most common overtrim going up wind

Outhaul was my biggest problem - used to yank it on automatically. Then one day outhaul cleat stopped working, sailed whole race with no outhaul on, and did far better than I'd ever done before. Now I use it, but much more sparingly, and tend to leave the sail much fuller than hitherto - unless it's really blowing hard of course..
 
In high winds upwind the most common thing I see is some Laser sailors not letting the main off in gusts. Instead of which they either let the boat heel or they feather - not fast!
 
feathering, or crabbing as it is also called, gains you height, and is not meant for speed
 
I agree that feathering is good for some situations, say where height is needed to round a weather mark, but as a technique for keeping the boat flat, particularly in lumpy seas, slows the boat to the point that, the velocity made good to weather, is slower.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top