Walt wrote:

Donal wrote:

Walt wrote:


Why would you want to set the traveller lower? That's usually done to
depower the main, which doesn't seem to be what you were after.

I can understand travelling the main down in a drifter to flatten the
sail, but 8kts shouldn't be low enough that you would want to flatten -
seems to me you should be powering up. What gives?

I'm not very good at sail trim.


I don't know that I am either, but here's my $.02:

Most of the time you just set the traveler in the middle, and trim the
mainsheet as needed. With the traveler in the middle, sheeting the
sail all the way in brings the boom to the centerline - probably over
trimmed for most situations, so it's rare to sheet in all the way when
the traveler is in the middle.

With the traveler let down somewhat ( a dozen cm for a dinghy,more for a
boat your size) as you sheet in hard the boom doesn't come all the way
to the centerline - it only comes in as far as the traveler position.
At that point, sheeting in harder doesn't pull the boom in - it pulls it
down, flattening the mainsail, bending the mast, and depowering the rig.

My 2c

It may 'depower', but it would do so at the expense of efficiency by
closing the leech. The best way to bend the mast is with backstay
tension. This will flatten the sail without closing the leech. To
depower you really need the leech to open and use a Cunningham to help
flatten. Think of the traveller as being used to help control the leech
and it works in harmony with the mainsheet. Once the traveller
adjustment is all used up you really need the vang to help control the
leech. I suggest you should only bring the boom to centerline if you
have correct twist and then the traveller will be generally above
centerine a bit (I'm assuming well cut sails).

Cheers

Navigator wrote:
It may 'depower', but it would do so at the expense of efficiency by
closing the leech.

Or, on the other hand, it may not close the leach.

All sails are not cut the same, all rigs do not respond the same.

... The best way to bend the mast is with backstay
tension.

Depends on the rig.

This will flatten the sail without closing the leech. To
depower you really need the leech to open and use a Cunningham to help
flatten.

The cunningham does nothing to flatten the sail. The cunningham pulls
draft forward.

Once again your advice is a worthless mish-mash of overgeneralization &
misinformation. It's kind of like insisting that you were in Boston, and
know all about it, when you were actually in Baltimore.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

DSK wrote:
Navigator wrote:

It may 'depower', but it would do so at the expense of efficiency by
closing the leech.


Or, on the other hand, it may not close the leach.

All sails are not cut the same, all rigs do not respond the same.

... The best way to bend the mast is with backstay

tension.


Depends on the rig.

This will flatten the sail without closing the leech. To depower you
really need the leech to open and use a Cunningham to help flatten.


The cunningham does nothing to flatten the sail. The cunningham pulls
draft forward.

Once again your advice is a worthless mish-mash of overgeneralization &
misinformation. It's kind of like insisting that you were in Boston, and
know all about it, when you were actually in Baltimore.


Well of course your must me right Doug 'cos Melges and poor old Nav
know nothing:

Melges:

Cunningham: Remove all horizontal wrinkles, in the heavier puffs pull
very hard to bend the mast which will flatten the sail and twist open
the top batten


Back to school for you Doug. Bwhahahhahahahah

Cheers

Navigator wrote:
Melges:

Cunningham: Remove all horizontal wrinkles, in the heavier puffs pull
very hard to bend the mast which will flatten the sail and twist open
the top batten

???

Bending the mast with the cunningham... on monohulls with more or less
conventional rigs... is a new one on me. Cats use what is basically a
very powerful cunningham to bend the mast, but their rigs are very
different.



Back to school for you Doug. Bwhahahhahahahah

Yep. Always something new to learn... that's one of the differences
between me & you, Navvie... I am learning new stuff all the time, you
are convinced you already know everything. Maybe you got so smart from
watching TV, like Boobsie?

DSK

DSK wrote:

Navigator wrote:

Melges:

Cunningham: Remove all horizontal wrinkles, in the heavier puffs pull
very hard to bend the mast which will flatten the sail and twist open
the top batten


???

Bending the mast with the cunningham... on monohulls with more or less
conventional rigs... is a new one on me. Cats use what is basically a
very powerful cunningham to bend the mast, but their rigs are very
different.


But a good dinghy sailor should have known this. Regardless of what you
may say, the cunnignham will always flatten the sail.


Back to school for you Doug. Bwhahahhahahahah


Yep. Always something new to learn... that's one of the differences
between me & you, Navvie... I am learning new stuff all the time, you
are convinced you already know everything. Maybe you got so smart from
watching TV, like Boobsie?


You are such a bad loser.

Cheers

Navigator wrote:
But a good dinghy sailor should have known this. Regardless of what you
may say, the cunnignham will always flatten the sail.

Not that I've ever seen or heard before. One quote, out of context,
doesn't prove anything. OTOH maybe cunninghams work differently down there?


You are such a bad loser.

Not really. It's just that you are so desperate to prove you "know"
something... anything...

When you figure out the difference between Baltimore & Boston, let us
know, OK?

DSK

On Thu, 27 May 2004 12:02:09 +1200, something compelled Navigator
, to say:

Cunningham: Remove all horizontal wrinkles, in the heavier puffs pull
very hard to bend the mast which will flatten the sail and twist open
the top batten

I thought the purpose of a cunningham was to tension the luff
past what is possible with just the halyard. Sounds like
something you'd do in high wind.

Steve Daniels, Seek of Spam wrote:

On Thu, 27 May 2004 12:02:09 +1200, something compelled Navigator
, to say:


Cunningham: Remove all horizontal wrinkles, in the heavier puffs pull
very hard to bend the mast which will flatten the sail and twist open
the top batten


I thought the purpose of a cunningham was to tension the luff
past what is possible with just the halyard. Sounds like
something you'd do in high wind.

Yes, it also helps control draft (as Doug said) which on older and
(especially on) non-high tech sails has the nasty habit of moving aft a
lot as wind load increases


Cheers.