Broad reach Sail Settings?

[Rick]

OK, a question me and some mates have been struggling with. Say we're sailing on a braod reach. Wind is over the port quarter. We want to set the sails (Main & 150% Genoa) to get maximum speed. We've tried everything...flat main let out to where the boom-end is pointing at the stbd corner, genny in tight, genny loose, genny blocks aft, genny blocks forward..can;t seem to get it to go. So, How WOULD you set the main and Genoa for braod reaching..say from 175 degrees up to 100 degrees???

 

[Ed A]

let it out till it luffs

then bring it in till it stops, jib first then the main. if it light air. loosen out haul and luff tension, if its blowing like the hammers of helsenki tighten the outhaul and the luff tension. it it still wants to turn over let the travler down a bit more. get a copy of a good sail trim book, one from this site is good or sail power, by wallace ross.good luckoh yeah, play with it a lot.

 

[Bill18593]

How broad?

If the wind is near beam or a little aft, then trim as Ed A indicates. If the wind is farther aft and the boat heading is more or less down wind, then keep the main at right angles to the wind, the jib cab be set wing-and-wing.

 

[David11054]

Good advice, 150 limits.

A 150 genny is not really designed for a broad reach, so the advice given is to reach the best compromise. I would also move the genny sheet fairlead back as far as it will go, even to a turning block on the stern. The basic problem is that the boat is not wide enough to provide the right sheeting angle for the 150.An asymetric spinnaker will perform much better on a broad reach.DavidLady Lillie

 

[Phantasm]

Somewhere between 130 - 160 AW,

depending on your boat (use trial & error) wing & wing will not work and main & 155 on same side will not work effectively. W & W works best about 160-175AW, Sailing dead down wind is not the fastest unless the wind is blowing like stink. 160-130AW with both sails on same side usually blankets the head sail. Fastest is to harden up to a beam reach (120-135AW) for a while then per GPS change course to a W & W. In light air at 135AW use a pole or if not move car forward to close off top of ginney to stop air from spilling out and if possible use snatch block on outside toerail to help keep clew at furthest point outboard.BOLPaul

 

[s sauer]

Wing

So why won't sailing wing and wing work?It's a little more dificult on the 80's vintage Hunters with swept back B

 

[newly anonymous]

reaching sheet

The problem is how to keep the genoa's leech open while reaching. The solution is the addition of a reaching sheet set up on an outboard fairlead. This is easily done if you have an outboard car track, in which case you barber haul with a second fairlead, or if you have a slotted aluminum toe rail, in which case the reaching sheet can be run to a snatch block.