Self evaluation

[Don Guillette]

Mates, things are slow over on the SAIL TRIM FORUM so I've posted an article on the sail trim controls for the mainsail. It's purpose is for a sailor to determine where he stands from a sail trim standpoint so he then knows what controls he has to work on.Pop on over to the Sail Trim Forum and see how you do with it. I'll publish the answers shortly. A good skipper should be able to complete the evaluation in under 2 minutes.

 

[Big Windy]

Sail Trim

Be interesting to see the answers. I've asked several questions re sail trim the have your Sail Trim Chart. The more I ask the more confusing and contradictory the answers become. So now I ignore the charts (which are also confusing and contradictory), ignore everybody's advice and do what appears to work best. Since I don't race...it doesn't make any difference!!

 

[Alan]

Sail Trim

Bert, it will be interesting to see what it is that is confusing and contradictory about the sail trim charts. However, I must disagree with you about "Since I don't race...it doesn't make any difference!! "Sail Trim is THE REASON for having a sailboat. Otherwise you could just as well be driving some power boat by just turning a key and steering.Don wrote his book presisely to avoid the confusion and technical jargen. It is straight forward plain English that answers the 'what' and 'why' of sail trim.

 

[Ken]

Sail Trim Refresher Videos?

Winter is bad because over the 5-6 month our boat is out the water I tend to forget the basics of trim. In the spring I get back onto a fairly complex raceboat and I am all thumbs. Our boat is a 20 yr old 41' with hydraulic backstays and checkstays and a configuration of gear that is hard to understand.Can you suggest any serious video series that can help me keep on top for next season?Happy New Year

 

[Don Guillette]

videos

Ken: There are a couple of videos I like and they are "Learn To Sail" by Steve Colgate, "Sailing In Heavy Weather" by Neil Pryde Sails and "The Shape Of Speed" by North Sails.The problem with a lot of videos is that you really have to concentrate on what they are talking about. In other words, it is like reading a computer manual - the first 5 pages are easy and then they start to get technical. In the sailing videos, they start talking about draft depth, draft position and twist and unless you have an ideas of what those terms mean you quickly become lost. Also, if you don't know the function of all the sail trim controls you again become lost.

 

[Don Guillette]

Confusion

Bert: I'm sorry to hear about your confusion. My main and only goal is that I do not want beginner sailors to go through what I went through to learn how to sail a boat. When I first started sailing nothing made sense to me and I really thought I was the only sailor in the world that didn't get it. Everyone else seemed to understand what was going on. Come to find out most beginner sailors were as confused as I was. During my sail trim seminars, it bothers me when a few folks don't get what I'm talking about. I realize I can't get through to everyone but I really try to. I can sense who the folks are that are having trouble and I try to turn the lecture, as much as possable, toward them. There was one extreme seminar example that occured in Long Beach, Ca. This one mate just did not understand the principles of sail trim (he reminded me of me) but I was determined he WAS going to get it. I spent 1/2 hour after the seminar with him and we made some progress but I was not happy so I decided to go sailing with him and his wife the next day. After about 45 minutes of actually showing him draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack and showing him how each sail trim control worked those items for some unknown reason the lights went on for him. I have no idea what I said but it suddenly all clicked. His wife got it about 15 minutes before he did.Actually, I'm not surprised because that is how the sail trim light went on for me. I understood all the principles but I was not putting the whole picture together. I was dealing with individual parts. The 13 year old daughter of a friend of mine is who did it for me. I was sitting on his boat and she started telling me how all the controls worked together and I almost feel over board. I was working against myself.A mate can learn to sail by taking your advise and doing what appears to work best but they will be old and gray before they achieve any degree of efficiency and in the mean time they will miss out on the great joy sailing can provide when it is done right. Same goes for golf, shooting baskets or anything. It is so simple to learn to sail efficiently.One last point - I sell my book and chart with a money back guarantee and if you are not satisfied with the product please return it to me and I'll refund your money plus the return postage.

 

[Scott]

Sail Trim Forum?

What happened to it? I seem to have at least 6 Politics Forums (all the same) but no Sail Trim Forum. Do others have the same?

 

[Big Windy]

Sail Trim

Don...not interested in my money back (although thanks for the offer), I received my money's worth. I started a post on 9/14/05 on this subject, all the information is there.Alan...speed is not that important to me. I've been sailing since the late 1950s (bought my first boat in 1958 and put it on top of my Dad's car), so I'm not a rookie sailor, just thought I'd pickup some tips from Don's charts. I don't care whether I'm doing 6.0 or 6.5...doesn't make that much difference, and I certainly see no correlation to a power boater. Another problem I have is that my lake is long and narrow (north/south), with the wind usually coming from the south. I spend more time tacking than fine tuning the sail trim.

 

[Joe]

for confused and contradicted....

If you have no interest in speed, sail trim, racing or sailing advice in general....why do you bother to comment at all?

 

[Big Windy]

Joe...

...read all the posts... "thought I'd pickup some tips from Don's charts."

 

[Alan]

Is everyone ....

...from OK like this???

 

[Don Guillette]

Value for the $$

Since I started selling a book and chart on sail trim to sailors world wide I've yet to run into a sailor who has not picked up a tip our two from my stuff. The sail trim charts are not the be all to end all. If I could have reduced everything there was to know about sail trim to 4 pages of charts and 70 pages of a book I'd be right up there with parting the seas and changing wine into water!! MY whole idea was to give the beginner sailor a basis to build on.

 

[Foamy]

The way we learn

Hello Don and others.I was trained in the military as an instructor. Through the years teaching in my technical field and for 12 years teaching coastal navigation for the USCGAUX, I have learned how people learn. Many people can listen to someone explain a topic and pick it up by sound (speech). Others have to also add the dimension of seeing the topic performed or by visual interpretation (visualization). And finally, others have to actually have to do (perform) the task to learn the topic. Most people I have instructed in various topics learn in some degree by all the means that I mentioned. So the key is to find out what the individual's learning method works best, and focus on this aspect of learning, supplemented by the others.

 

[Don Guillette]

Instruction

Foamy: Yup, I sure agree with you. When I conduct a sail trim seminar my main prop is a large pond sail boat that I have rigged with all the sail trim controls for the mainsail and jib. I also use a number of large blown up pictures to illustrate what I'm discussing. The seminar is a 3 hour session. Folks seem to get a lot out of the semminar but the real winners are the sailors that complete the seminar on one day and then on the next day spend 4 hours with my on the water. While on the water, we go over every aspect of sail trim that was discuused the previous day and each person (I only take 6 at a time)gets to work every position on the boat for every point of sail.After the combination of the 3 hour seminar and 4 hours on the water, I'll stack these folks up against any sail trimmers worldwide!! They not only WHAT they are doing from a sail trim standpoint but more importantly they know the WHY of what they are doing.

 

[Bob16841]

Trim

As I was reading the thread, I thought for a minute I'd made a mistake and gotten on the Power Boater's Forum, they get nasty over there (too)! I have a copy of the Sail Trim Charts, and IMHO, there is a bit of contradictory advice. But first I must say that I think we agree that these forums should be helpful to all by making us better and more knowledgeable sailors. We should make positive, meaningful, constructive and helpful comments to meet that goal. Alan, your comment regarding where somebody lives was unwarranted and contributed nothing.On the Sail Trim Chart, page one at the top, for 15 - 18 knots of wind:Main sheet: max tension/flat sail.Vang: heavy tension/eliminate twistSame page, bottom right corner: "Quick Reference."Heavy Air Trim: Flatten sail/increase twist.My question is simply, what is correct regarding twist? Don are you out there?

 

[Don Guillette]

TRIM

Bob: Yup, I'm here. Like I said in a previous post, I can't condense everything there is to know about sail trim on 4 pages of charts nor can I explain in detail what every section is about. I wish I could but but the charts would be 50 pages long. Even with 4 pages there is a ton of info there. Writing the Sail Trim Users Guide was easy. Putting that chart together was nerve racking and extremly exhausting. Anyone who has tried to develop somthing like that fo say their business knows what I'm talking about.Here's what I was trying to get across. With 15 to 18 knot of wind (which is not heavy wind to me) I'm trying to get the most power and speed I can get out of the boat. I like to go fast. Twist is a power robber and in those winds I'm trying to eliminate twist. I do not want to spill any power out of the top of the sail. I also want to keep the boat under control so I want the sail pretty flat with a minimum of draft depth (belly). I could induce a little belly and squeeze a bit more speed out of the boat but since I single hand about 98% of the time I prefer to have the boat under control.Heavy winds to me is just before I have to reef and is a different condition than 15 to 18 knots. Before I reef I want to see if I can still maintain some boat control so I want to spill power out of the top of the sail (induce twist). Generally, that is a last resort and it might or might not work. Anyway, as you can see it is near impossable to explain all of the above on a 4 page chart. What a mate has to do is digest all the info and then go on his boat and try everything. Once he has tried everything then he applies and modifies it to his skill level.

 

[Bob16841]

Trim

Don,OK, thanks for the explanation. I can appreciate trying to cram all the information you're trying to impart in four pages. I was under the impression that the "15 - 18 knots" mentioned at the top of page one, was the same as "heavy air trim" at the bottom, thus the confusion. But then again, doesn't take much to confuse me! Just out of curiosity, is that your publisher's email on the bottom of page four (with the CA phone #)? Be looking forward to the answers to your Sail Trim Quiz.

 

[Don Guillette]

Address

Bob: Actually, that address is my former home in So Ca, which we sold in Sept. We are now at our second home in Lake Havasu, AZ while our home in Tucson is being built. The Email is still good and anyone can reach me using it.On the answers to the quiz - you already have them. Just refer to your sail trim chart.I had about 10 to 15 more things I wanted to jamb into the chart but the guy that was putting it together for me finally said enough was enough and I had to go with it as it stood or he told me I can put it together myself. With all the additional stuff you would have to have the eyes of an owl to read it!! I was considering eliminating the trouble shooting section on page 4 but ultimately felt it was too important - if all else fails a mate can go to that section to figure out what corrective action he needs to take.