Tweakin' Good Time!
I just did a charity race with my '94 Legend 40.5 which so many of you gave me hints re: sail trim <smile>. Despite an adjusted PHRF of 100 (HUH???), I finished fourth on adjusted and corrected in the over 30 fleet. The fun in that was no wind over 7 knots, four of seven marks upwind, and a mostly (seven) non-sailing crew. These boats are not known for light air performance, so it felt pretty good to have done that well.Here is what surprised me: how few tweakers there are among supposedly high-performance sailors. Two of these sailors are experienced sailors who, depite being responsible for specific sail trim, did little to optimize the trim. And, I have found that true with a large percentage of crew over time. Some of that may be reluctance by visiting crew, some just unfamiliarity with a particular boat, but it is surprising regardless. Once, I went out for a day-sail in my boss's Islander Cruising 39. It had a cutter rig. I couldn't stand looking at the jib trim, too much mainsail twist and proceeded to get about another knot out of it. He told me I had done more tweaking than he normally did in a fifty mile trip. Must have been true, since all the leaded crystal wine glasses promptly slid off the holder to shatter on the sole.Anyhow, as much as it's fun to just kick back, it's always fun to see just how much performance you can pull from a sailboat. Rick D.