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).