Rig Tune to Get Better Performance.
Firstly, I would like to correct an error in last weeks Blog regarding using the compass to establish Line bias. Phil Crebbin, a UK 470 Olympian kindly pointed this out. He has provided the correct method which is copied below in bold.
Everybody knows that it is the wind direction vs the line direction that...
Twist, is the relative trim of your sail from top to bottom. Your sail has a lot of twist when the top of the leech is open. When you have a closed leech, this is described as little twist. Twist's Importance and When to Use It
The effect of an increase in twist is a reduction of power. Reducing...
Depending on the boat you sail, the boom vang will be one of the most important controls. Vang tension determines the twist of your mainsail.
As we go from sailing upwind to across the wind and then downwind, the difference in mainsheet tension will determine how much the boom will try to lift as you ease the sheet and this...
Understanding and Controlling Upwind Sail Power - Upwind sail power comes from 3 sources:
The angle of attack.
Depth in the sail (draft)
Twist.
When trimming our sails we want to get our boat to full power and we must adjust for the sailing conditions by altering the three power sources listed above.
Sails are built so that they can perform in a variety...
Effects of Headstay Sag
Headstay sag affects everything from boat speed to pointing ability and that's why headstay sag matters.
Sailboats with headstay sag often point higher and maintain boatspeed better in light-air conditions. One of the key methods to power up a sail is to induce sag in the forestay.
Dinghies obviously only have one jib and many sailboat classes limit...
Use your Traveller or Mainsheet to depower the mainsail. The traveller has two functions, it controls the boom's angle to the wind and it steers the boat controlling helm and heeling in puffs and lulls.
Mainsheet
The mainsheet controls the twist and then you use the traveller to position the boom on the centreline. This gives maximum power and pointing as...
Gear changing is what separates the mid-fleet sailors from those who always seem to be a tad quicker and higher.
While most of the fleet starts the race with a similar setup created with the help of a tuning guide, the fast boats are constantly making additional adjustments. When conditions suddenly change—a puff hits or you sail into a lull,...
Trimming Sails Together. Generally, on boats that are going slow, one sail will be much looser or tighter than the other. Conversely, it might be flatter or fuller than the other.
Fast boats have similar depth in the main and jib as well as similar twist profiles. It is worth noting though that even if conditions don’t dictate flat sails,...
