I’ve recently received an email from an Eun Mara builder I’ve not heard from in a long time. The picture above shows his scaled up Mary Rose along with Mike’s (from Perth) Ibis in 2003. The author asked not to be identified on the web but is willing to let me share his advice here:
I've been sailing my boat Merry Rose since 2003 along the West Australian coast, and have put a couple of thousand nautical miles under the keel.
I will make a couple of comments if I may. First, sailing under jib and mizzen is alright for reaching in a moderate or fresh breeze if you don't want the boat to heal and upset the ladies, but if you wish to maneuver or sail closer to the wind she'll be unwieldy on the helm. Your best rig in a blow is double reefed main and staysail, the centre of effort is where you want it, in the middle of the boat, she'll sail close hauled and be under control. Gaffers, all of em, need the mainsail for drive.
Second, when tacking in any sort of a sea, long keeled gaffers need some help from the sails to go through the wind, bare away a touch to get some speed then put the tiller hard over, let the mainsheet go as she lifts to the wind and keep the jib sheet on hard as she points, when her head goes through the wind keep the jib sheet on and let it back, and her bow will be pushed around, once through let the jib sheet go. This will take some practice, especially if your used to sailing modern yachts that spin like a top, but my experience with sailing has taught me that nearly all yachts are hard to tack in a big sea. I have found the mizzen is not a lot of use close on the wind around 15 knots and over, it puts a lot of pressure on the tiller, so I furl it, put a reef in the main and keep the normal jib flying. If reaching I will keep the mizzen working and reef the main and leave the jib flying. I have tried a lot of different techniques over time and developed one the works for me.
Every boat has its ways and you have to spend time learning what she likes best, like all women they can be very trying at times. I sail under double reefed main and staysail at night even if the wind is light, she still makes way and stays on course and I get some sleep. On long trips I am usually single handed.
Merry Rose has had a couple of batterings in gales but is still sound and as good as she was the day I launched her, a credit to her designer. I am presently working on changing the running rigging so I can hoist the main and jib from the cockpit.