do you use a wind indicator?

[kito]

I have a Nautos windex. I like it because the Admiral is usually at the helm while I tend the sheets. I tell her where to point the arrow. Makes sailing easier for me and her. It may be not for the die hard "Popeyes" but for the casual sailor, it's well worth the $35.......believe me.

 

[Jackdaw]

Wind direction is something you have to learn. It takes some time, but there are handy guides, like seagulls and waves and the back of your neck.

That's pretty much the deal.

If you want to sail WELL, you have to do so by driving to your sails telltails, and trimming to them correctly.

This is not to say that I don't use or have a windex. Indeed I do, and my shrouds have nylon telltails every 15 feet. But they are there to glance at to create Situational Awareness (SA) of what the wind is doing, and doing at different levels on the rig. Never ever ever drive to them. Because you can't.

If you need to learn to to drive to telltails, Don's book is a great place to start.

 

[Stu Jackson]

........I tell her where to point the arrow. Makes sailing easier for me and her. It may be not for the die hard "Popeyes" but for the casual sailor, it's well worth the $35.......believe me.

Ah believe, ah believe, ah believe. Really. :dance:

But, but, but...:naughty::naughty::naughty:

1. That only works, partially, going upwind.

2. It doesn't work to sail properly, since the jib telltales are the only way one knows.

3. Then we get philosophical: i.e., like Don says in his book (and many of us understand and agree with): "There is no difference between cruising or racing sail trim." It's either right for the conditions and heading, or just plain wrong.

4. You have a nice enough boat, heck, ALL OF US have nice enough boats, to simply do it right. There's really NO extra work involved.

 

[kito]

True. But I read the telltales and the apparent wind from the arrow. I tell her to point at an approximate angle. It works, it's fun.....all is happy. We sometimes get into a race that we didn't think we were in with a fellow sailor...we do pretty darn good