Don, I love your site here, and just ordered your book. I have a question about my Neilpride jib. I'm embarrassed to ask, but the jib has light lines, one running along the leach and one along the foot. Each line is fastened to the jib, one on the clew and one at the tack. The other end of each line is loose but ends in a velcro closing. I've figured out that I can pull the cords to obtain tension on the sides of the jib. My questions are: why should I be interested in this adjustment and what should I be doing with these lines (if anything)? Thanks!
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Richard: The line running down the leech of the main and jib is called a leech cord. I don't know what you would call the one on the foot - maybe a foot cord. The purpose of the leech cord is to keep the leech from fluttering or "motor boating" when you are closehauled. It sounds like a motor boat and what you want to do is just tighten the line enough to keep the leech from fluttering. When reaching or running you use the leech cord on the mainsail to bend the battens, which gives the sail more shape and depth and also to prevent the top batten from twisting off. I really don't know the purpose of the foot cord. In fact, I've never even seen one.
Don,
Well,.....you've gone and done it now!!! You usually don't give me any surprises, but now you've knocked my nickers off. I'm blown away by your statement "I don't know what you would call the one on the foot - maybe a foot cord." Every genoa I own has a foot cord. In higher wind speeds when beating, the foot can 'motorboat' just like the leech. The foot cord does exactly the same job. It prevents the cloth from beating itself to death. Regards, Alan
Well,.....you've gone and done it now!!! You usually don't give me any surprises, but now you've knocked my nickers off. I'm blown away by your statement "I don't know what you would call the one on the foot - maybe a foot cord." Every genoa I own has a foot cord. In higher wind speeds when beating, the foot can 'motorboat' just like the leech. The foot cord does exactly the same job. It prevents the cloth from beating itself to death. Regards, Alan
Alan: Your from Long Island and buy better stuff than me!! I've been on a lots of cruising and race boats and have never seen one on the foot. Maybe I just never noticed it. I'm getting old and my memory is fading but the cheapy jibs on 4 sail boats I've owned never had one.
leech cords and foot cords NOT for sail trim
Just one point of clarification. The leech and foot cords are not for sail trim. They are for fine adjustments to help extend the life of the sail. The older the sail gets, the more it gets blown out of shape, the more it gets blown out of shape the more the foot and leech will flutter. On brand new sails, if they are trimmed properly, you should almost never need to tighten the leech or foot cords. What controls twist in your jib (headsail) is fairlead position and sheet tension. What controls mainsail twist is mainsheet tension (when on the wind) and vang tension when off the wind. If your headsail is new and you see the leech is fluttering often, check sail trim before you begin tightening the leech cord. Watch all your luff tail tales to ensure they are all breaking simutaneously. If they are not, they you either have too much twist (top one breaks before bottom ones) or too little twist, bottom breaks before top. With too much twist, it means your fairlead position is too far aft, (not enough downward pull on the leech) this is often the biggest cause leech fluttering. Hope this helps John Cavedo s/v High Adventure 2
Just one point of clarification. The leech and foot cords are not for sail trim. They are for fine adjustments to help extend the life of the sail. The older the sail gets, the more it gets blown out of shape, the more it gets blown out of shape the more the foot and leech will flutter. On brand new sails, if they are trimmed properly, you should almost never need to tighten the leech or foot cords. What controls twist in your jib (headsail) is fairlead position and sheet tension. What controls mainsail twist is mainsheet tension (when on the wind) and vang tension when off the wind. If your headsail is new and you see the leech is fluttering often, check sail trim before you begin tightening the leech cord. Watch all your luff tail tales to ensure they are all breaking simutaneously. If they are not, they you either have too much twist (top one breaks before bottom ones) or too little twist, bottom breaks before top. With too much twist, it means your fairlead position is too far aft, (not enough downward pull on the leech) this is often the biggest cause leech fluttering. Hope this helps John Cavedo s/v High Adventure 2
Leech cords and foot cords NOT for sail trim
John: The leech cord is like the topping lift. Neither are technically sail trim controls but the leech cord is useful on the mainsail to bend the battens to give the sail some shape while reaching and running. In that connection it is a sail trim control. The topping lift comes in handy in very light air. You can crank up on it to raise the boom about 10 degrees above horizontal,which puts just a little bit of belly in the sail to help the wind get around the sail. In that connection it is a sail trim control.
John: The leech cord is like the topping lift. Neither are technically sail trim controls but the leech cord is useful on the mainsail to bend the battens to give the sail some shape while reaching and running. In that connection it is a sail trim control. The topping lift comes in handy in very light air. You can crank up on it to raise the boom about 10 degrees above horizontal,which puts just a little bit of belly in the sail to help the wind get around the sail. In that connection it is a sail trim control.
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