If I may comment regarding some of the questions by novice sailors regarding sail
trim and some of the technical and advanced
responses they get, let me say that there is
a very simple way for beginners to trim sail.
Since none of you are going to be trying out
for the olympics any time soon, use this very
simple technique. Set up your halyard and
outhaul hard for windy conditions to flatten
the sail and take the draft out of it. Set
them up soft for light conditions to make them baggier. Now, when you are sailing, start with the foresail and ease the sheet
slowly until the luff just breaks, then
harden up just enough to remove the break.
Do the same with the main. Your sails will
have the correct angle to the wind and you
will have smooth air flow over them.
Beginning golfers start out slicing. Beginning sailors almost always start out
sheeting in too hard. Here is an excellent
drill to help you feel the effects of sail trim.
It is expecially revealing in a
dinghy.
Harden your main sheet right in until you
are well heeled while maintaining the same
bearing. In order to stay on your rhumb
line you will notice that you have to really
pull on the tiller. The rudder will feel like
a barn door dragging through the water and
your wake will be a mess. But you will be
tracking in a straight
line. Now ease your
sheet and let her come back up on her feet.
Notice how you have to ease the rudder to
stay on your
line. What is happening is
that when your boat heels, it sails on a
different underwater shape than when it is
straight up. This makes it want to turn into
the wind. You have to counter that with rudder. Thus the proverbial weather helm.
When you ease your sheets, thus reducing
the heeling, she sails on her feet, tracks
straighter, and you need less rudder which
reduces drag and thus you go faster. Do this
a few times over several ranges of heeling.
Remember, it is slot shape and leach tension
that determines the drive efficiency of your
sails. Ease sheet till the luff just breaks;
ease back in until it is gone. Keep her on
her feet and she''ll go well. Keep it simple
until you get some time under sail. Let the
wind tell you what to do. It will talk to
you through the luff of your sails and your
tell-tales coupled with the amount or heel
it gives your boat
Wishing you fair wind and a clean bottom,
dhartdallas