VMG sailing at 140 to 150 AWA with just white sails

[danstanford]

We are blessed with a new North jib and some better sailing to the point we are as fast at the best boats in our white sail fleet upwind. If I get the tactics right we can get to the weather mark at or around the front of the pack, but once we turn downwind we are certainly slower than the fast boats to the second mark in the triangle and back to the start. Last night we were making 6.5 knots close hauled up wind and 3-3.5 knots sailing the next two legs at about 140 AWA. The polars for my boat don't go below 120 TWA so I don't have targets set yet but where should I be searching? Should I be tightening up the angle to the point I can get enough flow to lift the tell-tales or should I be sailing to the mark and tuning her as well as I can? I keep forgetting to get on the vang once we turn downwind so I may be losing drive from the twist.
Do you think I should be moving up more toward 120 TWA to get lift from the sails seeking better VMG? Everyone else in the class is driving straight to the mark but gaining on us slowly.
Thanks,

Dan

 

[Morgan donor]

Old dinghy mantra: "sail up in the lulls, down in the puffs". That keeps your boat speed up...sail the wind.
Since the wind changes direction and speed the helmsmen is a busy person. My boat seemed faster when both sails were working, jib not shrouded by the main. Keeping the tell tales flying on both sails. My 2 cents.