sail trimming on reaches

[LPW]

Hi everyone.
Recently i've been having a problem with sail trim whilst reaching. When reaching my leeward tell tales start waving about so i ease of the main. However this causes the front of the sail to luff.
Does anyone know what i can do to stop this? more outhall?
BTW- my sail is pretty rubbish (i still beat people with new sails though ) and will be hopefully buying a new sail in the next half year.

many thanks- L

 

[157800]

Re: sail triming on reaches

I wouldnt worry too much about your leech ticklers. I read somewhere that the laser sail shape is not excellent to begin with. I have leech ticklers and I can't get them to fly no matter what I do. Maybe that is just me. I would just watch my normal ones.

 

[Kevin Pierce]

We raced yesterday in pouring rain, stopping only when lightning threatened. All telltales were blind as they were stuck to the sail. The only way to check sail trim was to let the sail just hint at a luff, then either fall off (if beating) or sheet in a bit (if reaching).

A sail that's just about to luff, or one just stopped from luffing, is probably pretty well trimmed, regardless of what your telltales seem to be arguing.

Kevin

 

[computeroman2]

I agree with Kevin. Also, if you can get the leech telltale to work, you can use that. The sail has a separation bubble near the mast, and in light winds and right before complete separation (a stall), another bubble at the end fo the leech. The optimum trim is just before a stall, so if you get it to stream and trim in until it just starts to dance, it should be right.