Sail Set - Even when you get good at Sail trim there is another kind of control that will make a big difference in the performance of the boat. It is sail set. Set is the curvature of the sail and is mostly controlled by adjusting luff tension. High tension makes a flatter sail and low tension makes a fliller sail shape. Luff tension is a function of halyard tension or downhaul (Cunningham) tension. When the set is right, the luff of the sail has neither the tendency to have horizontal Wrinkles or a verticai crease. when there is too much halyard tension you can see a long vertical crease running up the luff. If the tension is a little loose, you can see smail horizontai wrinkles along the luff. If it is very loose, luff scallops will appear on jibs that have hanks.
The same principle applies to the foot of the mainsail. You should have enough outhaul tension to pull the wrinkles out of the foot of the main without actually pulling a crease into the foot. The outhaul will control the set of the bottom portion of the main sail. Other controls for sail set are the traveler (ease the traveler for flatter sails), and the backstay adjuster. (tighten the backstay for flatter sails)
Extreme Examples of Jib Luffs that are Too Tight or Too Loose On main sails and jibs that don't have hanks it's a little more difficult to see the wrinkles but they are still there and can still be used. As you tighten the haiyard or downhaul watch the luff of the sail. At the moment the luff tape becomes smooth you have the right amount of tension. As the wind increases, it becomes necessary to flatten the sails a bit more by having tighter luff and foot tension. Many times sails will appear to be too tight when they are luffing or when there is a lull in the wind. Then, when sheets are trimmed or the wind builds back up, the verticai luff crease will pull itself out. m's should be kept in mind when raising sails. You may have to over tighten them just a little so that when you begin to sail, the set will be just flghL Serious racers often re-adjust their sail set every time the wind changes in strength. This makes more work but gives them maximum sail efficiency at ail times.
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