On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 14:12:36 -0600, "Wendy"
wrote:


"Rich Hampel" wrote in message
...
Neither
Main and Genoa (or spinn) broad reaching off to *keep the apparent wind
up* and the sails ventilated.
There is NO reason in the world to run dead down wind (except at hull
speed) .... except to miss land or other hard objects.
Just look at the polar diagrams for just about any boat ..... for
downwind VMG a broad reach is the fastest overall, a dead run is the
ultimate slowness.

Ok Rich- thanks! I can grasp this one I hate runs; I'd much rather sail
on a broad reach. Outside of a race course or the examples you point to, I
can't imagine why anyone would do it.

There's an article on this in the current February SAIL magazine on
how broad reaches can be faster than dead downwind over a given
course. Racers learn this on warm summer nights while waiting for the
shore breeze to fill in.

The article is called

Cruising Tips
Tack downwind to avoid a sail-slatting slog.
By Fred Roswold


R.