Jay,(and others!) can you talk more about sailing lanes? I've just recently been introduced to that concept, and I can see the value in paying attention to it. Thanks!

Dave

The search function on CS is limited at best. Unless you start a thread with an easily remembered name it will be difficult to retrieve the information later.

Have you read any of the many books on sailing tactics?

Years ago I got Eric Twiname's, "Start to Win". I read it once to get an overview of his theory of sailboat racing. I then read it again and tried to remember situations that the varous topics applied to. When I finally started to understand what he was saying, I could see the words from the book as a race unfolded.

Stick with one author so you are not distracted by the different words that each author uses to describe a particular situation.

How do you get to Carnigie Hall: Practice, Practice, Practice.

How do you get to the Pocono's: Quit Practicing.

Easiest way to imagine it is this: the wind is not homogeneous. It oscillates (sometimes asynchronosly) in both direction and velocity. The more generic terms may include "puff", "pressure", "veer", etc.

If you stood at the top of a bridge or building and looked across an expanse of water, you can see some of the vagaries of the wind as it moves across the water. It's harder to visualize while you're on the water, but that's where the really good sailors/tacticians are able to shine.

A good lane, ideally, is one which gives you the best direction and pressure toward your intended direction, as well as no "spoil" from other boats to windward. The lane will most likely be in constant flux, and it's your job to try to stay "in phase" with these changes.

Or, you could be like me and chase flyers and get out of sync which ensures that I won't have to make space in my sailbag for any trophies.

Tuning is somewhat similar in car racing. You can get general settings to keep you on the track, but only the really good drivers benefit from all the little tweaks we discuss ad nauseum on the forum

Spreader rake (as an example) won't make you any faster than you are already if you don't already have a good technique for boathandling.

A blown tack/gybe/rounding/start will influence your overall performance far more than an incorrect batten tension.

I think we all talk about the tweaks here because few of us are big enough to really admit we suck at sailing and don't spend time practicing

I know that doesn't help much, but maybe T-back or Matt can take a look at your settings next time you're at T-winds...

I've been through all that with Matt. The boat's fine.

I pinch. Every time I take my mind off that for any reason, when I get resettled, I'm pinching. That and I under sheet for some reason.

...and I'll get with Terry. He thanks you in advance. [he's the only guy I ever beat and then only about 1/3 of the time]

I think the reason people stress on trim is it's easily attainable, without a time investment. Like said before once your game comes up , your tuning can change to it. I see time on the water and rig refinement as two separate things. It irks the crap out of me when people say don't worry about the boat just go sail. How about worry about the boat AND go sail. The 2 together make way more difference than either by itself. "Seat time" is key in any competitive sport, but having your gear right is pretty important also.

"It irks the crap out of me when people say don't worry about the boat just go sail."

Especially when they beat you...

I think a main reason people here focus on setup is because many folks have "complicated" boats, with lots of settings. Also, many of us are engineers. And, it's easier to "see" and "control" setup than it is to sail correctly and repeatably, since no two sets of sailing conditions (within or between races) are ever identical, and even with GPS tracking, you can't really measure what you're doing with the stick and sheets.

EDIT:

"How about worry about the boat AND go sail." The best sailors do exactly this. The trick is to find the right balance, and at some point, you have to forget about the settings and sail what you have."

Mike

"few of us are big enough to really admit we suck at sailing"

When was the last time you saw someone with the jib sheeted to the wrong side? Those are the people for whom sailing is truly difficult and imo they quit out of frustration.

"and even with GPS tracking, you can't really measure what you're doing with the stick and sheets."

next time out I'll mark my sheets with different colors for different adjustments and see what the gps shows...when I get around to it. I also have a Rube Goldberg wind indicator rattling around inside my head...

Pete,
You can always invest in a speedpuck. It will show you when you are pinching, slow, fast, etc. I was amazed at some of the findings when I started to use one. Use it as a learning tool. Try different setting and you can see the results. Plus its fun just to see how fast you are going. The large display makes it easy to check and keep your head out of the boat.

I know, but it's expensive and some of the other classes have prohibited them.

I won't buy one unless they are universally accepted. And we're back to that "time on the water" thing. It won't show me squat unless I go sailing!

Frankly, I don't have a lot of time for sailing right now. Maybe in the new year.

Don't get me wrong, if you have a GPS/speedpuck, etc. it's definitely one more arrow to have in the quiver.

Even if your class doesn't allow it for racing, it might give you more incentive to get out and practice (an excuse to get out on the water to use the new toy).

Mike

You guys are F’d.
If you got beat on the start line or around the course it had nothing to do with tuning.
When you sail you have a tiller, sheet and then the downhaul rotator. Unless you boat settings are completely screwed up, like being upside down, these 4 controls which you have on the water will be what makes you fast.

Also why in the world would you want to adjust things constantly and have your boat potentially feel different? Learn what you have and how to make it go fast. If it is always different, how do you learn what is fast? If you boat does not seem to point, quit trying – there is where people lose big time. Do what you need to do to go fast and it will equal out in the end.

You want to truly train get a buddy. Lots more fun to not sail alone anyway and we need more people sailing. Forget the speed puck if you are serious. If not you might as well just look to a forum for that miracle mast rake setting that let you start winning races.

One more specific question:
How much initial tension you want on the jib halyard/jib luff?
I like to rig with just enough tension to transfer most of the slack from the shrouds to the forestay, but have been wondering if taking all the slack would be better.

what kind of boat?

I'd say that happens with 90% of sailors, and pretty much anyone who comes from leaners to cats (at least for the first bit of time on the new platform). And if you're sailing close to another boat, it's very hard not to start pinching.

I used to crew on a guy's Tartan 31 who was a gnat's eyelash away from being in irons every upwind session. He'd always say "look at all that real estate" between us and the leeward boats, but they always managed to sail on past us and we'd be the last boat at A. He bought a 135% genoa thinking that would solve the problem. It didn't. If it wasn't so fun to lose races with him, I would have jumped ship years before I actually did.

You've got windward helm most likely, so any time you're not paying attention your boat is probably going to head up. And you said it yourself - when I get resettled. Head "out of the boat" is always faster.

Your jib telltales are the quickest way to find out if you're pinching or not without having to look away for long. I guess the benefit of a 2-up boat is that the driver can focus on stuff like that, while the stringer could make the proper sail adjustments for the course being steered.

The helm is fine. You were on the boat with me. Did you think we were pinching? I'm guessing not. That's because you were there to tend the boat and let me drive so I didn't become distracted.

It's easier to sail it that way. Face it, these are demanding boats. I find myself pinching from time to time too - especially when I'm getting tired and particularly on the a-cat.

At the bottom of linked page there is a percent draft, position, and twist for light, medium, and heavy air.
Any sailmakers have a similar table for beachcats?
http://www.wb-sails.fi/news/98_11_PerfectShape/Main.htm