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Old 01-19-2008
Valiente Valiente is offline
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Valiente will become famous soon enoughValiente will become famous soon enough
Moving the traveller will impart some tension if the deck (and the traveller track) is cambered (curved to match the curve of the deck) and if the change in traveller position changes the angle at which the wind encounters the sail, thereby changing the forces on the sail.

"Spilling the traveller" (which may just be my term) is something I do in variable winds when racing, because the best sail angle is constantly changing in respect to the course, but the wind itself may be steady. In other words, my helming is all about sailing to the mark, but my mainsail manipulation is about playing the winds that will take me there.
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