The following provides a lot of very good and useful information, however it is dated (1980’s). It is therefore suggested that you take that which pertains to the Iroquois and relish it; that which more general falls under current seamanship knowledge and state/federal law under advisement. Many thanks to Rick Lowenthal (#139) and Paul Cheney of Redington Beach, FL, for providing this.
We recommend that the mainsail should be hoisted first and reefed, if it is thought necessary for the prevailing wind. At this point the centerboards should not be down, especially if the wind is over tide. In setting the mainsail, it is essential to make sure that when the sail is pulled out along the boom it is secured by the outhaul line and should remain under tension at all times. In addition to the outhaul line, which is attached to the clew, there is another line which should be firmly lashed around the boom itself to prevent the bolt rope of the foot of the mainsail, at this point, from coming out of the luff grove of the boom.
When hoisting the mainsail make sure that the downhaul, which is attached to the fore part of the boom, is released to allow the boom to travel to the upper part of the track on the mast. This will allow the mainsail to go to the top of the mast without having to sweat too tightly on the main halyard. The necessary tension on the luff of the sail can be adjusted by the downhaul. Prior to hoisting the jib, one should attach the jib sheets. Make sure that the jib sheet itself runs inside the main shroud, this applies to No. 1 jib and No. 2 jib. When setting the jib it is essential to sweat it up on the foresail halyard, as tight as possible, using the snatch block on the foresail halyard for extra purchase. When putting the rudder blades down make sure that they are in fact vertical and not in line with the transom, since the rudder itself is semi-balanced. A few moments prior to casting off, lower both centerboards. Tacking Out of creeks and Restricted Waters When sailing in restricted waters to windward the boat can, in fact, be sailed with the boards half down, still maintaining quite good maneuverability. We recommend that if the wind force is between 4 and 5. the No. 2 jib should be set for easy handling.
In light airs the genoa can be set. In force 1-3 it should be set on the Inside of the main shroud, secured to the block supplied which is fastened by means of a rope end to the mooring cleat, and because the Genoa lead is adjustable it is possible to put the tension on the luff, or the foot or the sail.
Between force 3 and 4, the genoa should be set on the outside of the main shroud going to windward. Obviously, in 1ight airs the genoa will have to be set on the outside of the main shroud, on any point other than going to windward.
In force 5 it is recommended that three rolls should be put in the mainsail, and the No. 2 jib be set for extensive cruising.
In force 6, the mainsail should be reefed until the headboard of the sail is approximately level with the pin shroud attachment on the mast.
In force 7, three further rolls should be put into the mainsail.
In force 8 and 9, take the No. 2 jib off completely and put a Further two rolls in the mainsail. In real storm conditions it is advisable to hove-to suggested method for this is to ease the main sheet slide right out to the stop and then proceed to pull the mainsail in, as you would when going to windward. If the boat will not hold head to wind, pull the main sheet slide up to windward until the stage is reached where it will in fact hold head to wind, as it is the pressure on the after part of the mainsail which keeps the boat head to wind, and the more the boom is amidships the less tension will be required on the main sheet. According to how much the mainsail is reefed, it may be Pound necessary to have the boom up to weather.
Additional Equipment Additional heavy equipment, i.e., ship to shore telephone, etc., should be installed aft of midships.
1. Always make sure that the centerboards are completely pulled up, and this will allow the boat to lay head to wind. In addition to this, if the mooring dries out, it will prevent the boat sitting on the centerboards, since they are in fact angled Inboard and not vertical this would put unnecessary strain on the centrecase.
2. Tiller bar should be taken off the rudder tillers and the rudder blades should be facing inwards to each other, to avoid getting damaged. All loose halyards should be tied to the main shrouds and kept under tension, to avoid slapping against the side of the mast, which would cause unnecessary wear on the halyards.
3. Calor Gas should be checked that it is has, in fact, been turned off. Make a habit of doing this when the cooker is not in use.
4. Turn off main supply switch on battery to prevent unnecessary drainage of the battery in the event of somebody leaving any electrical apparatus on.
5. Make sure that any extra fuel carried is not stowed in the vicinity of the cooker and the batteries.
6. When using the anchor for mooring the boat, we suggest that the rope should be through a polyethelene tube at the location point on the stem head roller, in order to prevent excessive chafe.
7. It is suggested that No. 1 and No. 2 jibs should be kept in a waterproof bag in the self-draining locker in the bridgedeck. The genoa, which is rather a bulky sell. can be stowed in one of the fore peaks. The mainsail is best left on the boom protected by a sail cover.
8. The engine should be cocked-up when not in use.
It is recommended not to run before the wind over a force 3 - 4, the reason being to prevent the sail battens from breaking on the main shrouds. In these conditions it would be better to tack down wind. The Iroquois can in fact be driven very hard indeed, and if you want to go more than 12 knots then be prepared to sail it, and this means not having the main sheet permanently cleated. The boat is very stable between 6 and 8 knots, but once she breaks through her wave-making speed, she will immediately go up to 12 knots or more - at this point she seer to be a completely different boat.
Be prepared if the hull is inclined to lift, i.e., just kissing the water, to have the main sheet uncleated. If an extra gust of wind catches you at this point, the hull itself will cone out of the water approximately one foot, and by this time the boat is traveling at about 12 to 14 knots. When sailing with the weather hull out or the water by about one foot, at the same time having the sin sheet not cleated, repeat not cleated, should any additional wind be forthcoming the helmsman must ease the main sheet to prevent the hull lifting further. It is our opinion that if the hull is allowed to lift more than 12- to 18 inches the boat will be in danger of capsize, and the process of capsize will be very quickly completed if the helmsman is asleep on the job. Summing up, the real danger of capsizing a catamaran is going to windward, or on a close reach. A catamaran which cannot lift a hull is either built too heavy or just has not enough sail - In fact it is like two floating logs, one not knowing what the other is going to do!
Before going afloat it is necessary to have on board a minimum of equipment which can be endlessly increased by further aids to navigation and comfort according to one's pocket. They can all be very useful and worth their cost to someone or else they would not be on the market. All marine equipment varies according to the conditions under which it was designed to be used. As an example each of the different shapes of anchor is better than the others under some conditions and with different types of ground. Equipment is useless without someone with the experience and knowledge to use the information available in the correct way. There are numerous experienced yachtsmen available who long for a chance to sail with you.
With some book work ashore and great care an inexperienced owner should quickly master the arts of navigation, handling the Iroquois and the essential knowledge of the International Collision Regulations and distress signals. The law demands that on seeing or hearing a distress signal you must do everything possible to render assistance. To comply with this you must know all the signals. Under power the Iroquois will handle as any other light displacement vessel and presents no problems, she is very stable and steady. Providing there is enough fuel and that the sea in not too rough any maneuver or passage can be made with complete safety under power. Some waters are so congested that if you do not have an engine it is necessary to ask for a tow. There is no disgrace in receiving a tow, but If accepting assistance from strangers always arrange the price first, especially if it is from a commercial craft. Most people are pleased to help for nothing more than a request that you help some else in turn.
To prepare the engine it is best to read and follow the maker’s instructions and not wait until all has failed. Make sure that there is an ample supply of suitable clean fuel and a separate reserve supply with a means of pouring it into the tank. Electric batteries give off a very dangerous gas, especially while being charged and normal care and attention are needed to this. The crew are always the most important part of any vessel unless you also carry passengers. 'Their safety and comfort are first on the list and thus require Post attention. The safety of the yacht depends on her crew. In order to remain efficient on any passage of more than a few miles the crew must keep warm, must feed and after a longer time will need rest. It is vital that the possible effect of seasickness is known.
Modern drugs are very effective but make some people unable to concentrate, Some lucky people are never seasick and others can continue to work in spite of sickness. Make sure that you have at least one of these Go types on board before going to sea. Preparing the ship's company for sea means checking that there is enough food, including plenty of coup, chocolate, boiled sweets, etc., and drinking water. Check that all have a change of warm clothes. Make sure everyone knows the 'man overboard' drill; non-swimmers at least should wear approved buoyancy garments at all times outside the cabin and a safety harness in strongly recommended. It is important to wear a harness when changing the headsail or preparing to anchor if guard rails are not fitted.
The Iroquois is built so that she CAN NOT SINK no matter what happens. In the event of disaster it is vital to remain with the yacht. This is like the lifeboat drill on a passenger ship or aircraft - if it ever becomes necessary the passengers remember. Be prepared for a delay of up to three times the expected time for a voyage - head winds, fog, engine failure, torn sail or calm may delay you. These are ordinary precautions for EVERY vessel on every passage outside harbor; in the same way as always carrying a spare tire and wearing a safety harness in a motor car.
Before proceeding to sea the compass must be checked for deviation. If there are large differences the compass must be corrected by an expert. If only small errors are present a competent yachtsman can make his own deviation card of corrections to apply. At the same time as the compass is swung, the radio direction finder should be checked if one is carried on board. It is too late to worry about errors and insulating the rigging when caught in a foe. Your only hope of obtaining a reasonable bearing then is to sail in a tight slow circle taking a series of bearings of the same radio beacon and using the average.
During otherwise idle moments while waiting for a train or in a traffic jam, it is a good idea to consider the best procedure to adopt under different conditions at sea. Included in this is to decide what you will use to substitute for equipment you may not carry, such as a sea anchor. Suggestions in this case include fenders lashed to the light anchor using the usual warp or mooring rope and another way would be to use a coil of mooring rope and a strong sail bag. Also consider how to tie up to a wall with a strong tide or a large tide range or with waves passing the wall. In all the above situations weights, fenders and the anchors will prove most useful either to hold the yacht clear of the wall or to hang on the mooring ropes to keep them tight. At anchor strong winds cause much are strain than a strong tide. The greatest strain will occur with the wind and tide together but the roughest sea will came with the wind against tide. Two important points to watch are that when there is a strong wind and the yacht swings about if you use rope with the anchor see that it is very well protected by canvas and sacking where it rubs on the fairlead. When the wind is against the tide great care must be taken to check that the anchor is not fouled by its own chain.
The best way to be sure of this is to lift the anchor until you can see that it is clear as the tide turns and then re-anchor. Many yachts are wrecked or seriously damaged each season because of faulty mooring.. A catamaran, king lighter, tends to drift about more than a heavy yacht, so that checking for a foul anchor is most important. Often it helps if a second line is taken from the other bow and made fast to the anchor rope or chain and then are rope is paid out until the strain is equal on both bows and the rope beyond the join leads straight ahead in line with the center of the yacht. Do not forget parcel both ropes with canvas as mentioned before. Another useful tip when using rope for anchor work is to secure a weight to the rope about half way along, this takes up the jerk when the yacht pitches or yaws about and helps to prevent the anchor from breaking out. No yacht should proceed beyond the harbor entrance without at least the following equipment on board:
COMPASS: Liquid type, luminous or with light.
CHARTS: Of suitable size covering the area.
ALMANAC: Reeds or Browns for tidal and general information.
ANCHOR, CHAIN AND ROPE: Suitable far intended use.
LEAD AND LINE: And/or echo sounder.
RADIO: For gale warnings - if possible a D.F. set.
LIFE JACKETS: Of approved type, one for each person on board.
DISTRESS SIGNALS: Good kits are available in watertight tins.
SIGNAL LAMP: Or powerful torch for indicating position.
SIMPLE TOOL KIT: For general use and the outboard.
FRESH WATER: Include a reserve supply.
FOOD: Enough for the passage.
FIRST AID KIT: Simple dressings, triangular bandage, burn dressing.
BUCKET: For balling, fire extinguishing and general use.
LIFEBUOY AND LIGHT: So that you and the man in the water can find it.
INFLATABLE DINGHY: General use in harbor.
SAFETY HARNESS: Essential if guard rails are not fitted.
NAVIGATION AND ANCHOR L!GHT: Must stay bright at least 8 hours.
FOG HORN: Can be of cheap blow type as long as it works.
SECOND ANCHOR: Preferably with a short length of chain.
SPARE SHACKLES AND ROPE BINOCULARS x 50 or 6 x 50 are most suitable.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER: Not Carbontetrachloride (very dangerous).
MEANS OF HEATING FOOD: Check the gas supply before sailing far.
BOOT HOOK AND FENDERS
All this equipment should be stowed with care to be ready for use. out of the ray and where necessary dry. Stowing any vessel requires care. but with an Iroquois the movement at sea is so much reduced that things will not tend to crash about as they do on a single hull yacht. Heavy weights should not be stored forward and should in general be stowed as low as is convenient in the hulls. As with every vessel afloat care is constantly necessary to prevent anyone placing any metal object near the compass or removing a part which was fitted when the compass was checked for deviation. On Iroquois special watch for knives in oilskin pockets and no moving the gas 'cylinder if these are within six reel of the compass.
Getting the best from a vessel large or small and maneuvering successfully in a crowded anchorage requires practice and experience which cannot learnt from any book. With care this experience can be enjoyably obtained without damage to your own or other yachts and without causing inconvenience to anyone. If you are new to the sea this applies to every vessel - multihull or single hull; if you are an experienced yachtsman or woman new to a catamaran there are some important differences to note which require a different technique.
Practice will provide the confidence necessary to get real satisfaction from your Iroquois. If before starting any maneuver you decide what the effect each of the forces acting on the catamaran is having, now and again after you have altered their relative directions you will know what to expect. Knowing the cause you can apply the correct cure to any effect of the wind or tide.
Consider an Iroquois in a flat calm tideless bay, she remains completely at rest. If there is a tide or current this coves our yacht, and every other free floating object, past fixed objects while they all remain at rest in the water. From this it can be seen that the tide has no effect on selling the yacht, but a very important effect indeed on navigation. If a breeze blows across the bay and the yacht is not at anchor and has no sails hoisted she will drift quite fast away from the wind while pointing in a direction approximately 90 degrees from the rind. If the rudders and keels are lowered the speed of drift will be greatly reduced due to the extra under water area. As lowering the keels has only a little effect on the forward movement they should both be kept lowered when maneuvering under sail or power, except in very shallow water or when approaching the beach. It is also important that the rudder blades are Fully down. In this position they are balanced so that only very light pressure on the tiller or wheel is needed to steer. If the blade is partly hinged the steering becomes heavy. Free the time the mooring ropes are cast off or the anchor is clear it is vital to keep complete control of your vessel all the time.
To do this it is very necessary to plan in stages and to COMPLETE the lest stage before starting the next. As an example the mooring ropes must be celled down and stored ready for use again as soon as possible. If you do this and the next stage does not go as planned it is usually possible t" stop and sort things out without difficulty. When selling and maneuvering the faster the yacht is traveling the raster you have to think while your time for action is reduced. If you should strike another yacht when moving fast you can cause considerable damage. Remembering this you must also consider that as your speed increases your yacht answers her help in a pore immediate and positive manner while the relative effect or the tide and wind are reduced. At first you should proceed at the minimum speed at which you have full control of steering, about three nautical miles per hour (knots) depending on the weather.
The main important difference between handling your Iroquois and a 'conventional' ballast keel yacht is similar to the difference between a seagull or duck floating on the water and a log of wood floating in the water. If you start the wood moving through the water it will continue for some distance due to Its inertia. The Iroquois is light so that when the push is removed she will soon stop while the effect or the wind pressure is increased. If stopped head to wind with sells up she will soon start to move astern. This is where experienced yachtsmen need to take extra care when picking up a mooring at first. Tacking will present no difficulty under normal conditions and the Iroquois will gather speed at an exhilarating rate when power is applied. The extra beam or the Iroquois does not cause any problems; many heavy built yachts with single hulls have similar beam.
When you wish to sail slowly you will find that it is very easy to sail around with only the mainsail hoisted, this especially applies if there Is a breeze and the sail is reefed. When tacking under mainsail alone you may find at first that you get head to wind and start moving astern before coming round on to the new tack. If, as you start to move astern you put the rudder to opposite way (the tiller towards the side onto which the wind was blowing) and at the same time slack off the main sheet, the stern will swing towards the wind and she will move ahead in the required direction. Then you can heave the sheet in again. If in doubt you can always gibe round but remember to warn the crew and watch the sheet during the maneuver. If you should wish to stop for any reason while selling it is very easy to heave to. To do this, sheet in the headsail on the opposite side to the mainsail: an easy way to achieve this is to tact without moving any or the sheets. The headsail will be aback and the mainsail will fill.
While hove-to Iroquois will travel in some direction from 45 degrees downwind to 90 degrees from the rind direction while pointing 25 to 60 degrees from the rind. These heading, and the direction of drift can be controlled in the above approximate limits by adjusting the sheets and plate keels. The rudders should never be set to bring the yacht’s head away from the wind as a wave might cause the bow to pay off so that she could gather speed and gibe. If the sea is choppy, the change from moving powerfully with driving spray, to a sensation or comparative calm is remarkable.
On any yacht with enough sail area to enable her to make good progress during light winds it is VERY IMPORTANT to reef in good time as the wind increases. If in doubt then roll down some sell. It is much easier to hoist more sail if the weather proves less than expected than to roll more down if it turns out to be worse. This is just as important on a catamaran. Although you continue to sail with only a slight angle of heal Instead or shipping water over the lee rail it will he obvious from the strain on the sheets and the way she handles that it is time to reduce sail. The temptation to wait and see if the wind moderates as forecast must be resisted, you must sail with conditions as they are and not as you hope they will become or as someone Forecasts that they should be. If a sudden increase in wind strength catches you unexpectedly, act just as you would in a sailing dinghy - either run off before the wind and drop the headsail, or else luff up into the wind and if necessary let go the sheets as required. The main sheet is Fitted with a very good jamb cleat and on releasing this the sheet will run free. This action will return the Iroquois from a considerable angle of heel but this a frightening experience to those in the cabin.
Sail should always be reduced well before this stage unless you are racing, in complete control, have one person constantly holding the sheet and enough experience to make these sugestions superfluous, It is much safer chance the headsail or remove the headsail altogether and reef the mainsail in ample time - you will still sail much faster than single hull yachts or comparable size. When selling across a choppy sea it may ~ an advantage to pull up the plate on the lee side but remember to lower it again when driving to windward. When running downwind with a good breeze remember that the wind is blowing harder, possibly much harder, than the movement leads you to believe and sail should be reduced in good time before altering course. If conditions become bad sail should be reduced in every case and ropes can be towed astern to reduce speed and ease the work or steering. Running before the wind you can cover long distances in good time: check the navigation. Some or the plate keels should be kept lowered and in very rough water take care not to get sideways across a large breaking wave. In general the extra speed of the Iroquois class catamarans will enable you to reach port and shelter in good time before bad weather arrives. However, if you are caught out in a blow you will be quite safe providing you take normal precautions, reduce sail in good time and look after your crew and yourself.
This guide is offered in on advisory capacity only; no responsibility for he safety or successful navigation of any boat is accepted, intended or implied. In all circumstances, at all times, in 811 seas, in all conditions, tire safety and control of any vessel is the sole charge and responsibility the master; of that vessel;
Rod Macalpine-Downie, who designed the I Iroquois stated that he hat was a quart in an admitted pint pot when she was designed nearly twenty years ago. This was as true of almost all yachts hen as it is nor, the art of design is in the choice of compromises. The Iroquois is still the most attractive production catamaran of her class ever produced and in terms of sailing, lling, handling and living, is still the aristocrat of the type. Her only inherent fault is that she spoils her owners for other vessels. These craft have been owned for years by the same owners; many owners only sell reluctantly when they are forced to buy a different type of boat for one reason or another, or even only to buy another Iroquois.
In practical terms the hat is not faultless, but conversely one of her best features is the main cabin, which although It doesn't have standing headroom, is splendidly light and spacious and is complimented by the full standing headroom in the galley and other working parts of boat.
She is simply built, robustly designed and truly unsinkable as the foam buoyancy beneath the lockers and bunks fore and aft will carry the full weight of a laden boat and crew. One or two which have hen unlucky enough to get holed at sea or lose a sea cock have reached art perfectly safely under sell, although rather wet inside.
On the question of performance there is no doubt that the Iroquois is fast, withal and unbeatable at her length and in, her class. In the last 5 years a number of monohull designs have been produced which will beat her when she is properly equipped for cruising and hey are properly equipped for racing! Nevertheless the overwhelming and effortless superiority over everything else afloat up to 38 feet has been lost, and now has to be worked for! The secret of performance lies in the sailing weight of the boat; the two Iroquois maximums are:
1) LEAVE IT ASHORE and 2) SIMPLICITY; ADD LIGHTNESS.
The boat will carry enormous weights and the cruising man may feel inclined to accept the weight on basis that the odd half knot is unimportant. This is an unhealthy philosophy as, apart from anything else, he hat lies lower in the water and the bridge deck starts slamming. Yore weight to h driven through the water needs more sail area, this increases the stresses and strains on the boat in a geometric fashion, More importantly a light, fast boat is a. great joy to drive, so keep the equipment to a minimum and the carried weight as low as possible. The splendid performance is obtained by having adequate sail area for light wind conditions; It follows therefore that in heavy wind conditions sail area must be reduced, failure to do this has led to capsizes. Heavy handed mono persons can sail about on their ears, multihullers cannot, so don't try it! The secret of successful Iroquois sailing for the novice and master alike is:
REEF EARLY AND WELL. If you find you’ve taken off too much sail you can always put it back, and as time goes by you’ll grow more expert and judge things more exactly.
With the wind over the deck at 30 knots in reasonably sheltered waters, the Iroquois will go to windward at 8 ½ knots with a genoa so rolled away that the foot is halved (or equivalent jib set) and the mainsail reefed down to the crosstrees, This is her top speed to windward, more sail will do no good at all so there is no point in carrying it. Off the wind at course its a different matter, once over the 8; knot hull-speed hump the boat will accelerate away and on a close reach at high speed may start to lift a hull. Don’t let it, reduce the power by easing the mainsheet. The rules in guests when capsize seems possible are: CLOSE HAULED AND CLOSE REACHING; BEAR UP SPILL THE WIND. BROAD REACHING;. BEAR AWAY FLATTEN THE BOAT DOWN.
Never sail with sheets belayed or jammed in strong rind (force 5 and over conditions), From the Iroquois handbook the following is quoted:
For winds speeds across sails Force 1-4 (up to 16 kts; 8.0 m/s) full sail Incl. 150% genoa. Force 5 (16 to 21 kts; 10.7 m/s) 3 rolls in main and no 2 Jib. Force 6 (21 to 27 kts; 13.8 m/s) mainsail reefed down to crosstrees + no 2 Jib. Force 7 (17 to 33 kts; 17.1 m/s) mainsail head 3 rolls below crosstrees + no 2 Jib. Force 8 & 9 (33 to 47 kts: 24.4 m/s) mainsail head 6 rolls below crosstrees, no Jib at all. Above force 10 heave to push slider to track end and pull mainsheet hard down then ease slider up to windward until boat lies head to rind. It may be necessary to haul it out to weather if very little sail is set.
Sailing the Iroquois is the same as sailing any boat; the essence of sail control, sail shape and Pail handling differ in no ray from those on any other brg-an6aft rigged craft; very broadly this means.
Light winds - full sail bellies and bear off!
Strong winds c flatten sails and bear up
Of specific interest to Iroquois are:
Monohulls and some multihulls have a hull weight which keeps them going in light airs; monohulls can be heeled by placing the crew along the lee deck. .In the first instance the bats provide rind over their sails in calm moments by their passage through the air, in the second the sells tend to fall into aerodynamic shapes which help to take advantage of every breath.
In very light airs catamarans suffer by comparison with monos and trip because the surface of hull which 1· able to stick to the water (wetted surface area) Is greatest in a catamaran.
Further, the bat stays upright so the sails will net fall to leeward into shape. In addition, an Iroquois pitches in small short seas in very light conditions and shakes the wind out of its sails(and the brains but of heir demented owners). There Is one easy motor! If you feel you must keep sailing or racing, try to make sure that' a) weight Is out of the ends, this means:-
1) crew in the cabin or on the coach roof.
2) lockers fore and aft are filled only with light, high hulk Items.
3) life raft under the cabin table.
4) aft cross beam empty.
5) water tanks at minimum level.
OR, at least, in a normally heavily aft-laden cruising Iroquois, crew
off-watch bunking in lee forward berths or sunny days sunbathing on
fore deck.
b) Slacken off mainsail halyard and boom out-haul and lift weight of
boom off sail with topping lift. This will give the mainsail a bit more
belly (draught), if you have a battened mainsail make sure they are
in really tight and "pop" them to leeward.
c) Ease sheets to move clew or boom 6" (150 mm) or so to leeward
of their usual windward positions.
d) Bear away to 40 or 45 degrees of what wind you can find.
e) Get crew to whistle in unison (politely and charmingly…you don’t
want a gale)
f) Make the crew keep still, or if they must move, make them move stealthily.
g) Throw overboard (or leave on quay) all unessential items.
h) Lift weather leeboard entirely, use 3/5 leeboard only.
i) Lift weather rudder blade.
a) Lift both leeboards.
b) Lift one (lee) rudder blade.
c) Move weight forward to lift stems clear of water.
d) Have spinnaker guy and sheet in control of one crew member on windward
side of cockpit.
e) In addition, for sport and posing you can lower mainsail, hoist ghoster
on mainsail halyard and boom out on main boom supported by topping lift
v. light winds only).
f) Follow the tide carefully.
g) If no spinnaker boom out the genoa on the boat hook lasted to the
broom handle.
a) Flatten mainsail by hauling halyard tight and hauling out-haul tight.
b) Ensure topping lift is slack (but not flopping all over the place)
c) Haul in mainsheet nearly dead tight and haul sheet slider 6"
(150 mm) up to windward or just enough to get the boom dead fore and
aft.
d) Haul in genoa so that foresail is just touching crosstree end.
e) Lower full lee, leeboard.
f) Ensure both rudder blades are fully lowered.
g) Steer between 28 and 33 degrees off the apparent wind and keep boat
going.
a) Take-down the genoa and set whatever light downwind sails you carry.
b) If you have no special light wind sails, buy a bearing-out spar and
boom out the genoa. The saving in nerves and wear on flapping head sells
justifies the expense.
c) Leave both Ieeboards down a bit, perhaps 1/5, to give directional
stability.
d) Ensure both rudder blades are fully down.
e) Position 2 crew members, each with a mop, one over each stern, so
that they can ensure that continually washing the sterns, boats which
you pass will be able to read your name properly.
a) REEF.
b) REEF GOOD AND EARLY.
c) REEF GOOD AND EARLY, NO HALF MEASURES.
d) Once; the apparent wind starts gusting over 18 knots on a calm sea,
a cautious master will put the first slab reef into his mainsail and
perhaps 2 or 3 rolls in his genoa or equivalent for roller reefing main
and smaller Jibs.
e) By the time that the apparent wind is gusting over 25 knots on a
calm sea, a cautious master will have 2 slab reefs in the mainsail and
the best part of half his genoa progressively rolled away or equivalent
rolled mainsail and smaller foresail set.
f) Keep the sails as flat as possible; (not so easy when reefing by
rolling!)
g) Take up the lee leeboard and sail with the weather leeboard ¾
down.
REMEMBER NO IROQUOIS IS KNOWN TO HAVE CAPSIZED WHEN SAILING ON THE WEATHER BOARD AND REEFED DOWN.
Under these conditions and with this rig your Iroquois will sail off a lee shore better than most cruising monohulls.
REMEMBER, NEVER VOLUNTARILY·ALLOW YOUR BOAT TO BEACH IN SEVERE WEATHER, IT IS ALMOST INVARIABLY FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN STAYING AT SEA.
a) REEF, remember that the wind which you feel on your cheeks is much
less than the real wind you would feel if you were standing still.
b) Keep both leeboards nearly half down.
c) Ensure both rudders are fully down.
d) Put a temporary guy from the main boom forward to the base of a stanchion
and back to the cockpit to ensure that boom is under control. Keep the
mainsail off the crosstrees as much as possible.
e) Fit your bearing out pole onto the jib sheet with a guy from the
pole end forward to a stanchion base and back to the cockpit. This will
keep the jib clew and jib under control and the sail full.
f) Don't look aft if steering; (as per square riggers; It is most, confusing).
g) When the boat starts surfing concentrate on keeping her straight
(not difficult) so that no broaches occur (not a well known phenomenon)
and ensure that a reliable looking crew is watching the speedo so that
the speeds you claim afterwards in the bar can be corroborated by someone
more believable than you.
a) Call out "Ready About?"
b) Teach crew to reply "Ready, Aye Ready."
c) When sure all are ready, cry "Lee Oh" and gently put the
helm down.
DO NOT SLAM DOWN HARD and DO NOT PUSH OVER TO FULL EXTENT.
A useful device is a restraining guy from each tiller to a stanchion
base which prevents the helm from being pushed over at more than 50
degrees.
d) Sail boat around keeping way on in what old calling men used to call
a "handsome manner". This means gently, but with firm confidence.
e) When genoa is head to wind, boat is not yet head to wind so keep
sheet uneased around winch.
f) Just after genoa is fully aback flip sheets off winch and haul in
like mad on lee sheet. The clew and sheets will almost always foul the
babystay, if a crew man can carry the clew handsomely around the stay
the business can be eased, otherwise haul away and swear.
g) Ease windward sheet through blocks, even a simple bend is impossible
to haul through from the other side.
h) Put helm amidships (gently), sooner than you think but after mainsail
has filled on new tack (usually genoa won't have been hauled in by this
time). This will prevent boat falling off wind unnecessarily on new
tack and losing ground pointlessly.
REMEMBER; although your Iroquois is a handy and lively boat with a delicate
response to her helm, there are two long narrow hulls to push across
the water when tacking AND she is light. Unlike a mono with several
tons of ballast, \she will not therefore carry her way on without sailpower.
She will not flip over onto a new tack like a J24, but needs time for
a comparatively stately maneuver so:
(a) Don't get involved in tacking duels with pure racing monos.
(b) Don't get caught on port tack.
(c) Plan your tacks on the basis that you will lose more ground in the
maneuver than a competing mono.
1. ANCHORING and AT ANCHOR
When at anchor, with both boards and rudders up you will generally be
wind-rode whilst monos around you may be tide-rode. As the boards are
progressively lowered the boat can be made to veer across the tide, this
can be very useful when easing out of a tight anchorage. If you intend
to anchor for a long period it is worth doing so via a special rope yoke
which is attached to the anchor wrap at a point between the hulls and
is belayed to both bow cleats over both bow rollers. This yoke can be
permanently made up with heavy polyethene protective tubes to go over
the bow fairleads which are sharp-edged. For overnight anchoring the well
padded anchor warp over one bow' is satisfactory. It is handy to have
a light tripping lightly seized to the chain and warp so that if the anchor
fouls some obstacle or merely beds into good holding ground too well to
be broken out easily it can be pulled out backwards. For well bedded anchors
or very long warps the jib winch will work wonders, a snatch block on
the mast will keep the warp from grinding across the coach roof. If you're
thinking of leaving the boat anchored for a long period, use two anchors,
one laid each way along the prevailing tide. This will prevent the boat
from swinging around one anchor and twisting it out of the ground.
a) Always make sure that the centerboards are completely pulled up, and
this will allow the boat to lay head to wind. In addition to this, , if
the mooring dries out it will prevent the boat sitting on the centerboards;
since they are in fact angled inboard and not vertical, this would put
unnecessary strain on the cases.
b) Tiller bar should be taken off the rudder tillers and the rudder blades
should be facing inwards to each other, to avoid getting damaged. All
loose halyards should be tied to the Main shrouds and kept under tension,
to avoid slapping against the side of the mast, which would cause unnecessary
wear on the halyards.
c) Propane gas should checked to confirm that it has, in fact, been turned
off. Make a habit of doing this when the cooker is not in use.
d) Turn off main supply switch on battery to avoid unnecessary drainage
of the battery in the event of somebody leaving any electrical apparatus
on.
e) Make sure that any extra fuel carried is not stowed in the vicinity
of the cooker and the batteries.
f) When using the anchor for mooring the boat, we suggest that the rope
should be through a polyethlene tube at the location point on the stem
head roller, in order to prevent excessive chafe.
g) It is suggested that the anchors and warps should be kept in the self-draining
locker in the bridgedeck. The genoa, which is rather a bulky sail, can
be stowed in one of the fore peaks. The mainsail is best left on the boom
protected by a sail cover.
h) The engine should be cocked-up when not in use.
As a general rule on an Iroquois it is easiest to set the mainsail first because you will usually be wind-rode. Put the rudders fully down next, never sail with the rudders partly down as this maker steering very inefficient and heavy because when fully down they are partially balanced. As you cast off put both leeboards down-about halfway. The boat will sail satisfactorily in close conditions with both boards partly down and under mainsail only. No. 2 Jib will tack more easily under short tacking circumstances. Always reef first if conditions seem likely to require it, it is easy on the mooring and if not required unreefing is easy at sea.
1. Your boat lies fore square in the water and weighs over 2 1/2 tons so don't make sudden movements with the helm, all that will happen is that you will strain the rudders and stop the boat, always use the helm "handsomely."
2. In light weather conditions don't let your crew clump about, the vibration stops the boat.
3. It is perfectly satisfactory to cruise with both the leeboards set 3/5 down but to get the best from the boat you must adjust them to suit challenging conditions.
4. The boat is light and doesn't carry its way as some monohull sailors may expect. If caught head to wind and making stern way, use reverse helm and turn the stern around so that the boat reverses onto the right tack.
5. The boat will capsize and several have done so, but none when reefed and sailing on the weather leeboard. Those with masthead floats have invariably suffered little or no damage to the boat or crew in the capsize. Old masthead floats weigh about 50 lbs., new floats can be made to weigh less than 20 lbs. The equivalent of a small girl crew on the side deck and far less than the equivalent of a forestay roller reefing extrusion. Masthead floats work.
6. Engines are a conundrum with all boats, even the SAS haven't solved this problem. However, it has been known for an extra long shaft YAMAHA 28 to give exemplary service over a period of 5 years. When fitting the engine ensure that the rudders turn the engine when steering under power.
7. Serving tea should always be done from a tray; with saucers, standing in the cockpit, when passing a monohull to windward which has a large crew sitting in a row on the side deck with their wellies over the side attempting to keep her upright.
8. Finally, the Iroquois has its mysteries, sometimes you will get your boat sailing "in the groove" to windward in such a magical way that you'll delay tacking long after the proper time for fear of losing the pace. Some boats seem to sail far better on one tack than another, no two boats are quite the same and none sail the same. Sometimes the boat will go dead for no reason and at others whisk away over the sea without any apparent help from you. One possible reason is that few of us are truly ambidextrous and might therefore be expected to sail less well, when steering with our "wrong" hand. Another is that on the Mark I the leeboards were fined by hand and may not be parallel. In all boats it is worth checking your rudder layouts; the blades should be parallel and straight up the center line of each hull when the tillers are each toed in about 6 inches at the cross bar pivot. This gives an Ackerman effect which may help steering and maneuvering.
However, in the end, it all lies in the adjustment of sheets, boards, rudders, halyards and sails, It’s technically known as "sailing." The Iroquois Owners Association has been established for a long time and are delighted to welcome new owners and provide off the cuff guidance and advice wherever two boats meet together