Mariner’s Web

Lead Free Sailing in The America’s Cup

February 15, 2010 – 3:04 pm
The Trimaran "DogZilla"  (USA BMW-Oracle) defeated the Swiss Catamaran Alinghi to bring back to the USA the oldest trophy in international sports - the America's Cup. This is the first time a Cup challenger has won a Deed Of Gift (DOG) head-to-head match race.   Unlike the past 25 years or so when the Cup defender had accepted challenges from the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, this race was decided on the water in a 2 out of 3, head-to-head match race.  But only after a year of delays and numerous lawsuits did the race default to Deed Of Gift.  Under these rules there are very few restrictions put on boat design and you might say the sky's the limit and you'd better have deep pockets to compete! This 33rd America's Cup was won 2 races to 0 by the USA for the second time in a multihull with a ...

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Top Ten Tips for Sail Trim

February 3, 2010 – 11:55 am
As I prepared to give a comprehensive (but short) sail trim and rig tuning seminar I noted key phrases or rules of thumb to remember while trimming your sails for maximum efficiency and fun.  After giving the seminar I had a request to come up with a top ten list. Here are my top ten tips for sail trim in no particular order: Sail Trim Top Ten Helm - The helm should feel balanced and comfortable to hold in your fingertips.  A few degrees of weather helm is desirable for a margin of safety. The key is to maintain this balanced helm through varying conditions with sail trim and angle of attack. Heel Angle - Depending on your boat and conditions one should sail the boat as flat as possible with no more than a comfortable angle of heel of 10-15 degrees in a breeze. Angle of Attack - When sailing close hauled with the ...

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Sail Trim – It’s Kind of Like Jazz

January 31, 2010 – 11:08 am
There is an old adage that "life begins" at the age of 40 - and I tend to agree since that is about when I got my first sailboat and also became an aficionado of jazz music.  I just gave a sail trim seminar to around 30 people associated with our Boulder Valley Sail group.  The feedback was good but I had no idea how hard it would be to pack it into two hours.  It occurred to me during my preparation that sail trim is kind of like jazz: Expressive (sail shape) Improvisation Making & creating in the (lifting) moment Responsive to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment (puffs, lulls, shifts, waves) Syncopation Disturbance or interruption of regular flow (keel, sail plan, angle of attack) Unexpected deviations and unequal durations (s-turns, balance,trim) A ...

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Measuring for your New Sails

January 9, 2010 – 10:02 am
We do a lot of sail quotes - most of which are initially done based on standard rig dimensions from our extensive database of over 7000 boats. But if a customer wants to take the next step in ordering a new sail I always recommend a measurement of the boat. I make myself available to the customer to assist in this process - one of the real values that a local sailmaker can provide.  If you sailmaker does not provide this service you may want to shop around. Case Study: I once sailed on a 25' sloop which had just recently been upgraded with new racing sails of a nice laminate cloth. They held a good shape and flew nicely. The problem was, that in light air, the second batten would get hung up on the backstay. It would usually require help during a tack in light ...

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The whole of the sail-plan is greater than the sum of it’s parts

January 6, 2010 – 12:57 pm
This is a variation on a well known phrase as it applies to fore and aft sails and sloop rigs. The goal of an accomplished sail trimmer is this greater sum. The interaction of the headsail and mainsail trim in combination can result in a significant improvement in the driving force of the total sailplan.  The force may be further improved with another foresail and the cutter rig with the caveat that you will eventual reach a point of diminishing returns. The effectiveness of a cutter rig is dependent upon many factors such as sail and rig design and apparent wind direction and velocity. There are some general sail trim considerations when two or more sails are interacting in the same flowfield: Circulation of Air Flow - Each sail has its own circulation with a headsail slowing the flow on the mainsail in the area known as the "slot". Slot - The area ...

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Mares’ tails and mackerel scales, make tall ships trim their sails

November 29, 2009 – 11:07 am
Or, as a variation, Make lofty ships carry low sails. In the absence of instruments, clouds are the most useful aid to weather forecasting as they are visible clues as to what is going on aloft.  Mares' tails are hooked-shaped cirrus clouds and mackerel scales are cirrocumulus which appear as bands of fish scales, both high altitude clouds above 20,000 ft.  When both are seen together it is a sign to the mariner of a storm front bringing in a weather change within 24 hours.  A common fair weather cloud that should be familiar with their cauliflower-like appearance of flat bases and domed tops is the vertically formed cumulus cloud.  If they begin to build into mountainous cumulonimbus clouds upwards of 50,000 ft then this is a sure sign of atmospheric instability and likely thunderstorms.  An anvil head may form at the top which indicates the edge of the troposphere and ...

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Safe Furling

September 22, 2009 – 8:07 pm
The life of sailcloth is greatly reduced by prolonged exposure to the sun's UV rays. Once a sail is rolled in part of it is exposed to the elements and cloth degradation begins. Unless you opt to use an external cover such as a zippered sleeve, which is not always practical for the typical cruising boat,  the exposed sail area should be protected with a sacrificial cloth sewn to the foot and leech. This brings up several  issues for the boat owner to think about; which side of the sail is exposed, additional weight aloft, sail shape, durability, and the choice of materials and installation methods. A majority of the cost of adding UV protection is in the labor costs but the choice of material is an all important one.  Over time many materials have been used (and experimented with) but realistically they can be narrowed down ...

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Sail Allowance (Used Boat Buyers Beware)

August 20, 2009 – 3:59 pm
Recently a customer has been boat shopping for a 28'to 32' cruising boat to sail out of San Carlos, Mexico.  This is a popular port for Colorado sailors to reach the  Sea of Cortez and beyond - and he wanted an estimate on a new main with 3 reef points.  These waters are know for some robust winds, similar to SF or the Windwards. The next step in his boat shopping was a sea trial on a prospective boat. BUYER BEWARE!  If the sails are over 10 years old and are "typical" crosscut Dacron sails, it is inevitable they have stretched out over that time, no matter how careful the owner is. That is the nature of the beast of Dacron sailcloth. A thorough visual inspection is always required of the sails but during a sea trial it should be noted how deep the draft is and where the point of ...

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Top Ten Tips for Race Crew

February 16, 2009 – 7:53 am
As first mate preparing a crew for the upcoming Heineken Cup, I came up with my top ten list for race crew to be thinking about prior to our practice time on the water. Here are my top ten tips for race crew in no particular order Racing Top Ten Key characteristics for crew - Concentration; quick reaction time; analytical skills; a desire to learn and improve; fun to sail with! Communication - If something doesn't look or feel right provide feedback to the team, pay particular attention to crossing boats and/or boats obstructed from view behind a sail. Flat is fast - when heeling excessively (more than 15-20 degrees) the boat encounters negative forces, ie: decreasing center of effort and lateral resistance, which result in loss of boat speed and pointing (leeway). Be aware of balance on the boat and move weight to windward and amidships when appropriate - particularly in increasing wind conditions ...

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Flat is Fast (or is it?)

January 12, 2009 – 10:43 am
Sailboat balance is a result of Center of Effort from the sail plan combined with the Center of Lateral Resistance provided by the keel appendage. While in a racing seminar sailing J/24's in Florida's Key West, I first heard the term “flat is fast” - in reference to angle of heel. Minimizing heel angle is almost always the goal of our race crew. A couple of exceptions to this rule that come to mind are: when sailing in our typically light and rarefied Rocky Mountain air we heel the boat enough to assist in sail trim when the wind Gods are not cooperative; and we may heel the boat to weather to project the asymmetrical windward and sail deeper. But with that said it is a fact that in sailboat design and theory the keel or centerboard provides lift (like an airplane wing) and so as ...

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