The Montgomery 17 had just passed us. Up ahead a rocky point forced the Monty to tack. Being a ways to windward we were just able to slip around that point, regaining the lead. As it turned out, it was 30 minutes before the Monty was able to catch us. The owner of the Sun Cat was thrilled, since the notion that his boat could ever get ahead of a Montgomery 17 made his day. “A high five,” he said, “to fast is fun!”
Attitude stimulates the need to sail fast. It questions your skill and presses you into situations that challenge your abilities. Ask yourself, how fast will my boat go? That’s a question driven by attitude that’s sure to expand your skills. Don’t let anything stand in the way of answering it. Keep your attitude positive and focused on sailing your boat, not beating the other guy, forcing you to constantly prove yourself again and again. Putting your efforts into sailing fast is far more rewarding. The victories will come as part of the process when you continue to improve.
Sailing fast requires constant focus on your sails and close observation of the sailing conditions around you. There’s opportunity on the water to move ahead of others, you just have to see it, and you will with experience. I know it’s easy to get tired watching those telltales, but to sail fast you have to work for it.
Attitude will only get you just so far. You’ll have to back it up with helmsmanship, the very essence of sailing fast. The wind is everything out there on the water. You feel the boat respond right up through the seat your sitting on, and the tiller you hold in your hand. It’s exciting stuff, urging you on to do anything for more speed.
There are no precise procedures for sailing faster. Sail trim is an art form. Because of that you can relax and enjoy trimming sails. However, there are general procedures for each point of sail that you must learn, and to succeed you must have the proper equipment for trimming sails on board your boat.
There are no precise procedures for sailing faster. Sail trim is an art form. Because of that you can relax and enjoy trimming sails. However, there are general procedures for each point of sail that you must learn, and to succeed you must have the proper equipment for trimming sails on board your boat. This will give you the edge over those less motivated. The more telltales you have, the better. There should be six telltales behind the luff of the jib, three on each side, a foot and a half behind the luff, with the middle one centered vertically. The same is true for the mainsail, with additional telltales included there, located on the leech of the sail under each batten. The telltales on the leech show how the wind flows off the sail. If those telltales don’t trail out behind the leech the sail is losing power. To correct the problem you’ll need to head up or ease the main. All the telltales on your sails, both the windward and leeward ones must stream horizontally for the boat to sail at its best.
As you sail to windward, choose the lifted tack. It’s the one that points closest to your destination. When there’s a wind shift, or header, forcing you away from your intended course, tack. The new tack now becomes the lifted tack allowing you to continue pointing closer toward your destination. Watching the telltales closely keeps you ready to respond to the next wind shift. If it’s a lift you’ll point up even closer to your destination. If it’s a header, you tack. Developing the skill of using the lifted tack is a true “silver bullet.” More boats have been passed with this tactic than by any other. Once you pull it off against a boat larger and faster than your own it will make your whole week, and that’s fun. Sailing the lifted tack isn’t about sailing faster than the other boat. It’s about sailing the shortest distance to your destination. Of course it really helps to have your sails well trimmed when you attempt this.
When trimming the jib, the most important sail shaping tool is the barber hauler. It’s used to adjust jib sheet leads. Unfortunately, some trailer sailboats come from the factory with fixed leads. If this is the case with your boat, some modification will be needed. Barber haulers use control lines with blocks that ride on the jib sheets to change the jib’s sheeting angle from the cockpit. (See Diagram 1)
Editors note: While we recognize a distinction is sometimes made between lines that control jib sheet lead athwartships (barber hauler) and lines that control fore and aft sheet lead angle (twinger), for simplicity the author uses the term barber hauler exclusively.
A separate barber hauler, also controlled from the cockpit, is used for reaching. Its leads are outboard and forward of those used for beating. (See Diagram 2) If you’re sailing a Potter 15, for instance, it’s best to move your jib sheet cam-cleats up onto the cabin top. This allows you to sheet your jib inside the shrouds, making tacking and trimming the jib much easier. Barber haulers don’t need to be trimmed like jib sheets. However, small occasional adjustments keep the jib pulling at maximum power. In very light air the barber hauler is left slack and not used. Your jib sheets lead directly to the cam cleat from the sail. As you look up at the leech of the jib, it’s usually open, taking the same curve as the lee side of the mainsail. (Diagram 3) As the wind increases, the jib’s leech is forced out beyond the mainsail’s curve making the upper telltale lift above horizontal. As you trim in the barber hauler, the small block riding on the jib sheet is pulled down (See Diagram 4), taking the jib sheet with it. This changes the angle of the sheet lead, bringing the upper leech of the jib back into parallel with the mainsail’s curve. Once the wind has increased, making it difficult to hold the boat down, free the barber hauler to let the top of the jib twist out. This dumps the wind from the upper part of the sail to help ease heeling.
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