View Single Post
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 02-12-2003
Sailormon6 Sailormon6 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 2,019
Rep Power: 11
Sailormon6 will become famous soon enough
Depowering the sails and twist

If you have genoa tracks and adjustable genoa cars on your boat, then I agree with sailmc and Duaneising that you can move your jibsheet leads aft. If you don''t have genoa tracks and cars, and if you are overpowered, then I think you need to reduce your sail area more.

A boat that is overpowered will heel excessively and can''t point to windward. You can reduce the power that is generated by your sails by using sail trimming devices to change their shape, or by reducing their area.

As a sailboat moves forward, it gulps huge quantities of air in the opening between the luff of the jib and the mast, and it directs that air aft through the narrow slot between the jib and the mainsail. When the jib is forcing too much air through the slot, it causes the luff of the mainsail to lift and flutter. You can use sail trimming adjustments to reduce that effect to a certain extent, but there is a point at which you have to reduce sail area in order to stop the mainsail from luffing.
Reply With Quote Share with Facebook