Mates: I'm going to do this in 2 parts due to its length. Some sailors could care less about when they arrive at their destination and don't bother with sail trim in the process. If you are one of those guys the following info is not for you but if your a newbie or a middle to back of the pack racer or just someone who wants to beat the cruising fleet to Catalina (ow wherever)then read on. As a cruiser or racer by playing wind shifts you can sail a shorter course. The advantage if your a racer is that 50% of the sailors racing don't understand wind shifts and some of these guys might be in your fleet. First we have to understand HEADERS and LIFTS. Simply put, a header is a wind shift that causes you to sail AWAY from your destination and a LIFT is a wind shift that causes you to sail TOWARD your destination. You can determine either by refering to your compass or by just lining up your bow with a reference point. If your bow falls off from the reference point your being headed. If the bow moves towards or past the reference point your being lifted. Next I'll explain how by playing a simple lift of 20 degrees can save you 25% off the distance you would have normally sailed had you not played the shift.
