Traveler Question

[paphman]

I have been using my traveler for the last few years, and have found it to be a great help on the boat. We sail a Catalina 22 on Lake Ontario, so the wind conditions can vary alot. My question is what is the best position for the traveler to be in to make your mainsail adjustments? I have had it in the middle to do this, but is this correct? Thanks

Dale

 

[Bill Roosa]

Pulling on lines

The traveler is one line you need to understand to sail a boat. There are others and they ALL interact.
The travelers main purpose is to adjust the angle of attack of the main while not changing the sheet tension (read sail shape/twist).
After hoisting the main and jib, setting the jib sheet leads, mainsail outhaul and halyard tension for the prevailing wind strength I like to get the boat moving, coarse trim the jib, coarse trim the main.
Now the fun begins; get the center jib telltails streaming with the jib sheet. If the bottom and top are not streaming also then move the jib sheet lead to make that happen. Working from the top down adjust the traveler to get the windex and main leach at the top in alignment. Does the bottom of the sail angle of attack look right? If not then adjust the sheet to make that happen then readjust the traveler to get the top of the mainsail angle of attack right. Repeat as needed till you get a "best" solution. Use the traveler to tweek the angle of attack as the wind strenght changes and the apparent wind angle moves. alternatly, and this is more common on bigger boats where traveler changes are not an on the fly kind of thing is to, change heading to match wind trength changes.
Up in the puffs and off in the lufts when going to windward.
One thing I found amazing is how 2" (inches) of line can make a big (1 knot) differance in boat speed. We are typically dealing with 3ish degrees of angle to get a sail to be fully powered on both sides so small changes have bigg effects when you get near to having the sails correctly trimed.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It might be helpful for you to read the other topics on the forum in which you posted your question.

Like this one just below yours about travelers: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=122251

 

[Barnacle Bill]

In very light air sailing close hauled into the wind the traveler is usually brought to windward and when the winds stiffens, it is let down to leeward gradually. In puffs, you can release the traveler instead of the mainsheet. In heavy winds where you want flat sails, you usually have the vang on hard, but if you get into a broaching situation, you need to release the vang right away. Off the wind on a broad reach the traveler controls the twist in the leach of the sail. Ease the traveler and you get twist, which opens up the roach. Tighten the traveler and you straighten out the trailing edge of the sail which decreases twist.
Travelers on Catalina 22's were on the transom and earlier models weren't very long or sophisticated, so you are limited with the range and use of other travelers mounted further forward and longer in length where the effective range increases.

 

[Alan]

Bill, you've got some of it right but a major error that you are making is thinking that the traveler somehow has an affect on the twist in the sail, it doesn't. Twist or fullness of the sail is controlled by the vang, mainsheet and outhaul. Moving the traveler does change the angle of attack of the sail and can stall the sail completely but it does not affect twist.

 

[paphman]

Thanks for the answers everyone. I may have not made my question clear, which is my fault. I am asking if the position of the traveler matters when you are trimming the main. Once the main is trimmed, I understand how and when to use the traveler. Does it matter if it is all the way to lee when you trim or retrim the main, or to windward when this is done. I have tryed to center the traveler when I am trimming the main, then move the traveler for wind conditions if nessary. Hope I have done a better job of asking this time

 

[Bill Roosa]

Then you don't understand how to trim the main

Moving the traveler IS triming the main. You cannot trim without using the traveler AND sheet AND halyard AND outhaul AND cunningham AND boom vang......The traveler is not an additional thing to set after the sail is trimed. In fact you will never get to a trimed sail by always setting the traveler to a certian place then "triming" the sail then moving the traveler back.

Angle of attack, draft, twist. As Don has been saying for some time now. You have to understand these first.

 

[Alan]

I think we've bumped into another of those 'semantic' things again.

'Trim' means change the adjustment of the sail. That could be any of the controls including but not limited to the traveler. By adjusting the traveler you are 'trimming' the sail.

...and just to be extra clear, the 'Bill' I was referring to was Barnacle Bill