The Best of Sail trim by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Sailing -- Addresses, essays, lectures
ISBN: 0914814036
Publisher: Boston : Sail Books ; New York : distributed by Norton
Published: 1975-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Backstay tension device on Cal 29 can easily be installed at low cost. It is made up of horizontal bar with phenolic sheaves, designed to ride up and down on double backstay. Full tension, used for windward work, is held by lanyard running to cleat below, located near rudder post. When released, for downwind ride, device rides up backstays. Backstays, rigged to form inverted "Y", have single section aloft ending at masthead for minimum windage.

bend the boom, providing additional flatness to the mainsail.

One other device, the mainsheet traveler, can work wonders in positioning a boom in such a way as to overcome a troublesome leech.

An overtight leech, for instance, can be softened by setting the stop to windward and loosening the mainsheet to bring the boom back into proper position. In close reaching conditions, the traveler can be used to hold the boom down just by running the stop out to its widest position and sheeting home. Ballbearing travelers can be adjusted under tension and are available in a number of sizes from several manufacturers.

Plastic battens are well worth the extra cost, if for no other reason than putting an end to flying splinters and torn pockets. But a far better reason is the fact that they provide greater flexibility at the end farthest from the leech.

Wooden battens have a habit of producing V shaped cross sections in the upper portion of the sail where it is most damaging to boat speed. If complete conversion is too costly the first year, go half way, and replace those in the upper pockets.

Another relatively inexpensive sail improvement is to consider having your sailmaker add a Cunningham

hole to your main. This is nothing more than a grommet set in a patch just above the gooseneck, where it can be used to create additional tension in the mainsail luff.

On the higher end of the cost scale is a device to vary the back stay tension quickly. This comes in handy going to windward when extra tension on the bow stay is called for to prevent it from sagging off to leeward.

But if the hydraulic devices now on the market are too expensive for you, one alternative is to consider rerigging your existing backstay to incorporate a double lower section like an inverted “Y”.

It requires substituting the aft chainplate with two located at the outer edges of the transom. Actually this provides a much stronger base point than just one at the center.

But the double backstay section is a handy way to apply or remove tension quickly. This can be done by pulling the two shrouds together either with a sliding device or by tying. For upwind work pull down hard, and retract it for downwind sailing.

There are many other sail handling improvements you can make to help efficiency or ease your work. Convert your spinnaker sail bag to a better

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