Page 17 - March/April 2019 Kwasind

safety issue. Somebody must climb a ladder to deal with it. The 16’ Klacko boom weighs 15 lbs. Small enough to store below or on deck.
The rig is stiff in a breeze due to reduced weight and windage aloft. Pondus coped with winds in the 20 knot range without a reef and never buried her rail. Gybing was a non-event which exceeded our expectations.
Running free was a joy. The short boom and less weight aloft reduced rolling and yaw. The light helm and excellent tracking made it possible to use the autohelm. It had little work to do.
Based on the trial results we have ordered permanent fittings from Klacko for the 2019 season for Mascouche and Pondus. Until then, it is too early to predict how the rig will perform against other yachts. We expect some
conditions will favour the rig and others will not. What is important is that we will be able to enjoy sailing these fabulous boats single handed for as long as our health holds out. When one is over 80 light sails and booms make life much easier and safer.
Mascouche’s sail will be ordered with a slightly longer foot (15.5’) to see how that affects her handling, otherwise all dimensions will remain the same. The main task will be tuning the battens and learning to trim the sail.
Some will be put off by the gaff, but it forms the shape of a modern sail without stresses imposed by “gaff” battens which may cause problems with an unstayed mast. The gaff sheet trims the sail and take up some of the load. It does not need adjusting when cruising.
The rig requires two halliards. The main halliard which does most of the heavy lifting and the peak halliard which trims the peak. They are next to each other, so I can raise them both together to half way then winch up the main on the self tailing winch with the left hand and raising the lightly loaded peak with the right.
Opposite page: Top: Left: Women’s Social sailing. Photos: Courtesy of John Newell
KWASIND • MARCH/APRIL 2019 17
SAILING