Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.187.4/15.5+IOS 3.14) id AA28069; Fri, 10 Sep 93 12:21:59 -0700 Date: Fri, 10 Sep 93 12:21:59 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9309101921.AA28069@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: kenb@hpindck.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, sjn@hpwssjn.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Re: Thursday - Coyote makes reparations (fwd) Cc: 72017.461@compuserve.com-DeleteThis, ShellI_Matthews@taligent.com-DeleteThis, amulhall@pyramid.com-DeleteThis, cleland@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, cord@hpoemb.sj.hp.com-DeleteThis, craig@psc.org-DeleteThis, fred_schmidt@hpd700.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, geisinger@admin.fhda.edu-DeleteThis, ghs@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, hahn@gigantor.nas.nasa.gov-DeleteThis, kenb@hpinddu.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, kenf@netcom.com-DeleteThis, kirk@hpmsd3.sj.hp.com-DeleteThis, kirk@hpoclpa.sj.hp.com-DeleteThis, lenb@Eng.sun.com-DeleteThis, luigi@paris.cs.berkeley.edu-DeleteThis, matt@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, mfabrega@raynet.COM-DeleteThis, missimer@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, schofiel@hpldsl5.sid.hp.com-DeleteThis, schuh@ra-iris13.arc.nasa.gov-DeleteThis, walter_menge@hp5400.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, wind_talk@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
> I'm not sure I buy the "sail efficency" bit though. If it was more
> efficient to be on a "normally powered" sail than be way over-powered,
> then the pro's wouldn't be rigging 5.0's in 3.0-3.5 wind conditions.
> By that logic it seems that the ones with big sails would go slower
> and thus not be winning, but they are going faster and winning.
I certainly find myself going slower when I get way overpowered. When
the sail starts pulling away (on the back hand) then it is not longer in
the right angle to the wind and you do lose a lot of efficiency.
If you're strong enough to keep an overpowered sail sheeted in, maybe
it's not a problem. Certainly the pros can do a lot more of that than
we can. I think the real point of large sails is that when you're
racing, it is disasterous (loses lots of time) to be underpowered.
So they use a large-enough sail to ensure that they never sail
that way.
Another factor is that many locations (anywhere inland, including the
Gorge) have much gustier wind than we typically get here. With deeper
lulls, the pros will end up rigging apparently huge sizes to ensure that
they never slog.
Ken
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