How to Replace Sail Numbers

Purchasing New Numbers

Sail numbers are available from many online websites. Here is a partial list:

• http://www.sailrite.com/Sail-Numbers-Black

• http://www.apsltd.com/sailboat-marine-accessories/deck-rigging-sail-accessories/sail-numbers.html

• http://www.sailworks.com/sail-numbers.html

• https://graphics.northsails.com/shop/sail-numbers/

Note: Order the same sized numbers as you remove if your class does not specify size.

Removing the Old Numbers

• Peel off the old numbers.

• To remove the sticky residue, use 3M Adhesive Cleaner. Apply solvent to a soft cloth and rub over the adhesive until the solution can soak in. Leave the sail for a bit while the solvent soaks in.

• Using a terry cloth or other soft towel, scrub off the glue residue

Adding New Numbers

When adding your new numbers or insignia, be sure to refer to class rules on where to position the markers on your sail.

• Allow the sail to dry out.

• Starting at a short edge, peel back a small section of the backing paper. Stick the corner in the desired location on the sail and smooth it out, making sure there are no air bubbles

• Working slowly, continue to peel small portions of the paper off and smooth out the Dacron. Take care on numbers with a hole, to not stretch the Dacron material as you apply it.

• When you are satisfied with your placement, allow the adhesive to cure for 24 hours. After this time, the glue will be permanent.

One approach is to use a process similar to applying decals to boat hulls:

• After removing the old numbers, lay the new numbers on the sail in the desired position.

• Lay a strip of masking tape down the middle of the numbers so they are immobilized on the sail.

• Raise up one side of each number and peel the backing off down to where the masking tape is.

• Using scissors cut the backing off where it meets the masking tape.

• Carefully lay the number back down on the sail avoiding wrinkles or bubbles and smooth it out.

• Repeat this process until one side of all the numbers has been glued to the sail.

• Remove the masking tape.

Alternative Approach:

• Starting at a short edge, peel back a small section of the backing paper. Stick the corner in the desired location on the sail and smooth it out, making sure there are no air bubbles

• Working slowly, continue to peel small portions of the paper off and smooth out the Dacron. Take care on numbers with a hole, to not stretch the Dacron material as you apply it.

• When you are satisfied with your placement, allow the adhesive to cure for 24 hours. After this time, the glue will be permanent.

W-P Sail Number Positioning: The numbers on the STARBOARD side go 1"-2" BELOW the middle batten, while the numbers on the PORT side go 1"-2" BELOW the numbers on the starboard side (see image below). You can use the numbers themselves for spacing, they are spaced at least one number-width (any number except "1"!) from the leach, and at least the width of the "1" apart. HINT; do the starboard side first, then put the port numbers on in reverse order (from the leach) using the starboard numbers as a guide.

“CR” (CLYC designation) is positioned just above the middle batten on the port side, and the starboard side a couple inches above the “CR” on the port side (below):

U.S. WoodPussy Class Association Handbook - 2003

Disregard Article IV - Spars; Section 1. Mast; Part b) Length. 23’ 5” is too short for some hulls!

To position the black band around the mast at the tack pin:

Section 1.d): Halyard Sheave to Tack Pin Measurement: The length of the mast, measured from the top of the halyard sheave to the lower edge of the tack pin in the goose-neck fitting, shall not exceed twenty feet, six inches (20' 6"). If a sliding gooseneck fitting is used, a positive stop is required so that the tack pin cannot be drawn down below the top of a one inch ( 1 ") wide distinguishing contrasting band painted around the mast, the upper edge of which shall measure not more than twenty feet, six inches (20' 6") below the top of the halyard sheave.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDBOOK

CLYC W-P Fleet Scoring for the 2023 Season

  • The W-P Fleet will score the 2023 June, July & August series itself using a different scoring system that correctly scores DNCs.

  • If the W-P scoring differs from CLYC ClubSpot scoring, W-P sailors will be told to refer to the correctly scored results rather than the ClubSpot results in order to determine their standings during that monthly series.

  • If final rankings are different, 2023 Trophies will then be awarded based on the rankings from the correctly scored results rather than the ClubSpot results.

Problem Statement:

  • ClubSpot incorrectly scores DNC (“Did not Compete”) results for races categorized as “Sub-series” such as the W-P Fleet’s June, July & August Series which are also scored as part of the “Seasons” Series. Competitors register for the Seasons and then are automatically registered for the sub-series.

  • Per the current Racing Rules of Sailing and CLYC precedent prior to scoring with ClubSpot, DNCs for the monthly series were scored based on the smaller number of boats in that series, say, June, rather than on the larger number that competed in the Seasons.

  • In this Example from 2020, ClubSpot’s current erroneous scoring would have awarded a trophy incorrectly:

    • The St. Pete Scorer program correctly scored the 2020 Seasons DNCs as 10, and DNCs in the June Series as 7 (click on a table to magnify):

  • But if the one DNC in Race 6 that was included in Liza Barnard’s June score (the second DNC in Race 5 was thrown out) had been scored by ClubSpot as 10 as in the Seasons instead of 7, Liza’s score would have been 20 instead of 17 and Jim Colville erroneously would have been awarded the 3rd place June Series trophy instead of Liza.

Ideal solution: Get ClubSpot to correct their system by allowing users to choose to score DNCs differently in sub-series from overall series.

The solutions proposed by the W-P Fleet Captain:

Score the monthly series separately rather than as ‘sub-series’ of the seasons. This would require scoring each race twice – once as part of the monthly series (e.g. June) and again as part of the Seasons. This would double the workload for scoring the W-P Fleet but we only had 8 boats competing in 2022. The CLYC Scorer turned down this option saying it would create opportunities for errors.

Other Changes in ClubSpot proposed by the W-P Fleet Captain:

It is impossible to determine how else ClubSpot might be able to score the W-P Fleet correctly because there is no users guide publicly available for their system. But the following may or may not be 3 more ClubSpot options:

1. BF Open/Ladies use of ClubSpot’s "Division" categories correctly counts DNCs: For example, the 2022 DNCs for Open competitors were scored at 13 points and for Ladies competitors at 7 points (below). Could ClubSpot define 3 divisions for the W-P Seasons that each apply to only the respective races in each monthly series?

2022: Open & Ladies Butterfly Results:

2. Score DNCs as a function of the number of boats in that race rather than the series: If ClubSpot can score DNCs based on the number of boats in that Race rather than the Series, then it would be acceptable to the W-P Fleet to score a DNC in a particular race as just 1 or 2 points more than the last place boat’s score in that race rather than based on the number of boats that compete in the entire series.

This approach would have the additional advantage of avoiding the ‘registration problem’ which happens because DNCs are based on the number of competitors registered rather than the number who have actually competed. The problem arises in two cases:

a. when a competitor who has registered never competes so the DNC scores decrease by 1 when that competitor is deleted from scoring in order to correctly score DNCs for the series per Rule A2.2 (“If a boat has entered any race in a series, she shall be scored for the whole series..”) This correction was never done during the 2022 season as CR-3 was erroneously included in the final scoring but never sailed in any race. I had registered in anticipation of receiving a replacement mast but on arrival the mast was bent. Unfortunately this ‘never sailed’ correction can only take place after the final race in the series thus presenting skippers with incorrect score differences relative to their competition during the series and which might cause the standings (rankings) to change after the final race.

b. when a competitor who has never registered competes in a race during the series so the DNC scores increase by 1 as soon as that competitor is added to the scoring. Unlike a Regatta such as the WMYA where competitors can be expected to register in advance, regular CLYC races may have additional boats added during the season as sailors’ plans change or boats are sold.

These problems are most dramatic on the June Series scoring which ClubSpot can change at any time during the months of July and August, potentially changing the June rankings well after the series was ‘in the books’ and the perpetual trophy awarded.

The registration problem historically caused significant work for the Scorer to correct when using St. Pete Scoring because all prior races with DNCs had to be re-scored.

This option was rejected by the CLYC Scorer, saying all fleets are going to use the USRR A5.3 scoring system - we cannot do custom scoring for individual fleets.

3. Enable the W-P Fleet to score the monthly series on ClubSpot. If the scorer does not want to do the additional scoring requested, the W-P fleet could do it. All that would be needed is access to the ClubSpot scoring facility so that the Scorer scores Seasons and W-P Fleet scores monthly series each as separate regatta. All could verify finishes in each race are the same between Seasons and monthly series.

Resolution: Because ClubSpot’s error cannot be corrected or worked around for the 2023 Season, the W-P fleet will score the monthly series ourselves using a US Sailing approved program.

If the W-P scoring differs from CLYC scoring, W-P sailors will be told to refer to the correctly scored results that program produces (CLICK HERE) rather than the ClubSpot results in order to determine their standings during the series. Trophies will be awarded for the three series based on rankings from the correctly scored results rather than the ClubSpot results for the monthly series if they diverge.

Examples of Tips, Tactics and Techniques on the Web

The World-wide-web is a great source of information for sailboat racers. The following are just some examples found during a quick search:

Racing Rulebook for 2021 - 2024

US Sailing has published the updated (2021 to 2024) "Racing Rules of Sailing" - check out the new rules by clicking on this link. Starting in 2021 the rules are also available to US Sailing Members as part of an Apple/Android mobile phone app.

Click on this link to view the online “RACING RULES OF SAILING” from World Sailing (on which the U.S. Rules are based and extended by National Prescriptions for the U.S.A.)

Also, review “The Case Book - Interpretations of the Racing Rules” which complements the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), providing details on the application of the RRS to around 140 scenarios. The principal aims of the Cases are to clarify an important meaning in a rule or to increase the understanding of a complex rule. View the Case Book by clicking on this link..

How to order a tapered aluminum W-P mast

In 2021 there are two sources we had identified that can fabricate a W-P aluminum mast:

  1. Selden

    1. Selden acquired Proctor who supplied the initial tapered masts acquired by some W-P owners

    2. Selden offers a tapered mast “Cumulus C069” that is 70.5mm fore/aft and 58.7mm athwart

  2. Dwyer offers a non-tapered mast “DM-284” that is 2.84” (72.1mm) fore/aft and 2.12” athwart (53.8mm)

Mast #1:

Since I was replacing a tapered mast, I initially did not deal with Dwyer.   My experience with Selden confirmed Toby’s advice that they were difficult to deal with.  It took from June 26 to Sept. 10 (11 weeks) to get a mast on order and it was delivered to Frankfort on Nov. 5 – over 4 months from my first contact with them.

  1. When I called Selden’s N. Charleston phone number (843-760-6278) I was told by the recording to engage a ‘local dealer’, so I called a Traverse City dealer Quantum Sails asking for help replacing a broken mast. They told me they didn’t know how to order a mast and perhaps the dealer in Muskegon could. I then called back the Selden N. Charleston number and hit “1” – as a distributor – and someone in sales answered. They told me they’d have Diego Carvajal “Aftermarket Sales Manager” (843-760-6278 ext. 209) contact me.

  2. July 7: Diego sent me an email that said “. A replacement mast will cost about $1100. Shipping cost can be an issue as will have to ship LTL truck which can run upwards of $600. We will dropship the mast to you, so you may look to another dealer to order from. Lead time is about 4-6 weeks from date of order.” I asked some questions in reply.

  3. July 22: Diego finally responded to some of my questions and attached the bill of materials for a W-P mast they were working on for a NJ customer. I responded with a list of 7 questions.

  4. July 23: Diego sent a “Dinghy Rig Facts Sheet” for me to fill out, but did not answer my 7 questions, the answers to which were needed to provide my measurements. – the major one being the height of the mast heel (the piece inserted into the bottom of the extrusion that then sits on the step on the hull. I’d also asked if we could re-use the shrouds and fittings from the broken mast.

  5. July 31: Diego answered my questions and I replied with more questions

  6. Aug. 4: Diego answered my questions and I asked about the mast heel they were proposing, the height of which would determine all the extrusion measurements for attachments.

  7. Aug. 18: Diego provided a schematic for a NJ W-P customer. I replied by reiterating the 4 questions in my Aug. 4 email. He immediately replied with a schematic of their standard mast heel/base – a single extension on the base of the mast that appears to fit in a slot on the keel of the boat. My W-P has that reversed, the base has a slot that fits over a cast aluminum fitting on the keel and a bolt through the base fits into one of the 5 or 6 slots in the fitting. So I sent measurements for my base and asked if it would fit their extrusion.

  8. Aug. 20: Diego replied that they could re-use my mast base/heal, so using its height, I sent the following 17 measurements in millimeters as well as a document showing a photo of a mm tape measure next to each fitting (the basis for the measurements):

Vang bracket lower rivet
Vang bracket upper rivet
Gooseneck lower rivet
Vinyl Tape (18mm) lower edge
Gooseneck upper rivet
Halyard lock – center tooth of 5
Vinyl Tape (18mm) upper edge
Sailfeed bottom
Halyard exit bottom of hole
Halyard exit top of hole
Sailfeed top
Spreader lower rivet
Spreader upper rivet
T-Terminal backing plate lower rivet
Shroud attach (center of hole in T-Terminal for all 3 shrouds)
T-Terminal backing plate upper rivet
Top of the Mast Headbox Sheave (Measurement is to top of sheave NOT to the top of mast headbox fitting)

  1. Aug. 21: Diego replied, surprised my measurements were so different from the NJ customer. I replied that Woodpussies differ quite a bit, starting with how and where the mast is stepped – both in height off the keel and in position fore and aft. That makes the Class rule for mast length (23’ 5”) problematic – they probably should have set the length starting at the deck, since some hulls have the mast step 8” above the keel. So instead of the rule for deck-stepped masts including only a ‘brace’ under the deck, it should also include the height of “the normal mast step” above the keel – two very difficult measurements to get under the foredeck. And with a sloping deck and the differences in where manufacturers put the mast step on, or the mast hole in the deck, the position where the mast sits on or goes through the deck varies. The key Class rule measurement in my view is the “Halyard Sheave to Tack Pin Measurement” (the luff length of the sail) – which in my case is exactly the 20’ 5” requirement.

  2. Aug. 17: Diego provided a schematic showing my attachment point measurements. I replied with 5 more questions.

  3. Sept. 1: Diego replied to my questions and then asked for the name of my dealer on Sept. 2. I replied that I had no dealer and asked him to provide a name.

  4. Sept. 4: Diego told me to contact Daniel Martinez at New England Yacht Rigging (1 Masthead Dr #1A Warwick, RI 02886 401-884-1112 daniel@neyachtrigging.com to place an order.

  5. Sept. 8: Daniel replied that Diego would have to answer my shipping questions. Diego then replied that a commercial address is required as this will ship LTL, not UPS. He also said that normal Lead time on masts is 4-6 weeks, but since we’ve already done most of the engineering and it’s ready to go into production, it will be closer to 4 weeks. It turned out to be nearly 8 weeks.

  6. Sept. 10: Daniel told me they don’t take AMEX so I mailed a deposit check for 50% of the cost of the mast ($1,100 estimate) and shipping ($600 estimate) to New England Yacht Rigging to get the mast into production.

  7. Oct. 20: Daniel replied to my email asking when the mast would ship by saying “Still no updates on shipping from Selden.”

  8. Nov. 5: Daniel responded to an email asking when the mast would ship by saying “Your mast shipped earlier this week.” I requested a tracking number and determined it was scheduled for deliver Nov. 5

  9. Nov. 5: Mast arrived at MacDonald Marine who reported it looked damaged (see photo below)

  10. Nov. 5: Selden told me to have MacDonald unpack and inspect the mast for damage (we’d left the Lake 2 weeks earlier so I had them ship to MacDonald Marine).

  11. Dec. 9: MacDonald was able to unpack and inspect the mast (which had to wait until after they completed all their winterizations) and found it to be in good shape. So I sent Selden (New England Yacht Rigging) a check for the balance due.

Mast in Shipping Box on Arrival 2.jpg

After unpacking the mast I measured it and determined it was 4” too short.

How to Tune your W-P mast and Trim your sail

Mast Rake

The “rake” of your mast (i.e. how far aft it leans), can affect whether your W-Ps standard weather helm is stronger or weaker (there is no rake that can eliminate a W-Ps weather helm, which was designed into the boat as a safety feature). Raking forward (moving the top of the mast toward the bow) should reduce the weather helm by moving the center of force (in the sail) forward, thus pushing the bow downwind and countering its tendency to head up into the wind during gusts.

In addition to shroud adjustments, most W-Ps can adjust where along the keel the base of the mast is set. With the shrouds adjusted the same, moving the butt of the mast aft will rake the mast tip forward (reducing rake) and vice versa.

This source describes a way to tell if your rake is about right: “To test this, sail upwind in 8kts-10kts and let the helm go; the boat should turn gently up into the wind. If it goes straight or bears off, you need more rake, and vice versa if it spins out of control. Don’t try this test when it is too windy; your boat will round up and exhibit too much helm due to heel, not rake, so you will get a false read.”

The set/trim of the sail:

Here's a good overall description of how to set/trim a mainsail – it was written for big cruising yachts, but the main principles apply to W-Ps: https://www.cruisingworld.com/how-to-trim-main/

If your sail does not have the right shape (e.g. too much “belly”) you may have one of these issues:

1. Your mast is bending too much. If your mast has no spreaders, it’s possible the mast is bending (the center tending downwind) and accentuating the depth of the sail’s “belly” half way up the mast.

2. Your outhaul isn’t tight enough. Per this source: “The clew outhaul controls the depth of the lower parts of the sail. Increased outhaul tension flattens the sail for heavy winds, easing the outhaul allows a fuller sail for lighter airs. Flattening the lower part of the sail also increases twist, helping to reduce heeling and weather helm.”

outhaul.jpg

3. The Cunningham can tighten the sail along the mast, reducing the belly (see just below)

This source talks about the location of the “draft” in the sail: “Draft position is adjusted using the halyard and cunningham. Ideally the draft is set and is kept at about 40% -50% away from the luff. However, as the wind strength increases, wind pressure will move the draft aft and the halyard will require tensioning to move the draft forward once again.” The sail on CR-3 has two green "draft stripes" parallel to the boom to help judge the location of the draft. Here’s another good source describing “draft”.

draft.jpg



VHF Radios for the CLYC W-P Fleet

Ground rules for the use of VHF Radios:

  1. Radios are to RECEIVE Race Committee information only – transmissions to RC should only be made for emergencies

  2. Requests for information from RC should be verbal during sail-by of committee boat, NOT via radio

  3. No W-P to W-P transmissions (unless emergency)

On Apr 11, 2019, at 7:45 AM, the CLYC W-P Fleet Captain <clycwp@gmail.com> wrote:
An electronics sale at West Marine prompts me to recommend you consider buying a VHF Radio to carry on your W-P during our races.

I've carried a floating VHF radio for the last couple of seasons in order to coordinate with the Race Committee and have used it to notify them of safety issues on the course.

Our Club Fleet Captain, Kit Greene, has agreed to instruct the Race Committee to broadcast time hacks by VHF before the start of each W-P race - as they've done for the E-Scow Fleet for years. Having more radios on the course will also improve the safety of our races.

West Marine is currently pricing floating VHF radios starting at about $90 with free shipping - please consider buying one.

* -- Password required for these pages:  Members access requires individual user names and passwords; for all others, the password is the name of the old racing buoy on the north shore. 

These are links to other websites of interest to CLYC members: