Sailboat Racing Trim — Part 5

In Chapter 5 of his book Racing Trim, Bill Gladstone talks about genoa trim and controls. The following post shows a short summary of that chapter.  I’ve added a few extras just in case you find them helpful.  Enjoy!

The role of the genoa trimmer is to guide the boat upwind while trimming the genoa to achieve the right balance of speed and point.  This is a continuous process and is not achieved with just one adjustment.

The genoa gets its power from the angle of attack, shape, and twist.  The angle of attack is increased by trimming the sheet in (alternatively, the driver could fall off, or head away from the wind).  A sail trimmed for deeper shape will have more power.  Trim it flatter for less power.  If the leech of the sail is closed, the sail will also have more power.  If you need to dump power, put some twist into the sail.

Different sails will also provide different amounts of power.  Choosing the right sail depends on the sea state, trend of conditions (is wind expected to build or drop?), and past performance with the sails being chosen from.

Here’s a sailing simulator, if you’re interested…

Initially, the genoa should be trimmed in a little less than will be needed. This allows the boat to build speed before final trim is done.  The sheet is the primary genoa trimming control.  Halyard tension is a way to change the draft of the sail.  If the draft moves aft, raise halyard a bit to bring the draft back forward. It’s really helpful to mark the halyard and the headfoil for desired halyard postions.  That way, it’s easy to know the halyard is positioned right by matching the position of the marks.  Genoa leads (a.k.a cars), on many boats can be moved forward and aft to help achieve the desired depth and twist of the sail.  The lead should be forward for extra power in waves.

Here’s a video I found on YouTube that teaches a bit about car position:

It is also good if the telltales break at the same time from to to bottom   (although “same time” is a relative term).  If the bottom telltales break first, move the car back.  (It’s silly, but you can remember this because bottom and back both start with B)

This is the fifth in a series of posts based on Bill Gladstone’s book Racing TRIM from the North U. Series.  Periodically, I post about a chapter or two.  This will be my short summary of what I’ve read.  You can read the posts to get my abbreviated summary; or you could read through the books with me.  Your comments can help point out what you find most interesting, or even poke fun at what I do and don’t know.  If you are interested in getting this book, you can find it in the online store section of NorthU.com for $25.