Main Halyard Tension

[NOLAsailing]

I've tended to be hard on in heavier breeze and ease off in light. Looks like this is not quite right going uphill.

One of problems with not ever racing. You keep on perpetuating errors year after year after year.

Actually, this not necessarily wrong, Mr. Wombat. If it's light, you don't want the sail to be flat. Ease off a bit and check boatspeed. Also, foot off a little as you'll kill your speed pointing too high in light breeze. The sail may look a little funny with a few wrinkles, but boat speed rules - keep an eye on the knotmeter.

[sailingdog]

Just remember that as the wind strength increases, you'll generally want a flatter sail shape, and if you have dacron, rather than high-tech or wire halyards and outhauls, they will stretch more in higher winds, requiring them to be tightened a bit more than in lower winds.

[max-on]

TDW, did you use the cunningham on Giulietta, or did Alex outright refuse to depower the boat at anything less than a full knockroach.

[rabbit238]

When setting the halyard tension in a Shields we look for the position of the maximum draft about 2/3 up the mainsail in combination with the windspeed. The tighter the halyard the more the maximum draft moves forward. We try to keep the maximum draft about at 50%. The stronger the breeze the more halyard tension is needed. It gets complicated since the shape of the sail is also strongly effected by the backstay tension and also the forestay length. For less breeze we look for a deeper sail. The Cunningham tends to get used in a strong breeze to effect the lower portion of the sail and move the draft forward. Other boats would be trimmed differently but the universal point is the desired shape of the sail is the goal for the particular windspeed and heading.

[sailingdog]

Backstay tension is something that only really affects fractional rig boats. However, it does help flatten the mainsail and headsail considerably.

[Sailormon6]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Backstay tension is something that only really affects fractional rig boats. However, it does help flatten the mainsail and headsail considerably.

I found a backstay adjuster helpful on my former masthead rigged boat. The rig was adjusted so that, when I applied backstay tension, it exerted force downward on the top of the mast, and so that the only way the midsection of the mast could bend was to bow forward, pulling the midsection of the mainsail with it.

You can see how it works by putting one end of a slender dowel on a table, and pushing down on the other end with your hand. The dowel will bow in the middle, out of column. It bends more easily if you start it off with a little pre-bend. I adjusted the mast's rigging so that it could only bend one way, and so that it could only bend so far, and no farther.

[nolatom]

One other thing to keep in mind, along with wind speed, is sea conditions.

In general, you want sails fuller in light air and flatter in heavy.

But also, if you're trying to punch through a sloppy sea, you need the sails a little fuller than in a calm sea, think of it as a lower gear on a car or bike, to give you more power when the seas make your trip a little more "uphill".

Windspeed is the primary factor, but sea condition, though secondary, is still important.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by max-on

TDW, did you use the cunningham on Giulietta, or did Alex outright refuse to depower the boat at anything less than a full knockroach.

Played around with outhaul mainly. Alex set the halyard relatively hard which was apt for the conditions. I don't recall him pulling on more cunningham . He did drop in a reef when it really piped up.


In general people, don't misunderstand me, I do like to sail as efficiently as possible. Lets face it , its probably more important to get a slow boat moving as well as possible than it is a fast one. Of course its also often the case that a fast boat is more temperamental than the slow.

What I didn't fully understand was the halyard v outhaul adjustment. Couldn't quite see how the halyard was effecting the draft of the sail. Outhaul yes, halyard no but since reviewing Alex's vid and following up on advice received here I think I get it now.

Hey, you never know, might make a sailor of me yet instead of a lazy old fart , half asleep , steering with his foot and just letting the world go on about it's business.

I do have to say that sailing G was something of an eye opener. I'd never sailed so consistently fast for such a relatively long period of time. Don't think I'd ever get obsessed with it, but it was fun even though everything happens just a bit too quickly for my liking.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Backstay tension is something that only really affects fractional rig boats.

Not strictly true. As it applies to the main: Yes. But backstay tension affects the forestay tension on a masthead-rigged boat, allowing you to adjust the headsail's depth. (We have a backstay tensioner on our masthead-rigged boat.)

Originally Posted by sailingdog

However, it does help flatten the mainsail and headsail considerably.

It's my understanding backstay tension has little-to-no effect on the main on a masthead rig.

Jim