Pointing Higher...how to
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Pointing? Need Info.
What kind of boat; what kind of keel; condition of bottom and keel; fixed prop vs folding; and how old are the sails?
What kind of boat; what kind of keel; condition of bottom and keel; fixed prop vs folding; and how old are the sails?
Try This - Sail Low and Go Fast
Paul, I think that what you really want to do is to make more rapid progress to windward?? Pointing is not normally the issue and, if your hull is clean, sails okay and well trimmed, telltales on genoa luff and mainsail leech, then your highest pointing angle is already set by the designers. Notwithstanding the above, pointing too high results in lower forward speed more leeway and less net gain to windward (Less VMG). May I suggest sailing with the genoa tell tales streaming nicely with the windward one just lifting occasionally and the ones on the main just occasionally curling behind the sail. Bear away a little immediately after a tack to get the hull up to max speed and DON'T TRY TOO HARD. The keel and rudder need a reasonable water flow to generate lift and this only comes with boatspeed. If the sea is lumpy leave more draught in the sails and deliberately sail low for boatspeed. Concentration and responding to every minute variation in wind is also the way ahead, but it is very easy to get into a mind set where you feel you are not going well and then you certainly do not go fast. Sorry to state these issues but I and everyone else I know suffers too. I have found that the silverware usually goes to those with a well set up boat and a relaxed attitude. Foot fast and climb. Boatspeed makes you a brilliant tactician.
Paul, I think that what you really want to do is to make more rapid progress to windward?? Pointing is not normally the issue and, if your hull is clean, sails okay and well trimmed, telltales on genoa luff and mainsail leech, then your highest pointing angle is already set by the designers. Notwithstanding the above, pointing too high results in lower forward speed more leeway and less net gain to windward (Less VMG). May I suggest sailing with the genoa tell tales streaming nicely with the windward one just lifting occasionally and the ones on the main just occasionally curling behind the sail. Bear away a little immediately after a tack to get the hull up to max speed and DON'T TRY TOO HARD. The keel and rudder need a reasonable water flow to generate lift and this only comes with boatspeed. If the sea is lumpy leave more draught in the sails and deliberately sail low for boatspeed. Concentration and responding to every minute variation in wind is also the way ahead, but it is very easy to get into a mind set where you feel you are not going well and then you certainly do not go fast. Sorry to state these issues but I and everyone else I know suffers too. I have found that the silverware usually goes to those with a well set up boat and a relaxed attitude. Foot fast and climb. Boatspeed makes you a brilliant tactician.
Get out your calculator
Nobody likes beating. Getting from point A to B as quickly as possable is usually the goal here. Otherwise you are recreational sailing and would pick a "nicer" point of sail. The distance from A to B using one tack is as follows: Theta = the angle between the straight line between A and B and the course you actually sail D = the straight line distance between A and B V = the speed along the actual sailed course. DA = the distance you actuall sailed along both legs of the beat. T is the time it takes to sail the beat. DA = D / cos(theta) and DA/V = T if you compare several different thetas you will find that not pointing as "high" and going faster will usually give you a pointing angle that is best for your boat that gets you there fastest. OBTW I got my hunter 37.5 to point at 2 degrees off the wind! We where sans the engine and trying to make an anchorage in a twisty creek. Winds where 4-5 knots and seas where flat. We where making way at only 0.75 to 1.0 kts though. Bill Roosa
Nobody likes beating. Getting from point A to B as quickly as possable is usually the goal here. Otherwise you are recreational sailing and would pick a "nicer" point of sail. The distance from A to B using one tack is as follows: Theta = the angle between the straight line between A and B and the course you actually sail D = the straight line distance between A and B V = the speed along the actual sailed course. DA = the distance you actuall sailed along both legs of the beat. T is the time it takes to sail the beat. DA = D / cos(theta) and DA/V = T if you compare several different thetas you will find that not pointing as "high" and going faster will usually give you a pointing angle that is best for your boat that gets you there fastest. OBTW I got my hunter 37.5 to point at 2 degrees off the wind! We where sans the engine and trying to make an anchorage in a twisty creek. Winds where 4-5 knots and seas where flat. We where making way at only 0.75 to 1.0 kts though. Bill Roosa
Pointing
The short of it is: The deeper the keel, the higher it will point. Fair Winds, Jack "You can't make a silk purse out of a shoal draft"
The short of it is: The deeper the keel, the higher it will point. Fair Winds, Jack "You can't make a silk purse out of a shoal draft"
Pointing Higher
Additional "free" pointing can be gained with a lighter boat (get rid of everything with weight that is not ESSENTIAL). Crew should hike as hard as possible. Loose as much weight as you can in/on the mast. The higher the weight the bigger the impact (TV antennas, radar antennas,...). Lighter halyards, if you carry 4 halyards and can reduce their size and weight you'll save a lot of pointing. All that said, your most important consideration in beating should be VMG not pointing or boat speed. Sacrificing pointing for boat speed is wrong, and reaching off for max boat speed is also wrong. What you should be looking for is the best speed/pointing combination toward the weather mark...VMG
Additional "free" pointing can be gained with a lighter boat (get rid of everything with weight that is not ESSENTIAL). Crew should hike as hard as possible. Loose as much weight as you can in/on the mast. The higher the weight the bigger the impact (TV antennas, radar antennas,...). Lighter halyards, if you carry 4 halyards and can reduce their size and weight you'll save a lot of pointing. All that said, your most important consideration in beating should be VMG not pointing or boat speed. Sacrificing pointing for boat speed is wrong, and reaching off for max boat speed is also wrong. What you should be looking for is the best speed/pointing combination toward the weather mark...VMG
Pointing and VMG
Alan has good advice and is usually right. That said, try to reduce drag by improving the bottom finish, i.e. hard finish racing bottom paint that can be wet sanded; fair in any imperfections such as at the typical hull to keel joint. Install a folding or feathering prop; don't let any type of prop spin in front of the rudder causing you to loose attached flow over the rudder. Get a decent book on sail trim and learn how each sail trim element works in concert with the next adjustment. Adjust your mast rake and mast bend for just enough weather helm to help you point; make sure the jib or Genoa has a fairly flat entry with maximum chord depth at about 45% and does not have an over tight leech cord or a hooked leach, which leads to early backwinding of the main; same concern for hooked leach on a mainsail, a flat leach promotes faster flow. There usually is a 'sweet spot' where the main and jib or Genoa are optimizing performance and any tighter trim will be detrimental. Note how many inches the Genoa is off the spreaders when you are at your best settings. Check your sailing angles for each tack against the compass as well as against the knot meter so you get a feel for your performance and crack off the jib sheet and mainsheet a little at a time when wave conditions demand a litle extra power. The quickest way to learn what's fast is to race against and with knowledgeable racers who usually will be happy to give advice though it might be after the race. Your description of your boat: deep keel & decent sails is a good starting point. Look at how other owners of the same model have maximized them for racing; headfoil system, backstay adjuster, boom vang, traveler improvements, etc.
Alan has good advice and is usually right. That said, try to reduce drag by improving the bottom finish, i.e. hard finish racing bottom paint that can be wet sanded; fair in any imperfections such as at the typical hull to keel joint. Install a folding or feathering prop; don't let any type of prop spin in front of the rudder causing you to loose attached flow over the rudder. Get a decent book on sail trim and learn how each sail trim element works in concert with the next adjustment. Adjust your mast rake and mast bend for just enough weather helm to help you point; make sure the jib or Genoa has a fairly flat entry with maximum chord depth at about 45% and does not have an over tight leech cord or a hooked leach, which leads to early backwinding of the main; same concern for hooked leach on a mainsail, a flat leach promotes faster flow. There usually is a 'sweet spot' where the main and jib or Genoa are optimizing performance and any tighter trim will be detrimental. Note how many inches the Genoa is off the spreaders when you are at your best settings. Check your sailing angles for each tack against the compass as well as against the knot meter so you get a feel for your performance and crack off the jib sheet and mainsheet a little at a time when wave conditions demand a litle extra power. The quickest way to learn what's fast is to race against and with knowledgeable racers who usually will be happy to give advice though it might be after the race. Your description of your boat: deep keel & decent sails is a good starting point. Look at how other owners of the same model have maximized them for racing; headfoil system, backstay adjuster, boom vang, traveler improvements, etc.
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