I sail a Taipan 4.9 as a uni with a Hooter for off the wind. In my experience I have found that the downhaul in these and most cats that I have sailed is probably one of the most important tools to trim.
<br>Knowing that you are a bit busy -- one hand for the sheet, the other for the tiller -- it still is a good idea to have a long downhaul sheet that you can lay in your lap or have nearby and trim when the wind pipes up for a while, and ease when it lets up.
<br>At the end of the downhaul line I usually just tie a bowline around the trapeze bungee cord -- that way the downhaul is nearby at all times. If I need it, I just reach down and grab it and trim.
<br>Just in case you don't know, the downhaul will bend the mast. The bending mast will allow the fullness of the sail (built into the luff curve) to fill the vacancy left by the bending mast and thereby flatten the sail. The flatter the sail the easier to control the hull flying, and the faster you will go in the heavier air
<br>Crude presentation, but then again it is early on Monday.
<br>Good luck,
<br>Rick White<br><br>