Mates: Yesterday I spoke by phone with a sailor in England (Isn't this internet amazing - years ago this exchange of ideas with someone on the other side of the world from me would never have happened). Anyway, his problem was he was unhappy with the way the wind was hitting his mainsail and plus he DID NOT HAVE TELLTALES. As I had mentioned previously, I don't know how sailors trim their mainsail or jib with out them. Aiming a sail directly into the wind so the wind will flow evenly down each side is not easy. Go out in your yard and try to aim a pice of paper into the wind and see how difficult that is. That's what your up against. Since he was sailing this weekend and did not have time to get telltales, I suggested an imperfect but effective way to get him in the ball park. At the top of the mainsail is a thing called a head board. It is that hard thing the halyard attaches to. Most boats also have a masthead fly, which is a wind direction indicator with a couple of arms sticking out on it. Here's the tip I gave him - what you do is line up the head board with the mast head fly and you'll be pretty close to where you should be. It is probably easier to see than explain. From closehauled to beam reach, it should work for you. Try it next time your out sailing.