Arne wrote:

Just a silly question:
Have you Paul T (or Annie) ever slept in a v-bunk with a mast at the centreline in between them? I have, several times, in my Malena and then in Johanna. Both had nice and dry spruce masts, which felt nice and warm to the touch. Ingeborg’s mast, on the other hand, is of aluminium. This has been dressed with two layers of bubble plastic and then a layer of pvc fabric. On top of that there is a knitted coat of wool, buttoned on almost like a cardigan. This makes the mast feel almost like a teddy bear  -  very soft, warm and comfy.
None of these masts have ever robbed any sleep from me.

(..the photo below was mainly taken to show Ingeborg’s unplugged air de-humidifier, but you can spot the mast behind it...)

Cheers (..in Old Danish Bitter Dram...)
Arne

Anonymous wrote:

Just a silly question:
Have you Paul T (or Annie) ever slept in a v-bunk with a mast at the centreline in between them? I have, several times, in my Malena and then in Johanna. Both had nice and dry spruce masts, which felt nice and warm to the touch. Ingeborg’s mast, on the other hand, is of aluminium. This has been dressed with two layers of bubble plastic and then a layer of pvc fabric. On top of that there is a knitted coat of wool, buttoned on almost like a cardigan. This makes the mast feel almost like a teddy bear  -  very soft, warm and comfy.
None of these masts have ever robbed any sleep from me.

(..the photo below was mainly taken to show Ingeborg’s unplugged air de-humidifier, but you can spot the mast behind it...)

Cheers (..in Old Danish Bitter Dram...)
Arne

(Photo section 7-11)

Not that I can recall.  But I am a chronic insomniac and one of the good things about sleeping alone is that I can sprawl like a starfish, get up and look at the moon, sit up and open the hatch wide, and roll from side to side without having to consider that I might disturb someone else's sleep.  A mast in fhe middle of my bunk would be a other of the many things that inhibit my being able to sleep.

It must also make it a bugger for finding sheets and a quilt!

Zpaul S wrote:

Paul T., I am very curious to understand why your experience shows that up to 4° forward mast rake the sail settles better when running? What do you mean, "better"? Are you referring to light winds?

On Ilvy we are reefing dead running with the sail squared out and under pressure, without any problems. Is that possible with forward rake, too?

Yes, I said as much, rake is just a tool for moving the CE around. The sail otherwise works exactly as any other sail and yes, it comes down on a run as well. There's no extra friction  that is entirely a product of Arne's imagination. Arne has no experience with forward rake, he just does not like it. That fine as far as it goes, it does not however mean that there are any issues with the sail behavior....

If you want your sail to come down easily, just don't usebfive part halyards, they really do add friction. 

Just a silly question:
Have you Paul T (or Annie) ever slept in a v-bunk with a mast at the centreline in between them? I have, several times, in my Malena and then in Johanna. Both had nice and dry spruce masts, which felt nice and warm to the touch. Ingeborg’s mast, on the other hand, is of aluminium. This has been dressed with two layers of bubble plastic and then a layer of pvc fabric. On top of that there is a knitted coat of wool, buttoned on almost like a cardigan. This makes the mast feel almost like a teddy bear  -  very soft, warm and comfy.
None of these masts have ever robbed any sleep from me.

(..the photo below was mainly taken to show Ingeborg’s unplugged air de-humidifier, but you can spot the mast behind it...)

Cheers (..in Old Danish Bitter Dram...)
Arne

(Photo section 7-11)

Paul S:

Paul T., I am very curious to understand why your experience shows that up to 4° forward mast rake the sail settles better when running? What do you mean, "better"? Are you referring to light winds?

On Ilvy we are reefing dead running with the sail squared out and under pressure, without any problems. Is that possible with forward rake, too?

When running in light winds, forward rake in the mast let's gravity help keep the sail out. Forward rake also can help to put the CE where it's needed when the options for the mast partners is limited for any reason. Rake is just another tool in the designers toolbox, to be used when needed.

I've never had issues reefing any of my sails on any point of sail.... sometimes you need to wait for a bit of a roll to free things up but the sail always comes down. More or less sail balance or mast rake does not seem to influence things much. Although a decent amount of sail balance does seem to make the sail more docile when gybing and it does reduce the sheet loads.

If you want the sail to come down readily, don't use a five part halyard, they are high friction devices! I only use three part halyards. If you need more power, use a winch. The Secondhand market is flooded with cheap non self tailing winches. Most of them are cheaper than what a decent set of blocks will cost you for a five part halyard.

Lastly, forward rake really meses with the minds of pointy sailors.... that adds to the pleasure of junk ownership.