Re: Flat sails

From: Alain Dumesny (alain@paris.engr.sgi.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Mon Mar 03 1997 - 10:43:49 PST


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Date: Mon, 3 Mar 1997 10:43:49 -0800
From: alain@paris.engr.sgi.com-DeleteThis (Alain Dumesny)
Message-Id: <199703031843.KAA17149@paris.engr.sgi.com-DeleteThis>
To: Multiple recipients of list <wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis>, wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Subject: Re:  Flat sails
Reply-To: alain@sgi.com-DeleteThis


> From: <bo3b@apple.com-DeleteThis>
>
> His recommendation for overpowered is to partly flatten the sail to
> reduce the power, but still keep a curve. You don't want the full bodied
> curve, since you don't need that power, but you don't want it flat either.
>
> Then, the even better way to reduce power is to put on more downhaul, so
> the leech gets looser, even down to the boom, spilling more wind,
> handling stronger gusts, but keeping an airfoil.
>

I will also agree with that. Typically when I'm way overpowered, I will
downhaul FIRST to make the sail very loose (or get rid of the loose leach if
underpowered). Amazing how much more wind a modern sail with a lot of
downhaul will take. I use a FlipAndEasy which makes is pretty easy to adjust
and it also gives you a lot of leverage. I have to come off the water though.
After that, I add some outhaul to tension the sail again.

If I need to flatten the sail a little bit, I would do it at most 1/2 in, if
even that much (which I can do while in the water). Flat sails don't handle
more wind. Loose leach sails on the other hand can spill a lot of the gusts.

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