jib traveler?

[mcockrell]

hello all. new sailor here. I have been on sailboats many times but I never really learned much about the actual operation of it. my wife and I got a great deal on a C22 and I figured that would be a great boat to learn on. we have a huge reservoir a few minutes away from our house that is nice and wide open and relatively calm.

I'm still trying to learn what all the stuff is and what all the stuff does. when I bought the boat the previous owner gave me a quick rundown of everything but he didn't really go into details of the how's and why's. basically it was "this is a xxxx and it does this". so about half it I remembered and the other half is lost forever.

my question today is about the travelers on each side of the boat that you run the jib sheets through. I have asked about these around my marina and I have gotten two separate answers. I have heard that you tie a knot in the sheet and set the roller on the track so that its sort of an automatic thing so you don't have to mess with it that much. the other answer that I heard was that it serves an actual aerodynamic function in that where you position the roller affects the shape of the sail.

so which is correct and what is the correct way to use this piece?

thank you all in advance for taking the time to read and answer my question.
MC

 

[cb32863]

Jib cars on tracks control the shape of the sail. A fine tuning tool for your Genoa. There are others here that can explain the aspects of their use better than I can. Here is a good link http://www.sailingworld.com/move-lead-better-speed

Also, the traveller is what your main sheet attaches too.

 

[mcockrell]

thank you for your reply. so the traveler is the block of pulleys at the rear of the cockpit (on my boat anyway, I saw one boat where it was attached to the top of the cabin area) that moves from side to side as you go from one wind direction to another wind direction? I was going to ask about that too but I didn't want to flood the board with questions. thank you again for your response!

MC

 

[Stu Jackson]

Congrats on your new boat. We used to have one. Answers to al your questions are here, best book on this subject I've ever seen:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51998/Sail+Trim+Users+Guide

Available right right here.

 

[mcockrell]

thank you very much! probably just what I needed. I believe I have seen some of his videos on youtube that were very informative.

 

[justsomeguy]

Don Guillette has done Youtubes?

the other half is lost forever.

Only if you want it that way.
Welcome!

 

[cb32863]

thank you for your reply. so the traveler is the block of pulleys at the rear of the cockpit (on my boat anyway, I saw one boat where it was attached to the top of the cabin area) that moves from side to side as you go from one wind direction to another wind direction? I was going to ask about that too but I didn't want to flood the board with questions. thank you again for your response!

MC

That is correct. Good luck with your boat and have fun!

 

[JohnVTX]

General rule of thumb on where to set the jib cars is when hauled in tight, the jib sheet if continued in a straight line should bisect the luff of the jib about 50%

 

[BudGates]

General rule of thumb on where to set the jib cars is when hauled in tight, the jib sheet if continued in a straight line should bisect the luff of the jib about 50%

That's exactly right. The rule of thumb for adjusting from there is to move the car aft (toward the stern) when the winds pick up. This will put a little more tension on the foot (bottom edge of sail) to flatten the sail while at the same time loosen the leech (aft edge of sail), thus letting excess wind out of the top of the sail to avoid too much heeling. This is what's known as adding twist. When the wind dies down you will want to move the car forward thus loosening the foot and adding depth, or camber, to the sail while at the same time tightening the leach to take advantage of the higher winds at the top.

 

[cb32863]

That's exactly right. The rule of thumb for adjusting from there is to move the car aft (toward the stern) when the winds pick up. This will put a little more tension on the foot (bottom edge of sail) to flatten the sail while at the same time loosen the leech (aft edge of sail), thus letting excess wind out of the top of the sail to avoid too much heeling. This is what's known as adding twist. When the wind dies down you will want to move the car forward thus loosening the foot and adding depth, or camber, to the sail while at the same time tightening the leach to take advantage of the higher winds at the top.

Your tell tails will tell you when to stop moving the car either direction.

 

[weinie]

thank you very much! probably just what I needed. I believe I have seen some of his videos on youtube that were very informative.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought that!

 

[Brian S]

My advice is to not worry too much. As a new sailor, you have plenty to learn about just making the thing go in the direction you want. You can start worrying about the finer points of sail trim once you've got the basics down. And Don Guilette's sail trim book will get you very far once you've got the basics.

 

[BudGates]

My advice is to not worry too much. As a new sailor, you have plenty to learn about just making the thing go in the direction you want. You can start worrying about the finer points of sail trim once you've got the basics down. And Don Guilette's sail trim book will get you very far once you've got the basics.

That's very good advise. For the first few times out just set both jib cars and the traveler in the middle and concentrate on the basics. In fact, if your boat will sail with just the jib and/or just the main, it would also be beneficial to start by using only one sail at a time. Once you have a good handle on the basics you can look more into sail trim and getting the most out of your rig. Don't try to learn everything in one day. Take your time and have fun. As someone said, "Sailing is something that takes an hour to learn and a lifetime to master."