Whats the best sail configuration to heel a boat over to see how she handles? I would think you would want to reef the jib so that it had the configuation of a working jib. Then hold the mainsheet and not lock it into a cam cleat so that it could be release quickly. I would think that if you had too much jib out the boat would not round up as quickly and may heel a lot more more before rounding up. Has anyone seen a boat with too much jib out swing down wind when over powered?
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Or not...
Good sail trim means having the right amount of sail for the wind, and then setting those sails to drive the boat under control, and on her feet. Setting the boat with too much sail and then trimming the sails wrong to induce abnormal heel will tell you little or nothing about sailing the boat in high winds and the high seas that will come with them. At some heel, your rudder will stall and you will round up out of control. If you have little or no main, and most of your foresail out, you could round down, headed for an accidental gybe if the rudder does not recover. Instead, I suggest that you sail your boat (properly rigged) in higher winds - say 20 to 30 knots. You will learn a lot more about the boat and your capabilities in real conditions. For gale force winds, you will need a storm jib and a trysail. Again, the objective is the right sails to give you control and a safe ride. Beyond that, you will be under the trysail or bare poles, and heaving to, or deploying a sea anchor, or exhausting the helm in an attempt to run before the storm. David Lady Lillie
Good sail trim means having the right amount of sail for the wind, and then setting those sails to drive the boat under control, and on her feet. Setting the boat with too much sail and then trimming the sails wrong to induce abnormal heel will tell you little or nothing about sailing the boat in high winds and the high seas that will come with them. At some heel, your rudder will stall and you will round up out of control. If you have little or no main, and most of your foresail out, you could round down, headed for an accidental gybe if the rudder does not recover. Instead, I suggest that you sail your boat (properly rigged) in higher winds - say 20 to 30 knots. You will learn a lot more about the boat and your capabilities in real conditions. For gale force winds, you will need a storm jib and a trysail. Again, the objective is the right sails to give you control and a safe ride. Beyond that, you will be under the trysail or bare poles, and heaving to, or deploying a sea anchor, or exhausting the helm in an attempt to run before the storm. David Lady Lillie
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