TOPIC:

I have recently started racing in an Albacore. Week one was great - wind F4/5 and a good result. Week 2 was the opposite F1/2. Whilst racing in week 2 I noticed that the luff of the mainsail backed on occasions despite the tail tails on the jib flying horizontally - any suggestions.



On both occasions I used plenty of kicker and ensured that the outhaul on the boom was tight. The mast as a result of this had some bend at the top and this was increased when the main sheet was tightened - again any suggestions



The sail no is 7426 are there standard rigging instructions that would help here ? Are there differing settings for various wind conditions ?



Finally when racing other two man boats I have always ensured that on a beat the jib is pulled in tightly. Is the same required for the Albacore ?



Sorry to go on at length but seeking general advice and any help would be appreciated



Thanks



David

Hi David

Welcome to the class.

Its always difficult to diagnose via forum but my first thoughts are that you are oversheeting the jib causing the jib leech to close too much and therefore backwind the main. This is less of a problem in the stronger winds as the jib wind strength will open up the leech more.

The exact settings will depend on the cut of your sails and the jib lead position, but it would be worth expermenting easing the jib a small amount (about 1 cm on the sheet) in the lighter winds.

A leech tell tail around spreader height will give you information about what is going on at that point in the jib slot.

JohnW2009-05-13 20:52:03

There are a couple of usefull tuning guides in the tuning section of this web site. Neither actually agree with each other but they put you in the right direction. I agree with John W, oversheeting the jib or too much rig tension is the quickest way to strangle an Alb I know