Sail Trim questions

ritzpro

New Member
Sailed for 6 hours yesterday. Gave me a lot of time to wonder about trim. Realized I didn't know much about downwind. Anyone who can answer, please do.

When you're on a reach, does it make any sense to use the whisker pole to flatten the jib and make it more of an airfoil?

When you're running before the wind, I found that if I sat on the windward side, giving the boat a bit of negative heel, there was much less resistance on the tiller. I'm assuming this is what one should do.

If you're running wing and wing, and the wind starts shifting around to the beam a little, how far forward can you let your whisker pole swing before the jib isn't helping any more?

Finally, a technique question. I started out sailing with just a reefed main, then added jib, then pulled the reef and sailed with all sail up. The pulling of the reef was a bit ungainly. I tried to keep the boat into the wind, but between the tides and having to keep the boom in the cockpit to pull the lines, we kept falling downwind. Any suggestions for a more graceful way to do this, short of putting in Ed Jones's jiffy reef?

Thanks
 
When your reaching in a 14.2 it is not effective to use the pole. If sailing with crew , have them hold the Clew of the sail out and Slightly down to keep the sail in trim. Always try to balance the boat so there is no helm for maximum speed.

When sailing downwind, trim the pole position fore and aft relative to the wind angle and boat direction you're trying to sail. When the true wind is at 90 degrees to the boat, sail deeper or dose the pole. If you continue to reach, the apparent wind will move forward as the boat speed increases so trim accordingly.

These boats can be sailed fast and deep downwind if you work them in the puffs. I don't think you'll see good performance reaching with the pole (you'll get dropped if your racing).
Hope this helps some.
Bottom line, keep trying different things out and you'll find what makes the boat go.
 
Correct me if im wrong Mr Hoffman, but it was always my understanding that when going on a reach, go for the pole as soon as possible to get the jib out form under the hole of he main?

BV
 
Good luck with that move. I have been over taken by sailors reaching with the jib eased and no pole. I'm talking reach here with a TWA of 90 degrees or less. The slot between the jib and the main seems much more effective than using the pole forward . This is just my experience and observation in the c14.2. If you've made it work in a race , I'd be interested to know as maybe we're talking about different angles or something. Anyway, your the National Champion , so I bow to your greatness and wisdom. Howed the big boat race go to Mexico???
Richard
 
I dont know if putting the pole up works or not i was just always under that impression. The big boat sailing was awsome......I drove and we correctd out second in class...conditions were excelent.

Brian
 
Putting the pole up on a reach in the C14.2 seems like it would work better but the times I've tried it I get crushed. The boat just doesn't go well. I really think that as long as you are maintaining flow on the jib with the telltales streaming , you then get the benifit of the slot pulling the boat along. The jib and main are working together as they were designed to. If the wind goes aft far enough, than the jib stops working because the main has covered it from the wind. Then you have to decide to either heat it up or go for the pole and sail lower. I've seen a simular effect when two one design boats are hard reaching to the next mark and the one sets the kite while the other sticks with the jib. The guy with the jib set makes out most the time as the guy with the kite fights to make the mark.

Way to go on the Big boat race. Now that you've driven a lead mine in a race you'll probably leave the small boats....not!
cheers,
Richard
 

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