![]() We look forward to putting theory to practice in the next regatta season! The ability to hold full sails up to 20 kts will provide great gains in the Caribbean races that are usually blessed by 15-20 kt tradewind breeze. Overall, the boat feels lighter and more responsive. ![]() As a driver, I absolutely felt better control in heavy conditions, as the boat appeared to be more reactive to the tiller. Less weight aloft provides more power to the keel and rudders for steering and stability. When overpowered in a gust, the boat would usually round-up, but now recovers much more efficiently. We have been able to keep our J1 and full main up to 20 kts, when we would have previously reefed or switched to a staysail. Our reefing points have increased by several knots. Practically, we have definitely noticed a difference in the boat’s performance, which is why this all matters. For some boats, this could mean the difference of qualifying or not for ocean races like Newport Bermuda and Sydney Hobart Race. Nevertheless, our stability measurements after switching to carbon rigging did improve by several points according to ORC. ORC measures stability in a way that is different from IRC, and is not exactly accurate for the planing hull shape of our Pogo 12.50. The 55 lbs we lost off our rig was the equivalent of adding a near 200 lbs to our keel! Less weight aloft translates to more righting moment from the keel, resulting in better stability under sail and less pitching at anchor. Without official measurements, a carbon fiber rigging penalty can be applied - so we are happy with the results gained from the endorsed rating process. It is worth noting that rating measurements are subject to marginal error in addition, rating rules and calculations can change by year. So there was virtually no rating change due to carbon rigging. Our ORC rating change actually turned out slightly more favorable in 2021, but only by. That’s a lot when it comes to performance, especially losing weight aloft.įrom 2020 to 2021, there was no change in our IRC rating: 1.177, despite the change in rigging. In switching to LS carbon rigging from dyform wire rigging, we saved 55 lbs in rigging weight. Right before the new carbon rigging and our mast were re-installed, the entire rig was weighed for rating measurements. SPOILER ALERT: HAPPY CARBON CONVERTS AHEAD! ![]() Here’s our experience after getting official endorsed rating measurements and logging about 3,000-NM with our new LS Carbon rigging. Durability was one of our biggest concerns, and LS Carbon’s unique cable construction proved to be up for the job. Ultimately, we chose LS Carbon rigging - which was just slightly more expensive than Future Fibre’s entry-level ECthree - however offered much better performance in terms of weight and size of the cables. But after doing some research and linking up with Light Speed Rigging, we finally found the facts and carbon rigging that would be the right choice for us. Like many, we thought carbon rigging was too fragile, too expensive, or not worth the rating hit. We have already added running backstays, masthead kites, a nke regatta compass, and a Fractional Code 0 just to name a few… so the next dream upgrade was carbon fiber rigging.īut the myths surrounding carbon fiber rigging kept us from realistically considering it as an option previously. Recently, the team upgraded their standing rigging in partnership with the new US-based carbon rigging company, Light Speed Rigging, and Meg details the experience:Įvery year we assess potential upgrades to make our Pogo 12.50, Hermes, more turbo-charged. ![]() Meg Reilly is a circumnavigator, who manages the Ocean Racers training and racing program onboard her Pogo 12.50, Hermes. ![]()
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