Cal 29 Sail Trim

I have been racing on a friends Cal 29. I have been having trouble getting the mainsail properly adjusted. When sailing to weather, in winds estimated 8-24 knots, the main back winds from the luff back. I can not trim this 1/3 or more back-winding out of the sail. I have tried about every thing with the main even over sheeting and traveling boom up to the center line and still the sail luffs. We mostley use a 138 or 155. The owner said that this is just how this loose footed main sail has worked from day 1...back winded! When I ease out the main to almost 1/2 back-winded we seem to gain a knot. We have reefed the main and still get back-wind. I have noticed that the Jib's leach cord is a little tight causing the jib to curl some could this be causing the problem?...Capt says no. Any suggestions would be helpful. Mark Cal 2-29 Pelican (San Pedro)

Trying to correct excessive backwinding by sheeting in the main is probably counter productive, as your post seems to say! Marchaj says that foresail leach curl is a major cause of backwinding. Problem is, with older sails leach curl can stay in even with a slack leach line. Other causes are excessive camber in the genoa, especially near the head, or camber too far aft. You might talk to a sailmaker. Correcting leach cutaway might help. YMMV, I am not a racer...or a sailmaker. td From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com on behalf of markalan05 Sent: Thu 8/31/2006 12:27 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 29 Sail Trim I have been racing on a friends Cal 29. I have been having trouble getting the mainsail properly adjusted. When sailing to weather, in winds estimated 8-24 knots, the main back winds from the luff back. I can not trim this 1/3 or more back-winding out of the sail. I have tried about every thing with the main even over sheeting and traveling boom up to the center line and still the sail luffs. We mostley use a 138 or 155. The owner said that this is just how this loose footed main sail has worked from day 1...back winded! When I ease out the main to almost 1/2 back-winded we seem to gain a knot. We have reefed the main and still get back-wind. I have noticed that the Jib's leach cord is a little tight causing the jib to curl some could this be causing the problem?...Capt says no. Any suggestions would be helpful. Mark Cal 2-29 Pelican (San Pedro) DISCLAIMER: Important Notice ************************************************* This e-mail may contain information that is confidential, privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not an intended recipient of this e-mail, do not duplicate or redistribute it by any means. Please delete it and any attachments and notify the sender that you have received it in error. Unintended recipients are prohibited from taking action on the basis of information in this e-mail.E-mail messages may contain computer viruses or other defects, may not be accurately replicated on other systems, or may be intercepted, deleted or interfered with without the knowledge of the sender or the intended recipient. If you are not comfortable with the risks associated with e-mail messages, you may decide not to use e-mail to communicate with IPC. IPC reserves the right, to the extent and under circumstances permitted by applicable law, to retain, monitor and intercept e-mail messages to and from its systems.

Hi Mark Wise man say trim the front of the jib and the back of the main. A little bubble at the front of the main doesn't slow you down, and sheeting in enough to remove it makes the leech of the main a big airbrake. The bubble is caused by backwash off of the jib, as well as turbulence from the mast itself. One thing that can be done (and should be done for the sake of jib trim, if nothing else) is ease the jib's leech line until the leech flutters, then pull it back on just till the fluttering stops. Some of that bubble should also go away when you pull on the outhaul and cunningham as the breeze comes on. Other than that, the buble at the front of the main in and of itself isn't anything to worry about. For the main, another thing that will help when the breeze comes on is adding twist-instead of easing the traveler down, ease the mainsheet instead. This will decrease heel making the sails and the keel more effective. Keeping all 4 wheels on the ground is fast! When the breeze eases off and you need more power, pull the mainsheet back on and move the traveler up and down with an eye on the knotmeter to find the sweet spot. Which combination of all this makes the boat happiest is different every time, due to different wind/water conditions, but that's part of the fun. Good luck. Hope this helps Mike Kennedy Jr. Conquest Cal 40 #96 --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "markalan05" <masconsult@...> wrote: > > I have been racing on a friends Cal 29. I have been having trouble > getting the mainsail properly adjusted. When sailing to weather, in > winds estimated 8-24 knots, the main back winds from the luff back. I > can not trim this 1/3 or more back-winding out of the sail. > I have tried about every thing with the main even over sheeting and > traveling boom up to the center line and still the sail luffs. We > mostley use a 138 or 155. > The owner said that this is just how this loose footed main sail has > worked from day 1...back winded! > When I ease out the main to almost 1/2 back-winded we seem to gain a > knot. > We have reefed the main and still get back-wind. > I have noticed that the Jib's leach cord is a little tight causing the > jib to curl some could this be causing the problem?...Capt says no. > > Any suggestions would be helpful. > > Mark > Cal 2-29 > Pelican (San Pedro) >

Without seeing anything, either your main is too full, or main not twisted enough.. or maybe the Genoa incorrectly trimmed??? (twisting the Genoa is another valuable art form) Or maybe everything is just right!!! 8 knot solutions are different than 24 knot solutions, water conditions (waves) also change the solution. I believe that your ultimate desire is to sail at your maximum upwind Target Boat Speed (TBS).. in mild to flatter seas. (no boom surge caused by wave action) - NOTE TBS is NOT the highest angle in which you can physically sail, it is the maximum vector of speed and angle that gets you to the upwind target the fastest!!!! i.e. win the race to the mark. Do you know these numbers? (TWA/TWS/SOW) (also known as polars?) "Fisherman's Reefs" (backwinded main) are not always bad, see if you can reach your TBS. The controls for the main are: The Main Car, - Upwind for twist and weather helm - converse leeward The Main Sheet, - Controls leech curve & boom angle The Outhaul - main Leech and "lower draft" The Vang - main Leech curve & Draft The Back Stay - Genoa luff - Main flattening The Cunningham - main luff tensioning / move draft. The Baby Stay, with backstay amplifies main adjustments The Running Backs, tunes middle top of main The Main Halyard The main Backwinding is adjusted by these controls, and is affected by the jib-Genoa trim. First I would start with sailing the boat at the target angle, and get the power plant, the Jib/Genoa flying correctly for the wind/wave condition. Then using the above tools, maybe start off with maximum twisted main. Main car high, (windward) Main sheet adjusted "loose" to get twist, and remove "fisherman's reef" Outhaul, play until draft improves, but not so tight as to curl leech - streaming tail tells ALWAYS Vang, - play until top batten parallel with boom... or not... watch speed Backstay - tighten to move Genoa draft forward, and flatten main Cunningham loose, see what effect adjusting it does... Baby stay, play with backstay Running Backs... probably not needed unless bouncy seas/ higher winds. Main Halyard. an initial setting establishes draft location, loose light air, tighter heavy - neutral Mylar sails Infinite wind/sea combinations combined with infinite sail trimming options AND SAIL MATERIALS make sailing an interesting sport - and separates the observant (winners) from the less observant (losers). Key importance is to know the numbers you should be sailing, and then never be satisfied with the trim until you obtain the proper speeds.... Use a GPS and watch your Speed to mark (Waypoint Closure Lastly, since you win races by finishing before the rest of the sailors.. covering the fleet, is always a primary concern. From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of markalan05 Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 9:28 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 29 Sail Trim I have been racing on a friends Cal 29. I have been having trouble getting the mainsail properly adjusted. When sailing to weather, in winds estimated 8-24 knots, the main back winds from the luff back. I can not trim this 1/3 or more back-winding out of the sail. I have tried about every thing with the main even over sheeting and traveling boom up to the center line and still the sail luffs. We mostley use a 138 or 155. The owner said that this is just how this loose footed main sail has worked from day 1...back winded! When I ease out the main to almost 1/2 back-winded we seem to gain a knot. We have reefed the main and still get back-wind. I have noticed that the Jib's leach cord is a little tight causing the jib to curl some could this be causing the problem?...Capt says no. Any suggestions would be helpful. Mark Cal 2-29 Pelican (San Pedro)