Pre-Bend
When you have the tension and rake set correctly, the final check to be made is the pre-bend. Pre-bend
is controlled by angling the spreader tips forward and aft. Angling the tips aft increases the pre-bend
by pushing the middle of the mast forwards. We sail with a pre-bend of
1 inch
which is measured by
pulling the main halyard tight against the mast at the gooseneck. The distance between the halyard and
the mast at spreader level is the pre-bend. The pre-bend can be adjusted without affecting your mast
rake and tension settings.
Jib Sheeting
In medium and heavy airs the jib is pulled in as tightly as possible. A crease will appear across the foot
of the jib. In very heavy winds the helm may need to help the crew to pull the jib in bar tight after each
tack. In lighter breezes when the crew is no longer sitting on the side deck the jib should be eased
¼
inch
. When the crew sits to leeward the jib should be eased
½ inch
from tightly-in so that there is no
longer any crease in the foot.
Jib Fairleads
These should initially be set so that if you follow the sheeting angle through the jib clew it will bisect
the angle formed by the leech and foot. The fairleads can be moved back one hole on the track in winds
above 15 knots. This increases the tension in the foot of the jib while freeing off the upper leech
depowering the jib slightly. Below 8 knots the fairleads can be moved forward one hole.
Jib Sticks
We carry 2 jib sticks, a running jib stick and a reaching jib stick. The running jib stick is maximum
length and is used for goose-winging to present maximum sail area to the wind. The reaching jib stick
is minimum length and is used when the jib is to leeward. When sailing with the reaching stick the jib
should be over trimmed so that the bottom leeward telltale is lifting. This keeps the upper part of the jib
drawing. You will be unable to use the reaching stick on tight reaches
Mainsail
The mainsail should only be hoisted to the bottom of the black bank even though some ‘speed bump’
crease will be evident on the luff when sailing. Below 10 knots the mainsail should be
½ inch
below
the black band (dropped one notch on the halyard rack)
Kicking Strap
This is the most critical control when racing. In very light winds you should just take the slack out of
the kicker when sailing upwind. As the wind increases however and the mast starts to bend you should
aim to have the top leech telltale on the main flying approximately 80% of the time i.e. occasionally
flicking behind the mainsail. In these conditions it becomes critical to adjust the kicker as you sail into
gusts or lulls. Above 15 knots the telltale will fly continuously. The kicking strap then becomes a power
control – if you are overpowered pull more on, if underpowered let some off.
When sailing downwind you should aim to have the leech telltale flying continuously. If you find that
you cannot pull enough kicker on when sailing upwind i.e. the lower cascade block touches the double
block on the floor, move the pin on the kingpost chain plate down one hole. Conversely if you cannot
let off enough kicker on a run (top cascade block touches the boom) move the pin up a hole.
