Jholer wrote:Well,that centerboard trunk is certainty thin! Probably 1\2" at the top and maybe 1\4" on the sides.
Sounds like a lot of glass to me
Jholer wrote:You can also point a little high for your given sail trim.
Sounds to me like you got a "lift". If you were racing you would be loving that. There are times when you get headed as the wind shifts as well (also referred to as a "knock")... and often the wind is shifting as the puff hits.
This starts to become more important of a thing when you are racing, as most of the time you only sail on 2 points of sail when you are going around the buoys. Upwind, as close to the wind as you can... as it points you more directly to the mark, which makes the travel time to the mark shorter. And then there is downwind, as close to dead down wind as you can sail and still make good ground. Upwind is work, downwind is relaxing for all but the spinnaker trimmer, lol.
To simplify things I will just talk about going upwind... Also, this could possibly spawn a few segue conversations about other variables that will be at play in the "what should I do with this wind" scenarios. To keep it extra simple, if we are considering this example a to be a boat in a race, let's say we are way out in front of everyone (which is highly unlikely) and there are no other boats or bad air from said boats to avoid.
So, in my head, this is my checklist for dealing with a wind shift...
Before I trim the sail or put on the vang or anything, I check the tell tails on my head sail to see what they are doing.
Remember I am already close hauled, so I cannot bring my sails in anymore than they already are. If the inside tell tail on the head sail is flapping, I am probably getting headed/knocked, which means the wind shifted in such a way whereas I am closer to irons then I previously was. This means that I am now too close hauled, most likely de-powering, and not making good speed. If I head down (away from the wind), the inside tell tail will stiffen back up and the boat should gain speed. If the boat starts to heel, hike!
If the outside tell tail on the head sail is flapping, I am probably getting lifted, which means that the wind shifted in such a way whereas I am now on a close reach instead of close hauled. I am definitely overpowered, and happy about it (It may be time to hike out if you are not already and have the wind to warrant it). I should now be overpowered and healing excessively (or starting to), and too overpowered to gain speed. This means I get to head up and point the boat into the wind a little. If racing, this allows you to sail closer (in a straighter line) to the mark.
So, if you cannot look at the water and tell if you are about to get lifted or headed, you can check for a lift or header based on what the tail tells are doing, steering the boat until the tell tails are happy. If I am still heeling too much, I can ease the main slightly. Or I can put some vang on. Or if there is enough wind do both, lol.
Again... we have been talking about close hauled racing. But if you are cruising and this resonates with you, you can have even more fun with it. Why? Because now you can sail off the wind a little... in a reach (where ever you want). This make the trim point priority, especially if you are cruising and want to keep a straight course. If you are getting headed, instead of turning the boat downwind to power back up, you can bring the head sail in little to make the inside tell tail stop fluttering, adjust the main, and keep course. Hike if need be, decide if you have enough wind for vang, etc. Work the boat front to back, and then rinse and repeat. Conversely, if you are getting a lift, your outside tell tail will be fluttering, telling you to either head up or easy the sail a little. If cruising, ease the foresail until the the outside tell tail strikes a pose, adjust the main if need be, hike if need be, use the vang if you need it. Rinse and repeat.
When racing there are more variables, and that can be fun. When cruising, the wind is the variable, and you have a lot more time to concentrate solely on it, which is fun. The real difference to the order of operations depends on what you are doing. If racing, your first priority is ussually to steer to the wind shift. If cruising your first priority is usually to start the trimming process when the wind shifts in hopes to keep a straight course.