Telltales

[Don Guillette]

Mates: In a couple of days I'm going to be discussing telltales. This is a big subject (I devote 5 pages to it in my book), and it is extremely important because telltales are absolutely the most important sail trim indicator on the boat. No non-electronic devise has been developed that approaches the sensitivity and effectiveness of mainsail and jib telltales. Sadly, A majority of sailors do not have them on their sails. How they trim their sails is beyond me!! I have trouble doing it without them and I know what I'm looking for. Additionally, a lot of sailors who have telltales do not understand how to read them even though they are the primary system of checks and balances for the mainsail trimmer and especially the jib trimmer. So, are their any question or specific areas you would like covered? If I have an idea of any concerns I'll be sure to cover them. Otherwise, I'll just be rambling on and probably boring a whole bunch of folks.

 

[ITMaster]

Tell Tales and Sail Trim

Don, I picked up your sail trim book and reference it frequently and have found it to be more than likely the most useful piece of information yet that I have in my libraries. I sail a 387 with furlers on both the main and the head sail (155 genoa). She came from the factory set up with only tell tales on the head sail but none on the main. I want to get some installed on the main as soon as practicle. I guess that I would like to get a better understanding about, is dealing with furler systems and the things that we can do to compensate for their limitations. Due to previous injuries that have left me with physical limitations, and the fact that I spend a lot of time alone, hoisting and handling sails alone while handling the yacht simultaneously is somewhat of a challenge, hence the choice of the furling applications for my boat. Thanks so much for such a great book, it is treasured and always will be!

 

[Ric Shultz]

KISS

DonIs there a simple "punch list" that would outline adjustments to sheet, cars, vang, etc. related to the tales pointing up and down. Sometimes we have a hard time remembering the system of the various adjustments to get them all flying straight back.Also, sometimes the tails don't tell the tale when getting the boat down wind past a broad reach. How do you read them then?

 

[Wayne Elphinstone]

Tell Tales

I'm in a similar situation as ITMaster. I have a factory 380 with Furling 135 Headsail and no tell tales on the main. I would be very interested in the correct procedure to set my 380 for optimum sailing. Where would I get your sail trim book here in Australia?Wayne

 

[Kevin]

Well, I at least have an unopened package of telltales!More seriously, sail trim is on my list of self-improvement for this season; I ordered your book and chart yesterday. When it comes I'll put them on. I will be sailing a J22.Some of the stuff that I have been reading in other places seemed to require a bunch of crew - lots of lines to pull and not always clear about in what order to do it. I will have a 9 and 11 year old as crew or perhaps even helm, so stuff that can be done simply, or at least one thing at a time is best for me. Hopefully I can adjust one line at a time and see the results?

 

[FrankR]

Jib car location adjustments for jib telltales

I've gotten a reasonable feeling of how to adjust the main, traveller, boom vang .. for its tell tales, but have difficulty in getting the jib/genoa tell tales flying correctly. Also any suggestion as to where to attaching extra jib/genoa tell tales when using a furler. It is possible or worth the effort when the jib/genoa is partially furled? - thanks

 

[Jim]

tell tales

I just put a new mainsail on my cal20 that doesn't have tell tales. I'm having a new mainsail made for my cal34. Where is the best place on both mainsails to put the tell tales? I've been told the leech. How far from the trailing edge of the sail do I put them. How many tell tales shoould I put on? The Mainsail that came off the cal 20 had the telltales about a third of the way down from the top of the sail, and about 3 ft behind the luff. The boat seemed to perform at it's fastest when I trimmed that tell tale.

 

[David Williams]

Down Wind

Don,I have leech tell-tales on my main. When sailing wing & wing downwind, how do I trim my main, and what do I need to look for with my leech tell-tales? Do I need tell tails on the luff. I have luff tell-tales on my old main, but they didn't seem to help, sailing downwind.Thank you,David

 

[Don Guillette]

Teltales

Itmaster: Thank you for the nice words about my book. I'm glad you are getting useful information from it.Check out the answer I gave to Tim McCarthy, which is listed under battens. To recap, you just have to be sharper from a sail trim standpoint to compensate for the small limitations on the mast and boom furling systems. On cruising boats for us guys like me that are "getting a little long in the tooth"I think they are the way to go. You probably would not want to race the boat but you didn't buy it for that purpose. You bought it to relax and enjoy yourself but that does not mean you can't get 100% out of the system. You can get as much as she can give by just paying a bit more attention to sail trim.

 

[Don Guillette]

Rich Shulz: On the telltales going downwid, please refer to the section "any questions" and see my response of 3/29 at 8:03AM.On the punch list that outline the adjustment -lets talk about the jib first. Yup, there is one and you can see it every time you tack the boat or go head to wind. The most important sail trim control for the jib is the fairleads. They control everything. When you go through a tack, just before the boat gets head to wind, pay close attention to the luff of the sail. What you are looking for is an even break from from top to bottom. It really happens but you can get close to it.If the foot flutters, the bottom potion of the sail luffs or the bottom telltales break first - move the fairlead AFT.If the leech flutters, top portion of the sail breaks or the top telltales break - move the fairlead FORWARD.There is also a trim sequence for the mainsail, which I'll get into later. Frankly, I'm a big believer in a step by step approach to sail trim. Too many sailors start at step 5, go to step 3 and then to step 1 and then wonder why it doesn't work. My Sail Trim Chart, along with a bunch of other things, outlines these steps and also gives a step by step proceedure for setting twist.

 

[Don Guillette]

Teltales

Wayne Elphinstone; First to the most important question you presented - where to get my book and chart!!! Just give Karisa or Sara at Sailboatowners.com a call and one will be in the mail to you the day I get the order.The first thing you need to do, while your waiting for my book, is install telltales on your main. Installation is simple, just attach them to the ends of the battens. If you really want to be trick, atach one on each side of the main just about in the center of the sail You will read them just like you do the ones on the jib. Some sailors say that the mast blocks these telltales and makes them ineffective. The mast may block them a bit but I find them effective.

 

[Jim Seamans]

Reading the book is great, Don but

my problem is were to place the telltails to get the best information from them. How many on the jib and place where? How many on the main and where? Simple questions with complicated answers.I had the sails off and washed this winter and will be wanting to install telltails.JimS/V Java

 

[Don Guillette]

Jim Seamans: The placement on the main is easy. You just place them (1 each)at the end of each batten pockets. The most important one to read is the TOP one. You could also place two (one on each side like the jib) in the middle of the sail.I also place telltails on the shrouds and backstay. On the shrouds, I use the stuff you tie up tomatoe plants with. One roll lasts a lifetime!! The beauty of those are you can sail right down the groove.On the jib telltales - generally the packet they come in gives the placement directions. I placed mine about 2' back from the edge of the sail. I split the sail in 1/3's and then placed them in the middle of each 3rd. i hope that makes sense. I've seen guys put 2 and 3 sets in a row and while it looks nice I think it is overkill. One set in each 3rd is plenty. the most important ones to read on the jib are the middle ones.Here's an easy tip for the jib trimmer. If the inside one is flipping - trim IN the sheetuntil it start flowing. If the outside one is flipping - ease out the sheet until it start flowing.

 

[Don Guillette]

Teltales

David Williams: Check out that article I was referring to about limp telltales. The reason you can't read the telltales going downwind is that there is no "attached flow". The sail is stalled. in effect it is a big kite and you have to depend on the feel you get from the mainsheet.

 

[Don Guillette]

Kevin Wonmop, Co: 9 and 11 is a great age to get youngsters involved in sailing. I would put one on the mainsheet/traveler and the other on the jib. Just start off by having the jib trimmer trim in and out and see what happens to the speed of the boat. Have the mainsheet/traveler trimmer ease up and down the traveler and adjust the boom vang. Have them watch what happen to the speed and shape of the sails as they perform these functions. Have them watch the telltales.Kids pick this stuff up so fast you can't believe it. A funny thing happened to me many years ago when I was getting serious about sail trim. I knew all the functions of all the controls but I still could not see the forest for the trees. One day I was on a friend boat talking about sail trim and his 13 year old daughter starts telling me how it all fits together. I almost fell overboard but the light went on and I never looked back thanks to a 13 year old girl!!