Shifting Through The Sail Trim Gears If you own or have owned a stick shift car, have you ever downshifted? Of course you have and why do you shift? The answer is because the driving situation changed and you wanted to keep your momentum. Same thing on the water - the direction and speed of the wind probably changes every 5 minutes. Do most cruisers adjust their sail trim during these changes? Probably not, which is fine, but maybe they would like to at least know the procedure in the event they found themselves in a situation where they really had to make an adjustment because the puff was so strong that all the drinks and snacks fell on the cockpit floor!! When your half way up the Baker grade on your way to Vegas, do you wait until the engine lugs down before you shift? Probably not. You shift before the engine tells you to and it is the same way on the water. You want to change your sail trim BEFORE the wind change reaches you and generally you can see it coming. There are two ways to react to a large puff of wind. The first way is to wait until it hits you and the boat starts to heel over and then madly dash around to make your sail trim adjustment. You would drop the traveler, ease the mainsail and jib, which would de-power the boat and get it back on its feet. Then you'd have to re-trim the main and jib and tighten the boom vang and Cunningham. Using this method and relating it to your car on the Baker grade, your engine just lugged and you REACTED to the situation. Here's a better method. Most of us can see the puff coming just like we see the hill grade approaching. Next time you see one coming, try this. Do 5 simple things - tighten your boom vang, tighten your cunnigham (if you don't have one you should consider one because it is easier than adjusting the halyard), ease down the traveler, and ease out the main and jib sheet just a bit. When the puff hits, your boat should stay on its feet. After the puff hits and your in the higher wind, merely trim in the main and jib just a bit and your boat will power through the puff. After the puff hits, go back to your original setting. Experiment and see if this works for you.
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Nate Jackson
cunningham??????
Don, Please tell me exactly what a cunningham is. (I do remember a sports car by that name in the early 50's) Thanks, Nate
Don, Please tell me exactly what a cunningham is. (I do remember a sports car by that name in the early 50's) Thanks, Nate
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Don Guillette
Cunningham????
Nate: A cunningham is simply a block and tackle, like a soft boom vang. One end attaches to the base of the mast and the other end attaches to a luff cringle. It has the same affect as cranking on the halyard but I think it is easier. Every time I attempt to mess with the halyard, I tend to lose it. In other words, it slips too much. The cunningham is much easier for me to use and it was named for Briggs Cunnigham, who developed it on one of the America Cup boats.
Nate: A cunningham is simply a block and tackle, like a soft boom vang. One end attaches to the base of the mast and the other end attaches to a luff cringle. It has the same affect as cranking on the halyard but I think it is easier. Every time I attempt to mess with the halyard, I tend to lose it. In other words, it slips too much. The cunningham is much easier for me to use and it was named for Briggs Cunnigham, who developed it on one of the America Cup boats.
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Nate Jackson
cunningham??????
Don, Thanks, I'll make one up soon. Iwondered what the extra eye was for in the bottom of my sail.. Should this be a 4-1 or 3-1 arrangement or will just a 1-1 through the organizer and a clutch work?? Thanks, Nate
Don, Thanks, I'll make one up soon. Iwondered what the extra eye was for in the bottom of my sail.. Should this be a 4-1 or 3-1 arrangement or will just a 1-1 through the organizer and a clutch work?? Thanks, Nate
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Don Guillette
Cunningham?????
Nate: 1:1 won't do it. Invest in a an inexpensive soft boom vang, Garhauer marine in Upland, Ca sell an excellant one.
Nate: 1:1 won't do it. Invest in a an inexpensive soft boom vang, Garhauer marine in Upland, Ca sell an excellant one.
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Doug T.
Cunningham vs. downhaul
My '77 h27 does not have a cunningham, but it does have a boom downhaul. Would this be a suitable substitute?
My '77 h27 does not have a cunningham, but it does have a boom downhaul. Would this be a suitable substitute?
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JC 2
Downhaul.
Doug-- I don't know if Don G is here, but I would surmise.... Yes. Be sure to play the downhaul with the mainsheet as well. Both are needed to hold the boom down. I believe in leading this to a winch. It's not doing the same job as a vang. J Cherubini II
Doug-- I don't know if Don G is here, but I would surmise.... Yes. Be sure to play the downhaul with the mainsheet as well. Both are needed to hold the boom down. I believe in leading this to a winch. It's not doing the same job as a vang. J Cherubini II
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dockdog
Briggs Cunningham, racer of cars and twelve meters
is the same person. He raced cars and built them, hence the Cunningham race car. I believe he defended the America's Cup on Columbia in the first series involving 12's about 1958(?).
is the same person. He raced cars and built them, hence the Cunningham race car. I believe he defended the America's Cup on Columbia in the first series involving 12's about 1958(?).
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Don Guillette
Briggs Cunningham racer Of Cars and 12 Meterof car
Dockdog: Briggs is the guy that developed the Cunnigham and his name stuck on it.
Dockdog: Briggs is the guy that developed the Cunnigham and his name stuck on it.
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Don Guillette
Cunningham Vs Outhaul
Doug: I think I missed reading your message somehow and just saw it. The down haul is not exactly a suitable substitute. The down haul and the outhaul are primarily used to adjust the foot of the sail, but obviously pulling the boom down does affect the luff of the sail. Your downhaul is an extra sail trim adjustment most of us don't have, but I would invest in a inexpensive soft boom vang, which is a cunningham. The cunningham moves the draft position forward and aft. Increasing tension moves the draft forward and decreasing tension moves it aft. For example, if you bent your mast, the draft position would move aft but it might be too far aft for the conditions you are sailing in. The cunnigham would be used to get the DP back to where you wanted it.
Doug: I think I missed reading your message somehow and just saw it. The down haul is not exactly a suitable substitute. The down haul and the outhaul are primarily used to adjust the foot of the sail, but obviously pulling the boom down does affect the luff of the sail. Your downhaul is an extra sail trim adjustment most of us don't have, but I would invest in a inexpensive soft boom vang, which is a cunningham. The cunningham moves the draft position forward and aft. Increasing tension moves the draft forward and decreasing tension moves it aft. For example, if you bent your mast, the draft position would move aft but it might be too far aft for the conditions you are sailing in. The cunnigham would be used to get the DP back to where you wanted it.
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