Using Your Traveler

[Don Guillette]

Mates: In a few days I'm going to do a discussion on the traveler. Most sailors actually think it performs more functions than it does. Hopefully, when we finsih you'll know exactly what it does and how to use it effectively in light, medium and heavy air.I'm going to present the thread from a different perspective. I'm going to explain how I use it as the mainsheet/traveler trimmer on a race boat. I like that job because trimming the jib is too much work!! I know not everyone races and actually I'm not that crazy about it either - I used to be but now I'm more of a cruiser. A lot of folks think that racing trim and cruising trim are two different things but they are the same - there is not a cruising way and a racing way to trim sails. There is only a right way and a wrong way. As an intro - the traveler only does one thing and that is it to control the angle of attack. It has nothing to do with the shape of the sail. Most of you have heard this analogy before. Picture your screen door with a peg at the edge of the door that rides in a track or groove in the floor. The track and the pin are the traveler. When you open and close the door, does the shape of the screen door change? Of course it doesn't and neither does the shape of your mainsail.As always on this forum, my way may not be your way or even the best way. What you should do is check out what I'm saying and see if it makes sense. If it does then go out and try it and see if it works for you. I'll always support my conclusions with facts - statements without supporting facts are useless. Many years ago I was working on some aspect of sail trim and I came upon an article in a local sailing rag. When I read the article, it really did not make any sense but I thought what do I know as this author has tons more experience than I have. I decided to see if I could make it work on my boat. I could not. Weeks later I was in West Marine thumbing through sailing magazines and I came upon an almost identical article by Buddy Melges. His presentation made sense but I decided to check it out anyway and it worked. I'm no Buddy Melges but sail trim is not nuclear research either and it is simple to understand. The bottom line is take what people say (provided it makes sense)and go try it on your boat. If it works, use it. If not try to improve it or just junk it and move on.

 

[KennyH]

Never had one

My first two boats did not have travelers. My new to me Hunter 25 does so I am interested in learning more about this thing.

 

[David W]

Don, I have always read that

the traveller can have an effect on leech tension.

 

[Franklin]

No

The traveller just changes the wind angle. It doesn't change the tention on the leach, but it can change the pressure against it. When the traveller is let out too much then the leach will flap because it doesn't have enough pressure on the windward side to give it good shape. All the traveller does is change the wind angle. Very simple. Now it comes in handy when you make changes to other controls which require a change in the wind angle. Say you let out the main sheet to allow the boom to rise to reduce leach tension. That changes the wind angle and now you want to move the traveller in to get back the proper angle.Personally, I think the best approach to sail trim is to learn what each control does to a sail. Then when your sailing, picture what sail shape you want and then you will know what controls to use. If you don't know what shape...guess. If your wrong, you will know soon enough from the performance of the boat and can try something else. Sooner or later you will get it, but it all starts with learning what each control does.

 

[David W]

I can visualize those effects

and that helps under stand its function

 

[Don Guillette]

Using Prop Walk To Turn

David W: There is only one example I can think of where moving the traveler will change the shape of the mainsail and it was on my 1981 Catalina 30!! The reason for the shape change was the shape of the traveler track itself, which was curved to match the contour of the cabin top. So what happened when you moved the traveler, either going up hill or downhill, the mainsheet tension changed. I always hated that setup. It was cheesy with 4 crappy little rubber rollers that were loaded with friction and sometimes I had to put my foot on the bullhead to be able to move the thing. I tried to upgrade the traveler by having Garhauer Marine add blocks but the first time I took the boat out with the new setup I knew I had wasted money. I sold the traveler and replaced it with the Garhauer straight track, which is someting I should have done in the first place. I could not have been happier with that purchase.The only way to determine if there is any change in the shape of your mainsail, using a straight track traveler, is to go out and try it. Sail closehauled and move the traveler. Move it all the way to the end of the track if you want. It's the old screen door analogy. How can the shape change if there is no vertical action applied to the sail - it's all horizontal.

 

[Don Guillette]

Take a look at my book!!

Franklin: I have an easier way to learn sail trim. BUY MY BOOK, "The Sail Trim Users Guide"!! The first thing I do is discuss draft depth, draft position, twist and angle of attack. If a mate does not understand those 4 items COMPLETELY, sail trim will never make sense. After that I discuss in detail EVERY sail trim control for the main and jib and explain exactly what happens to your sails when you push or pull them. There is also a bunch of other stuff like telltales and simple proceedures to properly set your sails. The book tells you WHY you are making a sail trim adjustment. My Sail Trim Chart, which is more or less an outline of the book, tells you WHAT sail trim adjustment to make for every wind condition and point of sail. Used together, they take the guess work out of sail trim adjustment. Sail trim is sail trim and you can get it from any book. The beauty of my book is that everything about the outhaul or the traveler or all the other controls are in their own sections. In Dennis Conners book "Sail Like A Champion" (which is my bible) the info on the traveler or outhaul is all over the place, like on page 25, 62, 125 and 322. I just made up those pages but you get what I mean. The old saying is practice make perfect but I believe "practice, based on the knowledge of how the things work, make perfect. It is a faster learning curve. You can buy may products at the ships store at sailboatowners.com. A mate could figure all this sail trim stuff out himself as it isn't brain surgery but why waste your time - I've already done it for you. your time has to worth more than $33.50

 

[Don Guillette]

Mates Obviously, disregard the heading "using prop walk to turn". I hit the wrong button!!

 

[Bobby Powell]

Using a traveler to provide twist

I use the travler alot to help put twist in the main on light air days. I move the travler maximum windward and release the vang. Then I let out the main sheet till the top tell tail flies. Adjusting the leech line also helps, but I'm carefull not to stall the main.

 

[Franklin]

Your kidding...right

Right?

 

[Didereaux]

Don, what about this?

Don, Question? In very light winds and close hauled, with main almost on the centerlineand vang completely loose. An aft sheeted main on a traveler set at center point exerts a direct downward strain on the boom, not allowing it to rise or fall. Now move the car to the far windward side of the traveler, leaving the boom at the same attack angle. What I see is the boom rising slightly as the wind puffs and seeming(to me anyway) that the main becomes fuller. Which is good in this situation. Isn't this then changing the shape of the sail?didereaux

 

[Don Guillette]

Didereaux: There are always exceptions - the curved track traveler on the C30 is one and boom end sheeting with the traveler in the center of the boom is maybe another. I would guess that 98% of production boats are set up with the mainsheet attached to the traveler at the mid point of the boom and that is what I have to deal with - the norm. Any other setup will produce different results - maybe. I'm not sure but a mate could tell in less than 5 seconds by moving the traveler and seeing what happens. In very light winds (key words - very light) you do not want any fullness to the sail because the wind does not have enough power to get around the sail. You want the sail as flat as possable. As the wind pipes up you want to gradually induce fullness and then when you get to about 12 to 15 knots of wind speed you want to start taking it out to get to a flat sail setup just before you reef.On another subject - I believe you live near Galveston, TX? If not, just disregard this and possably someone else from that area can answer me. Next year the Catalina 30 National Regatta will be held in Galveston and I normally crew with the national team. This year it was held in Seattle but I missed it. I don't have details as to the actual YC location yet but are there any decent RV / Golf Resorts in Galveston near the water? My plan is to drive there in my motor home and kill 2 birds with one stone - a bit of a vacation and sail in the national event. If there are any Galveston Catalina 30 sailors reading this forum, the C30 national is something you could consider. It is really a lot of fun. You don't have to be a cracker jack sailor to sail in these events either.

 

[Didereaux]

Don - re: Galv/RV/golf

Don,There are one or two RV parks(decent) on Galveston Island, but probably the best is a state park on the beach just west of town. I am told(not a golfer) that the one main course on the island is okay; HOWEVER, 30 miles to the north on Clear Lake(near NASA) is the largest (they say) collection of private recreation boats in the nation, as well as quite a number of first rate golf courses. The best would probably be the one north of Houston, The Woodlands where the Shell Nationals are held...but that is another 30-35 miles north.Depending upon the exact location of the C-30 event(might actually be in the central bay area, then the Clear Lake area is your best bet.Both locations have several excellent restaurants. Galveston Island is laid back and a good place to chill out, but believe or not they have only a few sailors on the island, one small yacht club and only two semi-adequate marinas, whereas Clear Lake has too many to even list.Give me an email to didereaux(at)yahoo(dot)com and a little lead time and I can get you a good list etc. Hell, might even get you to autograph my(your) book! hehdid