One Design

[Don Guillette]

You can really learn a lot from watching these guys race if you know what your looking at. As I mentioned the Congressional Cup is held each year in Long Beach, Ca and the course is right off the beach. For some legs of the course you need binnocs but a lot of it you can see with the naked eye. Here are some of the things I've noticed from this head to head racing. I know these guys are all pros but they weren't born with sail trim knowledge. They developed it. The following not only applies to a sail boat crew but also to a little league baseball team or Pop Warner football team. All crew movements are very smooth an unhurried. There is very little talking and chit chat. Each crew member know his job and does it automatically. Jib is trimmed first and main second. Fairleads are adjusted for each point of sail and wind condition. Very little heel (about 15%). When there are 6 pairs on the water all of their sails look the same. Why is that? These guys know exactly what sail trim is required for the wind conditions and point of sail. Also it doesn't matter if the mains are loose footed or bolt rope. 10 out of 12 are bolt rope. They are trimmed the same way.The bottom line is there is no difference between racing trim and cruising trim. There is only a right way and a wrong way. A cruiser should try to duplicate the trim of these top racers. Yourtrim might amaze your cruising buddies.

 

[novelman17128]

read everything

I found a sailing equipment catalog with line drawings showing everything on the boat. Each item is shown and named. I even learned how to sail using this catalog and by mirroring other boats. Try it, you'll like it.Novelman

 

[Mulf]

Having sailed an O'Day 222 for 11 years....

I owned and sailed a 1984 O'Day 222 on the Barnegat Bay in New Jersey for 11 years (85-96). We also trailered it during that time to Lake Champlain, Vt. several summer vacations. The Barnegat generally has realtively flat waters but the strong ocean winds barely slow as they come in over the barrier islands into the bay so it can be great sailing. Had a lot of fun on that boat! I know there was at least one set of reef points and you need to know when to use them. Very versatile, very forgiving boat that would sail all afternoon with the teak toe rail at water level and never feel insecure. I recall that the main sheet was set up from the end of the boom to a triangle piece on the backstay which would tighten the backstay as you tightened the main. Accordingly, I would think you'd see more benefit from a traveler. However, you would then lose the benefit of the backstay adjustment from the triangle I describe, so I'm not sure it's worth it. Do you have a good boom vang setup? With the end boom setup that would be a good additional tuning tool. another choice that I made was to have a custom symetrical spinaker made which I felt was a great addition. With that and a good tiller tamer setup I could single hand with the spinaker. I'd consider something like that instead. Happy sailing!

 

[Dale]

Just wondering

If anyone knows how to figure handicap on my boat its Portsmouth handicap and the portsmouth yardstick dont give a handicap on my boat with a spinnaker? Hunter 170

 

[Don Guillette]

Sailing Book

Chuck R: Here is the problem with most books, as you have found, they don't define the terms but more importantly they don't tell you which way to push or pull the control for the main and jib for the wind condition or point of sail you are sailing in. Additionally, if you look up outhaul, mainsheet, fairlead or whatever in most books you will find it on pages 15, 26, 152 and 283. In other words, all over the place.When I was learning to sail I found that very frustrating and did not make that mistake when I wrote The Sail Trim Users Guide. Everything you need to know about the traveler, fairleads or telltales or any other sail trim controls are in there own sections. Here's my suggestion to you - check out my book and chart at the ships store on this site and throw out the few bucks to make the purchase. Learn from my book what all the controls for the main and jib do and THEN DECIDE which ones you need to purchase for your boat. If you digest all the material in my book and chart (you'll have to read the stuff a few times and practice) you will know more about sail trim than 75% of the sailors worldwide!!

 

[Bob7291]

Re: Equipment choice

I'd go for the traveler first, but if you mount it in the obvious location, spanning the cockpit just aft of the companionway, keep in mind it will take up some room and make moving around somewhat more awkward. To me it is a small price to pay for the improvement in performance and sailing enjoyment, but someone else might have different priorities. Once you master the traveler, it will be hard to go back to using just a mainsheet for mainsail trim. Being able to adjust backstay tension (really, forestay tension as far as sail trim is concerned) is also nice, but you can set it at a moderate tension now, learn the traveler stuff, and do the backstay later.

 

[Don Guillette]

Penn Yan

Chuck R: Do you know how long it has been since I last saw a Penn Yan boat? As a kid growing up in RI I saw them all the time but the last time was about 1968 at Skaneatlas Lake in upstate NY. It was in pristine condition and looked great.

 

[Don Guillette]

Mast Bend

Chuck R: The purpose of mast bend is to take the fullness out of the middle of the mainsail. I don't think you can bend your mast to make it look like a J boat mast so all you will be doing is raking the mast if you have a backstay adjuster. Raking the mast is not good because in effect you are moving the mast itself aft and all your doing is increasing weather helm.Here is a list of the controls for the mainsail: boom vang, Cunningham (same as the halyard but easier to use), mainsheet, traveler, backstay adjuster and outhaul. Which of those do you have in addition to the mainsheet and halyard?The controls for the jib are fairleds, jib sheets, and jib halyard. I know you have jib sheets and halyards. Are your fairleads stationary? On boat say up to 25', due to reduced sail area compared to say a 30', there is a reason the boat buiders don't install a lot of sail trim controls other than they are cheap skates and don't want to add extra stuff if they don't have to. The fact is they don't have to due to the sail area involved. There is only so much you can do with what you've got. In other words, if a mate had a sailing dingy he could put all the controls that a 30' to 50' has and it would look trick but would be over kill.Here's my suggestion - after you get my book really concentrate on the first chapter which explains draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack. At the end of the chapter follow my advise and if you don't understand those 4 elements review them until you do because sail trim will never make any sence if you don't understand those terms. EVERY sail trim control for the main and jib are adjusting those items and those items only.

 

[Don Guillette]

Sail trim controls

Chuck R: You ave all the sail trim controls for the main and jib that you need. I hate to say this but forget the traveler. Also forget the back stay adjuster. I noticed a fairled track on the starboard side and assume you have the same thing on the port side. The boom downhaul can double for a cunningham.So again you have everything you need for your size of boat. Now you have to learn how and when to work them. There is a particular sail trim setting for the main and jib for evey point of sail and wind condition. Sail trim is like adjusting a the carb on your car. The jets all have to be adjusted correctly for 100% performance. Same with your sail trim controls. For example, if you adjust the outhaul, which controls the bottom 1/3 of the sail and do nothing with the top 2/3 the sail is out of phase.Your next question is probably OK so there are different settings for each sail trim control for each point of sail and wind condition so how do I know what they are? Well, you can spend 6 months researching them as I did or save the time and buy my Sail Trim Chart. I've already done all the work for you. My Sail Trim Chart tells you WHAT to do and my book The Sail Trim Users Guide tells you WHY you are making a particular sail trim adjustment. Most beginner cruisers and back of the pack racers just guess at the correct settings and that is why they remain in the back of the pack. My guarantee is that if you follow my sail trim suggestions you will move up at least 3 positions!!

 

[blockboy]

How about Fracional Rigs with Roller furling mains

I have bought your book and find it very informative. How does the sail trim change with a roller furling main. I have a rigid vang and a traveler in addition to the furling main. Also how can you put tell tails on the main.Thanks

 

[Don Guillette]

Fractional Rig Trim

Frank: The first question is easy. There is no difference between trimming the jib on a fractional or masthead rig. Both are trimmed the same way. From a sequence standpoint, on a masthead rig you trim the jib first. If the jib on a fractional is 135 or under I would trim the main first first. If the jib is say 140 to 155, which I think is pretty rare, then I'd trim the jib first just like the masthead rig and then trim the main. Actually, I'd fool around with the fractional rig sequence and see which way works best for your boat.On a fractional rig, the main is the engine so you have to get the trim right and the only way is with telltales. Place one at each batten pocket. Most telltales have installation directions on the box. They are easy to install. Just slap them on the next time you raise the main. I've used everything from store bought, to yarn, to music cartride tape and even the green tape used to tie up tomato plants!! If you really want to get fancy attach two (one on each side just like the jib) in the center of the sail. You read the center ones just like you do the jib. Some mates have told me the mast blocks the flow to the center ones but it really doesn't. If the mast blocked the flow the whole sail would not work.When you are trimming the main the one to concentrate on is the top one - on the jib it is the middle ones. In my book I devote about 7 pages to reading telltales. Telltales are absolutely the most important sail trim indicator on the boat. No eletronic devise has been developed that approaches their sensitivity and effectiveness. Telltales are the primary system of checks and balances for the main and jib and sadly a vast majority of sailors don't have them installed. How they trim their sails without them is beyond me. The answer is they don't. The next group of sailors has telltales but does not know how to read them. Once a sailor masters reading telltales he is almost home from a sail trim standpoint. All he has to do next is trim the sails in accordance to what they are telling him.