Sailboat Race

[Dan Johnson]

William, some observations...

looking up the mainsail in that picture, again, you don't want wrinkles--a tighter halyard's needed. Look at the draft stripes, especially the lower one. It would appear that you have a pretty full belly in the main. If the wind is light, you want to flatten that sail more to improve attached flow. Tighten your vang too to bring down the boom for a flatter sail. A Cunningham will move the draft forward as well.

Also, there's a strange bump about a foot back from the mast--possibly getting back wind off the jib affecting the draft slot--too much jib leach tension or sheeted in too far.

I also noticed the mast end of the boom end is below the class design stripe--is that the original mainsail or a replacement? Could be a tad tall for the rig.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Why's the traveler in the middle?

Light air and the boom way to leeward???

Try Don's Sail Trim guides.

Echo mainsail luff tension. Also consider using your outhaul to your advantage.

Good luck.

 

[Tim R.]

And stow your lazy jacks. That disrupts airflow and puts undue wear on the main.

 

[rpwillia]

Good points all

The old saying that a bad day on the water beats a good day at work is definitely true. I do have to admit that "I HAD A GREAT TIME!" Even though I got spanked a bit in light air, and I really did not have an experienced crew it was a great day, and those guys from Daingerfield Island are top notch competition. This was the first time I have ever taken my own boat up to Alexandria to race, and every race I learn a little more.

Come to think about it, last fall in a race off Quantico we had solid winds all after noon and a little of chop and I did really well. Through no skill on my part I made it late to the line on a port tack with a full head of steam and blasted past everyone trying a starboard tack and stalled on the line in a sudden wind drop - next thing I knew I was 1/4 mile ahead of everyone and my crew was saying I "went from zero to hero in the space of 2 minutes."

I actually have an email list of about 30 people and growing as I am always looking for crew. In fact my biggest disappointment is that there was a Royal Marine who crewed for me as well as a guy I went to grad school with who were both outstanding sailors who I could count on to make me look like I knew what I was doing. Sadly both of them have moved away.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Stu...

check the pics in post #14--they're the ones I was commenting on. It appears they are close hauled in them. Traveler centering would be appropriate in that case. In the original pic with the boom being held out, the traveler is fully to leeward. Did forget to mention the outhaul, however.

And Tim is correct, stow those lazy jacks!

 

[Todd Smith]

Lighten ship

RP, Is that your Catalina with the dodger and bimini up ?

You know that's not fast You can tell how competitive a racer is by how much extra weight he carries on the boat. For a serious race, we will strip all the cruising gear off the boat. It makes a significant difference in light air.

But we always keep the rum

Todd