I'm trying to better understand the question about sailing a sloop rigged beach cat in honking wind conditions.

Since the leech of the mainsail acts as a backstay - tension from the mainsheet, along the leech pulls the top of the mast aft. Pulling the top of the mast aft against the head stay bends the middle of the mast below the hounds forward, which flattens the mainsail. You want a flat mainsail in heavy air to de-power.

The next level of de-powering probably comes from furling the jib and sail on with the main tightly sheeted (to bend the mast and flatten the sail) main alone.

That probably results in a lot of weather helm, but the boat probably feels very controlled.

Since the jib is no longer turning the wind into the mainsail, you can/should move the main traveler car further to leeward - no closer to centerline than the a foot or so for upwind...or further out in more wind.

I'd guess that will reduce the helm some and give you more drive to punch through the seaway.

While we're on the subject of sailing in the upper wind ranges - when you are bow down, reaching along at speed and start to fly a hull, easing the jib, instead of the mainsheet or traveler probably is effective in settling the hull back down and the depressed leeward bow should pop up.

That should reduces the likelihood of the boat pitch polling for starters. Secondly, it should make the boat easier to turn into the wind by:

1. getting the bow out of the water,
2. providing weather helm to assist in the turn,
3. it changes the wind angle on the mainsail, slightly stalling it, to reduce power, and
4., if easing the jib means that you don't have to ease the mainsheet, the mast will stay bent and the mainsail will stay flat.

...in that order.

Following the flat sail theme to the jib - when the head stay sags, the jib becomes more round and powerful, just as the mainsail does when the mast straightens. When you ease the mainsheet it also reduces the load on the head stay,allowing it to sag more and causing the jib to become more powerful at the wrong time.

So, to whatever extent possible, given the conditions, ease your main traveler to leeward before you ease the mainsheet.

That way, even if you have to ease your mainsheet for the puffs, you don't have to move it as much. As to how far to ease the traveler -

In heavy air upwind that should allow one to point higher and go faster with the traveler 20"+ off center to windward (...and the main sheeted TIGHT).

By then the front part of your mainsail will be bubbled to windward by the flow coming off the jib.

Is that about right on a beach cat in heavy air conditions????

What boat is this?

You do different things on different boats!

Before shortening sail (i.e. furling the jib), I depower by reducing mast rotation, increasing main downhaul and outhaul, and easing the main traveler. I can also pull out the barber outhaul. Back when I had a magic box on my forestay, I'd pull that tight too.

Derotating the mast spoils the entry to the mainsail a little. Increasing downhaul and outhaul flattens the sail and moves the camber forward. Dropping the traveler and keeping the mainsheet tight maintains a flatter sail shape. Pulling the jib clew out with the barber hauler opens up the slot, giving the main less drive. A tight forestay makes the jib flatter and keeps camber forward.

These steps depower with minimum loss of pointing ability, without excess drag, and without inducing too much helm. Of course, when gusts hit, or when the wind gets too strong, you have to let the mainsheet out. That twists the sail and dumps air off the top.

When all else is not enough, then I furl the jib. That unbalances the sailplan and yields more weather helm. It also makes the boat hard to tack in heavy wind. I rarely race without a jib. When the wind gets that high, everybody quits and goes in.

There were two threads on the F16 forum about this. Other one.

But what Simon said...