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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Windex angle?

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jaydon
Navigator

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USA
156 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/07/2016 : 14:50:00

Good evening
I'll be raising the mast soon and have installed a windex at the masthead. Just wondering what a good angle to use? Does the 25 sail up to 35 deg, or should I just stick to 45?
Thanks
Jay

Jay
South County RI
Cat 25 SR/FK/Trad
#5645
Wind Dancer

Sailynn
Navigator

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USA
178 Posts

Response Posted - 05/07/2016 : 20:03:42

I just put mine up two days ago and put it between 35 - 45. see how it works and then adjust it the next time you drop your mast.

Lynn Buchanan
1988 C25 SR/WK #5777
Sailynn
Nevada City, CA

Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
465 Posts

Response Posted - 05/07/2016 : 22:10:31

You're expecting too much of that windex. As you get more experience with different conditions you'll find that there is no single "best" angle that the boat will sail to. In some conditions you can pinch higher and in other conditions you'll make better progress by falling off somewhat.

The windex is a crude gage, not a precision instrument. Mine doesn't even have the arms any more; they fell off and I don't miss them, even though I check it frequently (QUITE frequently). But I also have lots of tell-tales glued to my headsails, and I watch them pretty closely: I think they are a lot more important than the windex.

So it really doesn't matter how wide you spread the arms. You'll learn you can sail efficiently with the pointer at a particular relationship to the arms whether it's inside the arms or outside. And eventually you won't even need the arms at all.

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3992 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2016 : 04:16:17

I agree with Lee, Its a rough guage depending on the conditions. Tip about the Windex, Put an extra blob of epoxy on the red tabs. The factory puts just the minimum and one day you will look up and one will be gone.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2016 : 04:23:57

I'd recommend 45 deg. A narrower angle would be wishful thinking. The windex is not a precise instrument. It gives you a visual reference that lets you use your own experience to tell you whether the boat is at or near it's optimum angle to the apparent wind.

Personally, I consider it one of the most valuable instruments on the boat. Because it's mounted high aloft, you can see lifts and headers coming before they begin to affect the sails. It is the most pure wind indicator on the boat, in the sense that there is very little near it to affect it's accuracy. By watching it during a tack, it will tell you exactly when to stop the turn. It also tells the helmsman when he is steering accurately, and when he is either luffing or falling a few degrees off the wind. Lots of good racing sailors lose speed or ground to windward by inaccurate steering.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

jaydon
Navigator

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USA
156 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2016 : 11:10:39

Hi all
Thanks for the advice. Put it on today and set near 45.
I also tie some red yarn to the shrouds. Works pretty good and can be replaced often.

Scott, thanks for the epoxy tip. I'll do it tomorrow. Don't know if i'll mix epoxy, but i'm sure superglue will do the trick.
Jay

Jay
South County RI
Cat 25 SR/FK/Trad
#5645
Wind Dancer

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2016 : 20:48:27

A C-25 is doing well to sail to 45 deg. from the true wind, and that depends on wind speed as well as sea state. Apparent wind will make it appear higher (also varying with wind speed), and leeway will affect your true course, particularly when you're trying to maximize your pointing.

I never paid attention to the arms. I generally just figured I could tack about 90 deg.--a little more in very light wind. Once through the tack, the windex would tell me I was sailing higher, but I wasn't really. Apparent wind (what it's showing you) varies in direction based on wind and boat speeds.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 05/09/2016 06:58:06

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2016 : 08:50:47

Mine is set for 45 degrees and that is fairly accurate. Agree with Lee, the telltales is what you usually use as a guide. You also get a feel for it even with no visual guides.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2016 : 12:43:54

Remember that the Windex is showing you apparent wind angles. 45 degree true tacking angle is more like 35 degrees apparent in popular wind conditions here in Seattle. You can play with this to get the idea:
http://l-36.com/masthead.php

I put in common results for my Pearson, which is sailing 29 degrees apparent in 12 knots of apparent wind at a boat speed of 4.5 knots. That makes the true wind angle 45 degrees, as you'd expect.

I find the tabs very useful as a reference point, it is easier to see when the tail is just inside or just outside of the tabs. The exact angle doesn't matter too much. Without any tails it would be difficult to see that information.

Depending on your sails and the exact trim of the headsail there can be a fairly wide slot where you can keep inner and outer telltales flying. The windex can provide another bit of information telling you if you are on the tight or wide end of that slot. The other way to do this is to constantly be coming up until the inner tells flutter, the drop off a bit and ease in again. I find that I'm looking at both pieces of information when I'm driving (and watching competing boats).

Sorry, it's been too long since I've owned a Catalina 25 to remember common performance data for it.

Alex W
Seattle, WA
Express 37 "re-Quest"
previously owned 1984 Catalina 25 "Lutra"

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.