[C38] Jib lead car positions

[Jim and Barbara]

Here are a few suggestions from the lower Chesapeake:
 
1.  In anything but very light or heavy weather, you will want the jib to
touch the spreader tip when beating
 
2.  Don't be afraid to carry a "bubble" in the mainsail
 
3.  Pay as much attention to the leeches as you do the luffs.  The leaches
of the main and jib should be nearly parallel when sailing to windward.
This should also result in the luff telltales breaking nearly evenly as
well.  If not, you have a sail problem.
 
4.  The current conventional wisdom is that the top inside telltale should
droop when the bottom one is flying perfectly, but at this stage in your
racing career having them equal is fine.
 
5.  Unless you are overpowered or in very light air, the main's top batton
should be parallel to the boom.  The telltale at the top batton should only
fly about half the time.  At first this feels like you are overtightening
the main, but you'll get used to it.
 
6.  As the boat heels more than you want (no more than 10 degrees of rudder,
and preferably 5 degrees), spill off wind by easing the traveler or
mainsheet.  I use the traveler if I think I am only a little overpowered or
if I expect it is just a gust, and use the sheet if I think the average wind
is producing too much helm.  Remember that easing the sheet won't work well
if the vang is tight.  If you have a wheel, you will need to mark it for 5
and 10 degrees of rudder.  I use yellow tape at 5 degrees and red at 10.  I
did mine with the boat out of the water.
 
7.  As you ease the jib to a reach, the car will need to go forward.  When I
race triangle races in nonspinnaker, the cars go all the way forward.  This
depends on the design of the sail, so your roller/furler sail may be
different.
 
8.  If you plan to race with a spinnaker, check your PHRF rules.  Here we
can use symmetrical or asyms (but not both) without penalty.  I really like
asym performance, but they require skill and timing to gybe.
 
9.  If you plan to race nonspinnaker, check your PHRF rules on whisker
poles.  Some places allow whisker poles longer than the J-dimension with no
penalty in nonspinnaker divisions.  If so, you will be at a huge
disadvantage if you only have the standard spinnaker pole.
 
Best of luck, and please post your progress here.
 
Jim Williams
C38 #180 
Checks in the Mail
Norfolk, VA

   _____  

From: Listserve-bounces at catalina38.org
[mailto:Listserve-bounces at catalina38.org] On Behalf Of Duff, Russ (R.W.)
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 1:04 PM
To: C38-List (Listserve at catalina38.org)
Subject: [C38] Jib lead car positions



You've probably seen my previous posts about getting into racing this year
(LOOK OUT!).  Anyway, what I would like to know is where should I set the
cars for the jib sheets in different wind conditions/sailing angles?  I know
where I usually set them, but I don't know how correct they are for getting
optimum speed.  I have standard dacron sails, and my jib is a 150 roller
furling head sail with the protective UV cover sewn on. 

Thanks in advance for all of the good advice. 

Sincerely, 
Russ Duff 
Catalina 38, Hull #112
"AVANTURA"
Lake Erie
Grosse Ile, Michigan
RDUFF AT VISTEON DOT COM 


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.2/294 - Release Date: 3/27/2006
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://catalina38.org/pipermail/listserve_catalina38.org/attachments/20060328/2045873a/attachment-0001.htm>