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Continued from Page 4: 

When sailing off the wind, free the main sheet until the luff breaks and when on a 

run, ease the boom to the shrouds. Set the vang so the upper leech is parallel to the boom. Don’t over tighten 

the vang to the point that the boom breaks in heavy air. Remember to ease the vang at the windward mark if 

you are vang-sheeting upwind.

Spinnaker Trim

: Downwind you gain or lose the most 

distance. It is time to either attack the leaders or con-

solidate your advantage on the fleet. The max-size 

Matrix Spinnaker is 

a true runner, which 

allows you to sail 

lower than other 

boats. Remember 

that this sail is de-

signed to project its 

maximum area, so 

don’t pull the pole 

too far aft. 80 de-

grees of apparent 

wind proves to be 

faster than the stan-

dard 90 degrees. 

In over 8 knots, sail 

the boat heeling to 

windward as much 

as 10 degrees to 

help project the 

spinnaker away from the mainsail and allow the boat 

to sail deeper. Don’t do this if you have to steer too 

much or if you start feeling pressure in the rudder.  

        Bring the tack (the corner of the sail at the pole) 

lower than the free-flying clew. NEVER allow the tack 

• 

Sail at maximum crew weight.

• 

Sail the boat as flat as possible.

• 

Do not pinch.

• 

Set the shroud tension for the wind 
you are expecting in the first part of 
the race. 

• 

When in doubt, select the more 
powerful option because it is easy 
to depower the boat.

• 

Downwind, heel the boat to wind-
ward.

• 

Downwind, use as much crew 
weight as possible to steer the boat. 

GO FAST TIPS

DECK LAYOUT

Rule

: Simple is fast. Try to place all the cleats as 

close as possible to the mast. Remove the second-

ary winches. Use double winch handle pockets and 

place them in front of the traveler.

Running Rigging

: New materials appear in the mar-

ket on a reular basis; keep lines updated and at the 

minimum size allowed by the class rules. 

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions or comments, please 

call us directly at UK Sailmakers Houston.

Pedro Gianotti 

UK Sailmakers Houston 

2031 Anders Lane, Ste J 

Kemah, TX 77565 

+1 281-334-3464 

[email protected]

to be higher than the clew. In almost all conditions, 

set the tack about one foot lower than the clew. Se-

lect the ring that gets the pole more perpendicular 

to the mast. Use the lower ring as long as you can. 

Summary of Contents for J/24

Page 1: ... keel will provide more lift better pointing upwind and less drag off the wind Rudder Keep it clean as possible Repair all damage immediately especially on the trailing edge Rig There are several things to do before step ping the mast Remove the spare genoa halyard Remove the running light and wiring Cover the holes with sail number martial or Teflon tape Cut mast butt off to the class minimum len...

Page 2: ...e shrouds at the spreader tips Then measure from the middle of the string to the aft face of the mast The spreaders are at the right angle when the measure ment is 165mm Tape the spreader ends to protect the spinnaker and genoa After Stepping the Mast Butt Position The front face of the mast should be 2845mm from the bottom bolt of the bow stem fitting looking forward while in side the boat to the...

Page 3: ...in winds from 8 up to 16 you can trim the genoa one inch closer than the numbers on the above chart Tip Write this chart on the deck with the number of turns you need to move from one tension setting to the next Loos Tension Gauge Model B FINE TUNING THE RIG Your mainsail is designed to perform in 10 knots of wind with 2 1 4 of pre bend In heavy air bend can be achieved through backstay tension wh...

Page 4: ...hances are one of these items has occurred Over tensioned the genoa sheet Over tensioned the genoa luff A loose mainsail leech Jib Trim Once the wind picks up over 19 knots you will need to change to the little jib Set the lead so that the foot of the sail touches the foot of the pulpit and the leech reamins 2 insde the spreader tip If the wind goes over 25 knots move the lead back 1 to tighten th...

Page 5: ...der Bring the tack the corner of the sail at the pole lower than the free flying clew NEVER allow the tack Sail at maximum crew weight Sail the boat as flat as possible Do not pinch Set the shroud tension for the wind you are expecting in the first part of the race When in doubt select the more powerful option because it is easy to depower the boat Downwind heel the boat to wind ward Downwind use ...

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