Sheet or Car

Hey everyone,
In the big winds do you play the sheet or the car on the main. I have been playing the sheet and developing massive biceps moving that thing in and out to control the hull flying.
So do you "experts" (has been drips under pressure) crank in the main block to block and then dump wind with the car? Mine is sticky when it's under alot of pressure. How do you get that thing off the end of the car track anyway? Thanks for your ideas.

I sheet

I sheet too

If it gets to puffy i travel out a bit to calm it down

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Brad Stephens
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If the wind is gusty, I'll head up to keep the hull from rising more if it's already out of the water. This seems to work great on my friends Supercat.

Otherwise, If I'm on my H16, I'll sheet.

The lake we sail doesn't seem to have strong, steady winds unless a front is moving through.

_________________
Eric
H16
Sail# 11500

Traveller is a coarse setting, sheet is the fine setting.

Basically, you set the traveller to give you power in the lulls when sheeted block-to-block. Sheet out and feather to dump power in the gusts.

However, too much sheeting / feathering is slow. It's a fine line.

I sheet most of the time, but recently I have just started sailing to the puffs by heading up in the puffs and falling off in the lulls.

I am no pro, but in the little informal races we do around here I have found that this tactic really helps me on the upwind leg.

On a good day with good wind this tactic allows me to keep up with a guy sailing an Inter20 until the upwind mark, then I just wave goodbye. Granted he sails that boat solo, but he is good and I am solo on my 5.2.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

I have found that luffing up a little in the puffs is fast on daggerless boats (ie Hobie 16), but it is soooooo slow on any boat with daggers (ie Nacra 20, 5.2, F18, etc). Use the downhaul to control it in the puffs, and pull the boards up some (you don't need all that board at a good speed anyway). Only if it's nuking do I let that traveler out any. You will most certainly lose pointing if you drop that traveler.

_________________
Trey Brown
www.velocitysailing.com
2006 N20 1017
1998 H16 102698
www.sunjammers.com ftw!