• From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2006-06-30
  • Posts: 60

Re: Weather Helm?

I rigged a roller adjuster on my split backstay to flatten the main in high wind that seems to help. Weather helm is not any worse on a Contessa than any other boat I have sailed.
I'll never forget a sail with two overweight inlaws sitting on the bow of my 19 foot woodie. When my wife went forward to bring them drinks while we were broad reaching with a 15 knot wind, the rudder came out of the water and we rounded up fast. Had mucho weather helm that day.

The cutworms are in the hollyhocks, again!

tubatooter1940's Website

  • From: Chesapeake Bay
  • Registered: 2006-09-14
  • Posts: 79

Re: Weather Helm?

not sure if it is helpful or indicative, but playing around last weekend in F5-6 breeze (strong breeze), had only the jib up furled in a whole lot, not filling the foretriangle, and she sailed herself "on a rail" without a hand on the tiller/windvane anywhere from 70 degrees off the wind through 115.  I thought this was interesting...

  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2005-04-22
  • Posts: 259

Re: Weather Helm?

I had a similar experience just a few weeks before haulout.  It was blowing and I set just the working jib.  To my great pleasure I found that the boat settled right in close-hauled without requiring a hand on the helm.  The boat sailed itself better than I could sail her under the conditions. 

Interesting that the boat balanced perfectly on just the working jib -- even a reefed main would have thrown off the balance and created weatherhelm.

  • From: Phila PA
  • Registered: 2008-04-29
  • Posts: 8

Re: Weather Helm?

Relative to tuning the rig and shroud and stay tensions, I've just bought my Contessa and expect to replace the standing rigging, among other things, but does anyone have any demonstrated data relative to optimum tensions for the rig?  I've also just bought a Loos tension gauge for use on this boat and a PS Orion I also have, so I'll be figuring out how to make the best use of that, too. So after fooling around w/ sailboats for 40 yrs I ought to be able to do things a little more professionally.   
thanks, Chris Bell

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: Weather Helm?

I had a tad of helm a bit more on one side than the other, and ONLY when I left the 150 Genoa up after 10k....to me that was her telling me "um....you might want to reef"...on Port tack, she steered her self when the sails were set right, usually in 10k-15k, a 100% foresail and one reef.
I could set the tiller any way, port tack, and it would stay.  On stbd, she would ever so slowly head up.  If choppy sea, she would head up a tad faster...but I found that setting the mainsheet/boom to leeward would help as well.

What you don't want is lee helm...turning down wind.  If she is heading up really fast...you have the sails in too tight, or your "stuff" down below is not balanced...not kidding: I had about 200lbs of tools on one side and forgot to balance the other, she almost tripped herself trying to head up on one tack, heh heh.....and if your rail is in the water, she has a tad too much sail...fun but if she keeps going, the sails get wet, ha ha.

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”