Tacking - Part 2

[Don Guillette]

Mates: Please review my response to Ms. Hillary. How come the gals ask such interesting questions?!!!The piece I left out was fairlead adjustment. Most sailors don't bother with fairlead adjustment and that is too bad because the fairleads control EVERYTHING on the jib.How you determine the correct fairlead adjustment is simple. The jib trimmer on the loaded sheet is watching the jib as the boat comes head to wind. What he is looking for is how the sail "breaks". It is much easier to see this when someone shows you what to look for as it is happening but I'll try my best to describe it. What the trimmer is looking for is the foot to flutter, the bottom to luff or the bottom telltales to break. If any of that happens, he tells the other trimmer to move the fair lead AFT. If, on the other hand, the leech flutters, the top luffs or the top telltales break, he tells the other trimmer to move the fairlead FORWARD. How far forward or aft - I don't know, maybe 1 or 2 holes. You have to experiment. To check if you have the correct setting just tack over and see how the sail breaks. You don't want to do that under normal conditions but you should while your practicing.The goal is for the sail to break evenly from top to bottom. This rarely happens but you want to get as close to it as possable.You want to perform this exercise on every tack. Why you ask? The reason is that if the fairlead is not set correctly you can mess with the controls all day long and you'll never get the sail set correctly.If you have pin type fairleads, this routine is a little more difficult but not impossable. The trimmer just has to be ready. He isn't doing anything at the time anyway. If you have a Garhauer adjustable fairlead system it is a snap.Does everyone understand what I'm describing here?

 

[Terry Cox]

Don, was that a rhetorical ...

or tongue-in-cheek question regarding gals? Terry

 

[kingprawn]

I think I get it

Thanks Don! I think I will have much better headsail trim next time out now that I get the principle.

 

[Don Guillette]

Terry Cox: Nope, absolutely not. Gal are the easiest to deal with - from a sail trim training standpoint anyway. I've conducted a number of sail trim seminars for "gals only" and they are much easier to teach since they seem to have nothing to prove. In other words, they come to the seminar with an open mind and they want to learn. Guy, on the other hand, can't seem to admit what they don't know. Every question starts out with "I've been sailing for 20 years -------". Every time I hear that I think I've played golf for 20 years and until I started taking lessons, I never hit the ball to the same place twice!! I did a special sail trim seminar last year for a group of gals from Shoreline YC in Long Beach, who were preparing for the Newport to Ensenada race. They sponged up everything and asked great questions. They knew I knew what they knew about sail trim so they were not trying to kid anyone - let alone me. Later I saw them in action at a tune up race prior to Ensenada and I would stack them against any guy team any day of the week. A lot of the gals in the sail trim seminars are married to sailors and after 3 solid hours of sail trim training, 75% know more about sail trim than their husbands. Actually, I'm generous with that percentage. If the truth be known, it is probably closer to to 90%.So ladies, if any of you out there are reading this and you have any questions about sail trim please fire away. Don't be intimadated by the guys as I love hearing from you. I'll even answer your questions first. Husbands should encourage their wife to participate with questions - 2 heads are better than one.

 

[Rick9619]

As always interesting Don

But if I can make an observation... you sound a little "whipped" or is that too much time at the "bitter end" Now I will say that my first mate of 18 years can make better VMG with bad sail trim than me, but she doesnt read this forum everyday either. Oh and I love the taste of "humble pie", tis always been my favorite dish. I compete with her from bowling, golf, sail trim, heck.. who can make the best coffee! You just keep telling your gals how they are better. They love that! When under sail.. all men are created equal. Women, er... are just created. Im a big fan of them and they look cute in shorts.CheersRick

 

[jprieto]

tacking part II

Don: you use the term "How the sail (jib) breaks", as in: watch for how the sail breaks as it comes into the wind, and how the top or bottom telltales break as the boat comes "head to the wind". Precisely what do you mean by the term "break"? Is it the same as telltale flutter, or telltale lift or telltale droop? Does "looking for how the sail breaks" mean looking for the first visible sign that the sail is losing its good sail trim on the old tack as the boat starts to leave the old tack and heads up into and ultimately thru the wind to the new one?

 

[Don Guillette]

WJssr: The actual breaking of the sail is so easy to see when it is pointed out on the boat but so hard to explain. It happens very quicky but once you see it for the first time you'll be able to spot it every time. As your going through the tack it happens the instant the sail loses it shape before it starts to flop around. The easiest to see is when the fairlead is too far aft. What will happen is that the bottom of the sail will hold its shape but the top portion will break lose. As I said, what you looking for happens very quickly.Demonstrating this "breaking" is something I do for every jib trimmers when I sail with them because that is the most precise way to set your fairleads. I don't know any other way other than guessing at some position. Sometimes I have to do it 3 times for them to see it. Most times they never see it the first time. Each time, we just fall off and start the tack over again until they spot it. When they do see it I get a BIG "oh yeah, now I see it".Hopefully, I've given you enough info to spot it.

 

[jprieto]

Tacking part II

Thanks, Don