TACKING ANGLE

I have received an enquiry from Wendela Schlebaum in the Netherlands concerning the Parker 275. Wendela is considering purchase of a Parker 275/285 but has read a German test report (from “Yacht” magazine’) quoting the angle to windward as 55 degrees, which makes the total “tacking-angle” 110. On the other hand, our website reports that the windward performance should be good.

While I have been able to comment about the build quality of the Parker 275, I am no racing type and have not particularly noted tacking angles (except that my Solent Blade sail gets me very close to windward!).

Can I invite Parker 275 owners to comment on their experience of sailing performance, to windward and in general? I will report results to Wendela and she will also be looking here in the Club Room.

PERFORMANCE

More from Wendela: "We don’t race but discovered with our previous boats that it is nice to be fast 🙂 and we don’t mind to put some effort in trimming the sails (no in-mast roller furling main sail for us). We are willing to give up some speed but not too much and a tacking angle of 110 degrees would be too much. We can’t believe that they sailed the boat properly in that (German) test. They had a double reefed main and reefed genoa (roller furling) with 6-7 Bft wind and waveheight of 0.5 meter. I can imagine that you loose some degrees with roller furling compared to hank-on sails. We had a roller furling genoa on our Finngulf (which has of course a perfect hull shape, keel and ballast ratios for sailing to windward) and that gave us absolutely no complaints - can’t remember to have seen a boat that could sail more to windward."

As Wendela is looking to get a new yacht fairly, prompt replies will be appreciated and acted upon!

Thanks - Ken Ken.Surplice AT Comapq.com

Ken Surplice for Wendela Schlebaum

---

The old 26 is quite capable of tacking within 90 degrees. Better under ideal conditions. When racing against 275s we have not noticed any difference.

Chris Turner

When I bought my boat of the first owner is was fitted with a standard furling genoa. Windward parformace was really bad. I could nor beat for instance the Westerley double keelers ! Dispiste the optimistic prognoses of the other Parker-owner(first a Super-Seal and after that a 31) The genoa was a shapeless powerless sail and partly furled still worse. Dispite the age, of 1992 and heavy cloth ! I bought the boat in 1997. So I gave myself a furling blade jib in 2000 of North Sails, with vertical battens and the miracle has happend. Less sail area but faster, pointing higher, better reefing, less angle.

I am now leader of the pack ! Always sailing alone.

So do not hesitate, make the move ! Only the mounting of the rail for the car on the cabinroof is a careful job, make it long enough !

To my opinion, the parker 27,5 with a relative small keel and lateral surface, most of the ballast in the bottom, needs efficient and small sails. So I am happy with my battened mainsail and efficient blade jib.

Formely i could not beat to windward at all with only the genoa. Now I prefer mostly the HA jib and leave the mainsail untouched. Only in rough seas I need the balance of mainsail and jib.

Please, try it, you must...

Sjoerd Voerman

Sjoerd Voerman