holes. These can be enjoyed only by dinghy when sailing deeper draft yachts. As a beamy, shallow draft yacht, she must be handled on some points of sail in a slightly different way than a deeper draft yacht with less beam. The most prominent distinction exists on the wind and close reaching. Sail trim on both these points of sail is critical for optimum performance.
First, do not sail the yacht with any greater than a 25 angle of heel. Since she is a shallow draft boat, it is important that the keel stay as deep in the water as possible so as to minimize leeway. Install an inclinometer so you won't have any doubts concerning your heel angle. As the winds pipe up, shorten sail; keep the keel under the boat instead of alongside It, and she will surprise you with her abilities to windward.
Second, don't over trim the jib. In fact, don't over trim any sail, but especially the jib. The roller furling 150% genoa reacher found on most Out Island 41 's should not be trimmed any closer than a foot off the shrouds and usually not that close. Trimming the jib closer greatly reduces the speed of the boat. And, instead of making her point higher, this results in reducing considerably her distance made good to windward.
Third, the lead position is important on the jib and should be set such that the sail luffs in the top 1/3 of the luff just slightly before the other 2/3. To aid in determining the correct lead position, install three sets of yarns or tell tales on the jib about one foot back from the luff and evenly spaced up the sail.
These will also help you to achieve proper trim on most all points of sail. With the aid of the telltales, you can easily find the proper lead. Trim the jib about 1-1/2 feet from the shrouds, and steer the boat up until all ribbons inside and outside are laying nicely back along the luff. Now ease her closer to the wind and see which windward (inside) tell-tales begin to flutter first.
If those lower go first, move the lead back — if those above are first, move it forward. Once the lead is set, mark the track so that if the snatch block gets moved, it Is simple to put it back in the right place. As you come off the wind, toward beam reach, you will find that the upper tell-tales begin luffing even sooner. If you are fussy about trim, you could move the lead forward about six inches and call this a reaching lead. You could go to the forward lead when the apparent wind is further aft than 65.
When on the wind, the mainsail should be let out until a slight luff appears about 2 feet in back of the mast. It won't hurt the yacht's performance if it is sailed that way. In fact, if you own a ketch, the main should always luff slightly when on the wind. This will allow the mizzen to become an effective airfoil, because it won't be back winded by the main.
Because the OI-41 is intended to be an easy to handle cruising yacht, the mainsail is sheeted at the after end of the boom. This is so no deck or cockpit space is lost to accommodate mid-boom sheeting or a traveler. As a result, when the yacht is on a reach, the main boom tends to rise and allows the leech of the sail to spill a good bit of wind. For those who ore concerned by these small inefficiencies, a boom vang is the answer. Tension the vang until the main leech has only a slight camber. Now, let the sail out until a slight luff appears. This sail trim will produce optimum yacht performance.
If you own a sloop, slightly better windward performance can be attained by vanging the boom to windward from the end of the boom until it is on center line. Doing the same for a ketch will only backwind the mizzen and will not help the windward ability.
When sailing off the wind, the ordinary principles of sail trim prevail; ease the sail out until you get a little luff and then firm it up. Remember; always trim sail from forward to aft. That is, trim the jib first, then the main, then finally the mizzen.
As on any sailing yacht, halyard tension should be regulated so as to correctly position the draft of maximum camber of a sail. Tighter halyard tension moves the maximum draft forward, while looser halyards produce draft further aft. Halyard tension on Schaefer roller furling gear does not appreciably affect the draft, only the tension on the luff. However, for grooved stays, tension should be adjusted so that the maximum draft appears between 1/3 and 1/2 the distance bock on the sail. Maximum draft on mainsails and mizzens should be 50% of the way back or approximately in the middle of the sail.
Your OI-41 should tack through 90-95 on the compass in breezes above 10 knots and through 95- 105 in lighter winds. It is important to "sail the boat" through a tack so as not to stall her momentum. That means turn the wheel with moderate speed and break the old sheet just after the bow of the boat passes through the eye of the wind. Releasing the sheet sooner increases the chance of ending up in irons, while holding it longer means the boat will tend to stop as the jib backwinds.
When tacking from a reach to a reach, trim the jib in to a close hauled position before flipping. This helps the boat maintain forward speed while she goes through the wider tacking angle. Coordination between the helmsman and the sail trimmer is important to begin so that the optimum tacking speed can be learned. If you find your boat unusually difficult to tack, be sure you are following the above suggestions.
For cruising yachts without spinnakers, sailing downwind calls for a whisker pole. When sailing with the apparent wind between 150-180 on either tack, it is best to sail wing and wing. Pole the jib out to windward and keep the main to leeward. The jib will fill well up to 150, and the whisker pole should be trimmed perpendicular to the apparent wind. On a ketch you can alternate jib, main, and mizzen on opposite sides of the boat to reduce the problem of back winding. Be sure to put a preventer on the main boom, so you won't lose anyone in case of an accidental jibe. When executing a jibe, it is always best to bring the main boom near mid-ships before the jibe then let it out after the stern passes through the wind. This reduces the hazards of a jibe and prevents the boom from riding up and hitting the back stay resulting in a goose-wing jibe.
Remember, all yachts incorporate compromises. The OI-41 will not go to windward like a 12 meter. Neither would you have any desire to go cruising on a 12 meter. However, once you learn the few principles necessary to get optimum sailing performance from your yacht, you will have attained the best of both worlds.
Note: Winches should not be used for operating the roller furling line. This over-stresses the roller furling hardware and could result in rig failure and possible dismasting. For ease in furling the jib, head the boat up until the jib starts to luff, then furl.
Junab Ali, owner of the beautifully restored 1982 Out Island 416 Sleeper asks:
