Builders' Forum |
|
| ↓ Scroll to Last Comment ↓ | Forum Guidelines | Builders' Forum |  RSS
|
Wind indicator on balanced lug?
Apart from windsurfers, all the boats I've sailed have always had a masthead wind indicator. I'm wondering if such a thing is even possible on the balanced lug rig for the Lake Union Swift I'm building. In the drawings, the yard comes up to within a couple inches of the top of the mast, and since it's angled steeply it would almost certainly foul the typical windex. But what about some sort of bracket putting the indicator forward of the mast?
Since the mast is unstayed, the only other placement option that comes to mind is the peak of the yard, and just using a pennant. I see those in a lot of lug rig photos, but wonder if they're more decorative than functional. Seems like air coming off the sail would mean the pennant isn't showing the apparent wind the way a masthead indicator should.
Any thoughts?
6 replies:
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
Laszlo has good suggestions.
I have a skerry with the balanced lug and have no issues with the pennant flying off the end of the yard. It is especially useful in light winds. I also have a small flag on the bow that my daughter once placed. It is also nice as it sits just forward of the mast and is a good indicator of apparent wind.
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
Aboard my Passagemaker (lug rigged) we now have a long pennant flying at the peak of the upper yard, which helps. Frankly, the best wind indicator in small boats is...your ears. Face the wind until it feels about the same on both, and that's the bearing of your apparent wind...for the moment, at least. In really light air, I found cigarette smoke to be pretty effective, but I haven't smoked since 1998, more's the Lord's blessing, so that's now off. I don't want to tempt myself by lighting off a Camel just to see which way the wind might be thinking about blowing. <;-)
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
I have the balanced lug rig on my Skerry, with the pennant off the end of the spar. It works ok, but as Gramps suggested, my ears are more sensitive and don't require craning my head to look up.
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
Yeah, I use my ears, too. The ear my hair gets blown into is upwind and the ear my hair (and wax and other stuff) gets blown out of is downwind. I can even estimate windspeed from the volume of the whistling sound as the wind enters one ear and exits the other.
Sailing - a mind-blowing experience.
Laszlo
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
Laszlo:
Ha! Yes, those of us with a lot of space between our ears can actually make sound signals as appropriate by stopping the weather ear with a finger and removing it briefly to make long or short blasts:
Whooooooot! Whoot! Whoot! = sailing vessel in fog or restricted visibility
Whoot! Whoot! Whoot! Whoot! Whoot! = you are standing into danger
Okay, now I've really stood into danger! <;-)
.....Michael
RE: Wind indicator on balanced lug?
» Submitted by Laszlo - Sat, 4/27/24 » 3:00 PM
The unstayed mast will allow the sail/yard to rotate all the way forward, knocking your wind indicator off.
You could go vertical instead of forward and put an extension on top of the mast (thick stiff wire, carbon fiber rod, etc.) and put the wind indicator on top of that.
My favorite is a piece of recording tape attached to the top of the mast. Sort of like a pennant but lightweight, cheap, responsive and easy to replace.
Laszlo