Keel fair?

Shape is important but not exactly specified for the class as all boats have slightly different shapes. This is hand-and-arm work, not computer-lathe work; the tolerances are inexact. A fair shape is extremely important. If it is not fair it will not work well, thick or thin. You can tell if it is fair by getting it wet and looking at the reflections for distortion.

Heavy Air Downwind

Aliens tends to leave the #3 up downwind in very heavy air. I think it helps stabilize the flow, and prevents wraps, and especially on short courses one doesn't have to deal with the weight forward to hoist it again. (We did take our #3 down this race, though.)
When the boat is way overpowered in big waves, the way I chicken out is to sail higher (maybe 160). The pole is overtrimmed when we sail high and undertrimmed when we sail low. The higher angle stabilizes the rolling from the waves. The chute is twinged down both sides to minimize oscillations (from waves and from the Karman vortex trails). Then when we get planing at the higher angle I can bear off into the wave faces ahead with apparent wind more forward for the compass course than if we were not planing. I will be faster when I learn to sail more DDW in these conditions. Slightly by the lee can be fast but is scary. Weight trim on the boat is key. We had constant lee helm problems this race which kept making me sail high when the pole tip headed for the water to keep the boat upright. We had one or two crew on the transom hiking the high corners but this was not enough; the helm improved only when we put another 200lber on the lee rail midships, plus trimmed in the main a bit for more mainsail power. For the lee helm, I should have powered up the main more. This race, I learned that pumping the main when the boom points skyward helps lever the boat back flat.
Driving the wave faces in front of the boat is also key; we did ok at this -- trying to head up just enough to bump over the wave ahead so we could go over it and surf it down. If you can get it planing, the waves are just obstacles.
The driver is at the mercy of the trimmers. At the first sign of a roundup crank the pole back, ease the sheet; at the first sign of a round-down, ease the pole quickly about 2 feet forward. This rotates the chute so the forces tend to flatten the boat. The rudder is not enough. Another easy rule we use: "wet side eases." The trimmer who is heading for the water eases.
Once again, we learned to foot upwind in heavy air. Crime Scene remembered this late in the final beat and powered over us, sheets well eased and sails well twisted. The slot opens, the main works, the boat levels, and it speeds. I saw their trim, I thought, "Duh!", imitated them and sped after them. Having the main flat and travelled down to the stopper is not enough, you have to ease the jib sheets or put the lead way back or put the lead outboard or some combination of these for the conditions.
John Rahn
Aliens Ate My Buick 005

Headsail Selection per Ulman - Note outboar lead

Head Sail Selection
0-10 knots true 155%
10-16 knots true 135%
14-25 knots true 98%
25-30 knots true 98% on outboard lead

Red Neck "Adjustable" cars

While you might not be able to justify the price of a harken adjustable jib car position for your B25, you may find it useful to use a strop attached to a car on the same track to hold the load while you pull the pin and shift the car on your current set up. Let me explain.....you take an old jib car or other piece of hardware that fits the track and place it behind the jib car. Then attach a strop to the additional car. You can put the strop on with a shackle on each end a splice on the car end...bowlines...however you want it. the idea is that you hook up the strop, let off on the sheet, adjust the car, and then re-sheet....sure its not as smooth or fast as the harken system, but its a hell of a lot cheaper...

More Headsail trim tips

Even though most genoas and jibs are smaller than the main?sails they team up with, your headsail should get at least as much careful trimming attention as your main. That's because a jib feels no disturbance from the mast and sails in an eternal lift created by flow around the main. As a result, your headsail provides more than its share of your boat's power.

For these reasons, it's impor?tant to work hard at finding the fast settings for your jib controls. Before every race, talk with the mainsail trimmer and helmsperson. Ask them to check out your jib trim and make suggestions. Talk with them about communication. Then follow the trim ideas here.

Trimming rules of thumb

Unless you are extremely confident about trimming the jib, stick with some proven trimming guidelines that can help you through almost any situation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Calibrate Always use reference marks to help measure and record fast trim settings. Number the jib track holes for your lead position;put marks near your spreader tips to help gauge leech position; add an easy-to-see reference mark on your jib sheet; calibrate halyard tension; and so on. These are key for being able to reproduce your settings when you have similar conditions again in the future.

Communicate Since the jib trimmer must adjust sheet ten?sion continually for changes in the wind. keep communicating with the helmsperson and main?sail trimmer about what you are doing. If you ease the jib slightly to power up. for example, tell the skipper something like, "I can trim in two inches when you're ready." Or if you need more or less headstay sag, negotiate with the mainsail trimmer about how much to adjust the backstay.

Steering Use your jib trim (in conjunction with mainsail trim) to help steer the boat. If you want the boat to turn toward the wind. ease the jib sheet. This reduces wind pressure on the jib and allows the bow of the boat to head up more easily. One example of this happens when the boat gets a lift. If the jib trimmer quickly eases the sheet, it will be easier for the helmsperson to head up into the lift. Conversely, trimming the jib sheet helps push the bow away from the wind.





The 'groove' If your skipper is having a hard time finding or stay?ing in the upwind groove (which is common in shifty winds or bumpy seas), make the groove wider with a fuller and more draft-forward head?sail. Even though this may sacrifice some pointing ability, it should improve overall performance by increasing the time you are able to sail fast in the groove.



Sheet trim In general, trim the genoa sheet until the curve (twist) in the leech matches the curve in the deepest part of the main. If your jib has battens, it's usually good to trim the sheet until the top batten is roughly parallel to the boat's centerline. It may help to put a piece of dark tape on each side of this bat?ten so you can see it more clearly.



Trim guides There are two other good references for jib trim. When it's hard to see the top of the jib while racing, use the position and shape of the sail's foot. The distance from your spreader to the sail is also a great reference for duplicating fast trim settings.





Luff tension Like the mainsail cunnlngham. the jib halyard is not intended primarily for removing wrinkles so the sail looks better. The main purpose of the halyard is to adjust luff tension and thereby control (lie position of draft in the sail. Pull the halyard tighter to move draft forward and make the sail flatter; ease it to move the draft aft and make the sail fuller.

Speed wrinkles Sometimes the presence (or absence) of wrin?kles along the luff of the sail is a helpful guide for getting the right halyard tension. In light air, it's good to see anywhere from a hint to a multitude of wrinkles (except for laminated sails where you usually tension the halyard just enough to remove wrinkles). In heavy air, you usually need enough luff tension to remove all of the wrinkles.

Fore-and-aft lead Set the fore-and-aft position of the jib lead so the telltales on the windward side lift (stall) more or less simulta?neously up and down the luff. In many cases, the top (windward) telltale will fly a little earlier than the others. This is OK, especially in light or heavy wind. However, if it breaks a lot earlier, then move the lead forward. If it breaks later, you should definitely move the lead aft.

In-and-out lead On many boats you also have the option to move your leads inboard or out?board. A rule of thumb here is to move the lead as far inboard as possible without hurting the main?sail or slowing the boat. You want the lead farthest inboard in flat water and moderate wind: it will usually have to go farther outboard in light air, heavy air and chop.

Headstay sag The primary way to fine-tune the amount of power in your headsail is by adjust ing headstay sag. Use your back?stay (or running backstay) to increase or decrease sag and the overall fullness of the jib. The harder you pull the backstay, the less headstay sag you'll have and the flatter your sail will be. A straighter headstay also move the draft aft in the headsail, just as bending the mast does in the main.

Barberhauling On some boats, the existing jib leads are too far outboard, so you need to "barberhaul" the clew inboard by using the windward jib sheet (on one-designs) or a jib in-hauler (bigger boats). If the boat gets overpowered and you have to ease the mainsheet or traveler a lot. you may need to barberhaul outboard to keep the slot between the mainsail and jib from getting too closed.

Asymmetries The jib should normally be trimmed the same on each tack, but watch out for times when you have wind sheer or waves that aren't aligned with the wind. In these conditions, you will probably have to vary lead position and sheet tension from tack to tack.

Shift gears Like the mainsail, the jib needs constant adjustment because wind and wave conditions are always changing. When the boat feels good, try sneaking the jib sheet in another inch. If you're slow or in doubt, let it out. Remember the jib should work closely in con?cert with the main in order to have the best performance.



Keep track If you have a little time, it's helpful to keep a written record of everything you learn about your jib or genoa. Here are two ways to do this: 1) If you use just one jib design, make notes after each day of sailing. Record the wind and sea conditions, the set?tings you used and a note about your performance; 2) If you use two or more jib designs, organize your notebook by sail. For each jib. keep track of its wind range, hours used and optimal settings (lead, halyard, etc.) in various conditions.

The primary way to adjust the amount of fullness in your headsail is by changing headstay sag using the backstay, the runner or the mainsheet. Make your headsail fuller (i.e. increase headstay sag) in light air and waves;make it flatter (decrease headstay sag) in medium to heavy air and smooth water. Move the draft position forward when you need good acceleration (e.g. a tacking duel or waves). Move the draft aft in ideal pointing conditions. It's much easier to see the shape of the sail when you have dark horizontal draft stripes like the ones shown above.

No matter what type of boat you sail, there are three important trimming rules of thumb for your jib. First, you must trim the jib so it works with the mainsail. Second, keep adjusting jib trim to match changes in the wind and water. And third, the only valid way to judge whether you are trimming the jib well is by comparing your performance to that of nearby boats.

Sail draft

Since the jib or genoa provides a relatively large share of the driving force for your boat. it's key to optimize this sail's shape. Unlike the mainsail, the jib is not attached to a rigid spar. so you can't fine-tune its shape nearly as much. That's whv the headsail should get priority when adjusting the backstay (which affects both main and jib). However, you must be sure to set up the jib so it works in concert with the main (e.g. it doesn't close the slot and cause backwind).

Jibs and genoas are typically a little fuller than mains and have their draft farther forward. I like to start by setting the lead position so the foot and the leech both reach their perfect trim at the same time. I want the upper leech (batten) roughly parallel to the boat's centerline, slight wrinkles along the luff, tell?tales that break evenly up and down the luff, and a luff sag (fullness) to match wind velocity (see chart).
Of course, waves are a big factor in jib trim. When waves are bigger than the wind, you need a fuller, more draft-forward shape to punch through the chop. And you need less sheet tension and more twist. A common misconception is that tighter jib trim makes pointing easier. But in order to point high you first need speed, which often comes from easing the sheet.


Light-air headsail trim

In light air upwind, you want a powerful headsail with a full shape, especially if you are punching into waves. Here the back?stay is very eased to allow the headstay to sag and push fullness into the sail.The jib luff is also eased enough so you can see 'speed wrinkles' along the luff. This adds fullness and keeps the draft from moving too far forward (which could happen with this much luff sag).

The jib sheet is not trimmed too tightly - you can see that the upper leech falls off (twists) slightly to leeward and the mid-leech is not too far in on the spreader. At the same time the jib lead is relatively forward to make the sail more powerful, keep twist under control when easing the sail, and make the tell?tales break more or less evenly up and down the luff.

Medium-air headsail trim

When the wind builds, the major changes you should make to the jib or genoa are more backstay tension, more halyard (luff) tension and a tighter sheet-You can see in this photo that there is less luff sag and the sail is flatter overall.Also, the halyard has been tensioned to remove the speed wrinkles, flatten the sail and pull the draft forward (to offset the effect of reducing headstay sag).

The exit of the sail is quite straight, and the sheet has been trimmed harder so that a) the top batten is roughly paral?lel to the centerline of the boat; and b) the mid-leech trims closer to the rig (see its position on the spreader). In addition, the lead is slightly farther aft so the sail can be trimmed tight for point mode without making the leech too tight.

In heavier air this sail would need more backstay, halyard, sheet tension and twist (if you are starting to depower).

Trim Tips

Leech telltales
In most wind conditions, trim your mainsheet until the telltale on the top batten just starts to curl. In optimum pointing conditions (i.e. flat water and moderate breeze), you can usually sail with the top telltale stalled most of the time. Don't trim so hard that the telltale on your second batten stalls more than occasionally.

Battens
It's important to have battens with good bend character?istics for your sail and the conditions. If the inboard ends of the battens are too stiff, you may see a hard spot, or vertical ridge at the inboard end of the batten. If they're too soft, you will see too much curvature in the aft part of the batten.

Backstay
Adjusting the backstay affects the shape of both the mainsail and jib. When you pull on the backstay you bend the mast, making the main flatter and moving its draft aft. At the same time, more backstay tension reduces headstay sag and has a simi?lar effect on the shape of your headsail. Don't adjust the backstay without considering the impact on your entire sail plan - usually you should use the backstay to get the right headstay sag and employ other mast controls to shape the main.


Backwind
If you backwind in the lower, forward part of the mainsail, it could be a sign that the slot between the sails is too closed. Possible solutions include moving the jib lead outboard and aft or flattening the lower part of the mainsail.


Luff Telltales
Instead of just one pair of telltales at each point on the luff, try using a row of 2 or 3.This gives you a more accurate reading and more warning about changes to come. Also, steer by the telltales that are half way up the sail since these give a better average reading than ones at the top or bottom.

Spreader marks
If you have a jib that trims in front of the shrouds, it can be very helpful to use guide marks on the spreaders.These give the trimmer a great reference for how tight the jib is being trimmed.

Lead position (in and out)
Move the jib lead inboard or outboard to control the shape of the slot-This control must work in concert with the fore-and-aft lead position to get the right twist. Make the slot wider in bumpy water; narrower in flat water.

Lead position (fore and aft)
The position of your jib car is critical for getting the right headsail shape. A good general guide is to set the lead so the luff telltales break evenly from top to bottom.

Top jib batten
It usually works well to trim the jib so the aft end of the top batten (or the upper area of the leech if you don't have a batten) is parallel to the boat's centerline.

Headstay sag
How much the headstay falls away from a straight line is a key factor in determining the overall power of your headsail. More sag means a fuller, more powerful sail with its draft farther forward.A straighter headstay means a flatter, draft-aft sail which is less powerful but better for pointing.

Luff tension
Use the jib halyard to adjust cloth tension along the luff of the sail. More halyard moves draft forward and flattens the sail. You want the deepest part of the sail to be about one-third of the way from luff to leech.

Main halyard
Hoist your halyard all the way up to the black band, and use the cunningham to adjust luff tension. If it's light air and hoisting the main all the way creates too much luff tension, then adjust your halyard like the cunningham.

Top batten
One rule of thumb that works most of the time is to trim your mainsheet so the aft part of the top batten is parallel to the boom. In light air and lump, ease your sheet for more twist so the batten angles slightly to leeward. In ideal pointing conditions, trim harder so the leech closes and the batten angles slightly to windward.

Cunningham
The primary purpose of this control is to adjust the fore-and-aft position of the sail's draft. Don't worry about cosmetic wrin?kles along the luff; these 'speed wrinkles' are fine as long as the sail shape is correct. Pull on the cunningham to move the draft forward; ease it to move draft aft. Usually it's good to keep the deepest part of the sail just forward of the middle. Don't forget that pulling on the cunningham also flattens the sail overall.

"Overbend" wrinkles
In heavy air, when you are depowering your sails, it's OK to see a hint of'overbend" wrinkles extending diagonally from the lower luff area toward the clew. These mean that the main has reached its flattest shape. But f the wrinkles are too pronounced or if they show up too early, ease the backstay a little or reduce pre?bend to keep the sail from inverting.

Boom vang
You don't usually need tension on the boom vang when sailing upwind in light or moderate air. As you get overpowered, however, you will need to ease the mainsheet. That's when, in most boats, you should pull the vang on harder to maintain leech tension and mast bend as you drop the boom to leeward of centerline.

Traveler
A good general trim, guide is to position the traveler so the end of your boom is on (or in some cases, slightly to windward of) the centerline of your boat. In lighter air, you . will have to pull the traveler well to windward to get the boom on centerline (with the right amount , of mainsheet tension).

Beer on tap

Beer needed now:

WIPEOUT

Great racing boat - requires good crew - lots of crew and they put on one hell of a show on the SF Bay. Many O30 owners will tell you - you haven't wiped out till you've wiped out on an O30. The O30 yard sale wipeouts on the SF Bay are great entertainment. Those that get it down and nailed are rewarded with a rippin ride and ear to ear grins.

I guess it all depends on your skill - your access to skilled crew and level of tolerance for very cool wipeouts.

http://www.redneckyachtclub.com/photos.html