Let's not go dragging up old dirt...(and making rediculously long posts)

Bill,

I genuinly want to understand more about the physics behind the straight track...You said that that in order to achieve proper sail shape on the straight track that the traveler car had to be centered on the beam (which will obviously not work) - parden me if I misquote. Is that because the sheet goes from the center of the beam to the traveler to the clew of the sail? I can understand why, if this were the case, that adding additional purchase between the sail and the car would reduce the force pulling the sail toward the center of the boat. The sheeting force would have to be offset by the wind force pushing the sail outboard and by adding more purchase between the jib clew and the traveler, that meant the force on the single sheet running to the travler is less to achieve the same tension in the jib. The solution to this used by our current self tackers is to have the sheet go forward on the spin pole to a turning block located nearest the jib tack, then to the jib traveler, then to the clew of the sail (2:1 between the clew and the traveler). This way, no matter how much tension is applied to the sheet, it always remains inline with the traveler jib load and gives the traveler no incentive to move. Wait...Ahhhhh (I'm just figuring this out)....BUT on a straight track, even if the sheet force is generating from the clew of the sail, it will still tend to pull the car to center...now I see. (I'm really figuring this out as I go).

OK - for simplicty I personally rate the straight track highly. However, getting proper sail trim depends too much on getting a perfect sail cut, batten tenson, free flowing pulley system with no corrosion, etc....and if you simply wanted to try sheeting your jib in tighter to flatten it in higher winds your adjustment is highly restricted. I agree that the jib will, by design, have to be sheeted tighter to maintain the same geometry in higher wind but you are limited again by reaction of the jib material, cut, shape, etc to higher loads...which changes throughout the life of a sail. Ergo, your jib trim is dictated by the design of all the contributing compenents and not what the sailor desires. The pure racer in me says "curved track" and the pleasure racer in me says "straight track" - and this is probably why you offer both systems.