"DSK" wrote in message
...
Walt wrote:
[snip]

The thing to remember is that the relative angle of the sail to the boat
is what's important. Always look up past the boom... the top batten is a
good indicator...

Could you expand on this, please?


[snip]

So I view the traveler as a way to depower when beating in higher winds.

Right... the traveller lets the main out without letting the upper
section get all floppy. The important thing here is that easing the
traveller instead of the sheet keeps the twist constant, and for
fractional rigs and/or backstayless rigs (like dinghies) it keeps the
jib luff tension more consistant.

Understood!




Pulling the boom all the way to the centerline is probably over trimming
in most situations, so letting the traveler down was likely an
improvement, even if you let it down too far.

I dunno, lots of keelboats can carry the boom at or slightly above
centerline. Depends on the conditions and what he was trying to do. If
the boat's not overpowered then letting the traveller down is probably
not the thing to do.

Hmmmm....

At the weekend, on our final leg with 15 kts(T) forward of the beam, the
boat *felt* right.

I had the travellor set about 6" below the centreline, and we were sheeted
in hard. Previously, I would have had the travellor *on* the centreline -
or maybe a little above it.


It's odd, but I find the nav, and boat handling a piece of cake. Efficient
sail trim is still a bit of a black art!


Regards


Donal
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