I am glad you got it.the diagram didn't make any sense to me until i started drawing all over it, then it made sense.
Just took the laser out for a bit and did some practical stuff. Without competition sailing a set course, or instruments it is difficult to get any sort of true data, but I would pinch a bit when the speed came up, until it slowed, went down past polar a bit, picked up tons of speed and pinched again. The final result was that over distance the overall had me pointing higher overall than just sailing polars. I don't know if the VMG was better though... will try it out Monday night at the beer cans.
i wanna see this trapeze! and a laser weighing 60 lbs... ross?
I fully agree with many others that optimal speed can be found by feel, listen etc.
For for the persons who want to have numbers, I'm using a Timex Speed and Distance watch. An advantage of a watch is that it's easy to read on any position of your body in your Laser.
Remember: vote ross.
He has a lot of work to do. JC strap, 60lb lasers, trap webbing on sails...oh yeah and Carbon boweyes.
Simplest method I can think of, that would at least give some indiction for little money would be a short length of flexible tubing mounted on one side of the tiller plate, or better still, on the transom.
The bottom needs to bent though 90deg and faced into the oncoming water. Put a bouyant bead in the pipe, and crimp the top so it can't escape (but air can). The faster you go, the more water is forced into the tube, and the higher the ball sits. Use pipe strong enough to stay erect, but weak enough to shrug off the mainsheet as it passes.
No idea whether it would work in practice, but seems to in my head...
I also have vang return, JC Clew Strap Safety Line
and somewhere in there are carbon booms, 1 or 2 piece wing masts, better sails, middle boom sheeting, middle traveler, open cockpit, but none of that is serious because it would dramatically change the class, and possibly be not good for the immediate future of the class
Since this horse isnt quite dead yet, I want to beat it some more. So I thought I would take a different tack. So my question is: If under ideal conditions and sailing as close to the wind as possible; If there is a 20 knot wind what is the best attainable speed I can expect? What percent of the windspeed can I expect to use as boat speed? Same question going down wind ?
Since this horse isnt quite dead yet, I want to beat it some more. So I thought I would take a different tack. So my question is: If under ideal conditions and sailing as close to the wind as possible; If there is a 20 knot wind what is the best attainable speed I can expect? What percent of the windspeed can I expect to use as boat speed? Same question going down wind ?