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Do you know the wind speed ?
I'd say mid 20's mph
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reckon at 30 knots tacking would almost be a backwards step
I would say, it all depends on the water condition as tacking and making foward progress upwind, depends on being able to hold a point. With the chop the way it was, that was almost impossible. I had to run very close to the point of the sail luffing to make upwind progress which slows your speed considerably ... and not being able to hold a point makes it even worse.
I'd say that it took about 15 tacks running at least a half mile in each direction to make it 3/4 mile upwind although more than a few of those runs were a good ways off max foward progress tack line to optimize speed and fly !
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Now I'm green with envy Alan. My 'better half' convinced me it wasn't the best idea to tempt Earl in our TI. I should have listened to the little red guy on my shoulder! Looks like fun!!
Funny bit here - I was disgnosed with walking pneumonia the monday before, was on 2 different antibiotics, home from work on rest orders from the Dr ... and to top it off, my wife is nurse ! I went to for a follow-up to the Dr. on Fri and she said I was doing wonderfully - I asked her if she would give me clearence to sail the next day and when she said yes, I had her write me a prescription as I KNEW my wife wasn't going to allow it
should have seen wifes' kisser when I wipped out the Dr's orders to "go play, be outdoors, and even sail ... just be a boy"
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Any guide for a newbie on when to reef and how much?
What about downwind also??? Reef as well?
Has anyone been crazy enough not to reef in 20 plus knots?? If so what was the result?
basically what I've found (and I'm a may 2010 newbie myself) is that when you've got too much sail out you loose rudder effectiveness and the boat turns into the wind despite how much opposite rudder you try to give it - all the way to full.
This is when less is more - and I read it on the forums but didn't believe it or try furling until about the 6th or 7th time out in winds over 15-17 mph. I was fighting and fighting, and not able to hold a point nor able to give enough opposite rudder to keep from pointning further into the wind ... and then I remembered reading " REEF THE SAIL !!"
It works, AND you go faster. You can now hold a point and make effective tacks to gain upwind position. Also, rudder pressure on the handle is greatly reduced.
How much ? there is no set rule - its a trim change that will vary, but, for starters bring it in to where the first (highest) stay is about to wrap around the mast. If rudder control is still sluggish, take in another round or two.
You'll know when you find the sweet spot as you'll be flying - prolly faster than with full sail - and you'll have regained full control, which is indeed a good thing.
I do have a Q. for the resident experts though - at least 3 times I heard some wicked creaking / almost a popping from what I thought was the front X-bar either at its anchor pts or the aka attachment points ? I've got a bit of egging out of the pin holes as my boat is a well used '07 ... upon inspection I dont see anything new ? checked the x-bar attachment pts, mast cup, and a few other places with nothing screaming "Fix ME !!" ... except the rudder pin