Sail Trim - August 26, 2014
Are you looking to improve your performance in racing, give your crew a bit of a boost?
Turn off ALL your electronics.! Go out and practice some boat handling. When that’s solid, set the boat up so that you think its good and then as skipper close your eyes and try to drive to stay in the groove. If you cannot, have them give you a bit more twist in the jib.
When you can stay in the groove for 30 seconds move onto the next task: Drive in a straight line and have your mainsail trimmer trim the main so that the heel of the boat stays absolutely constant. Â Now that he’s “mastered” that (or close to it) go back and redo the “sail with the eyes closed” exercise with active main trim. See if you can take some twist out of the jib.
Mark the car positions and take notes of what works!
Now get the boat so that “she feels good”  and start experimenting with the vang and give a bit more twist, a bit less twist,  a bit more sheet out, a bit more sheet in,  a bit more traveller down, a bit more traveller up.  A bit more backstay, a bit less backstay.
Now that you think you’ve got it sorted: Turn the electronics back on. Â Start with only one number – boatspeed – leave the rest of it turned off. Go through your range of controls and see where you are maximizing boat speed and she still “feels good”.
NOW and ONLY NOW, Â turn on your VMG on the GPS (and set a weather mark at over 100 miles away upwind) Â and see at what optimal speed setting you get best VMGs.
Write down car positions backstay settings etc.
Good luck practising!
