OCSC's "Two-Part Sail Trim" seminar

Shaping sails effectively for the prevailing conditions and knowing when to change gears is a central skill for all sailors. Racers and cruisers alike crave comfortable, fast and adventurous sailing experiences, but racers profit by winning more races via boat-speed and deploying tactical advantages, while cruising sailors profit equally, perhaps more, from covering more distance in less time. So the most effective skippers, no matter what they're racers or cruisers, use racing techniques. Any skipper with good racing skills will avoid weather problems, arrive first at coveted anchorages and make swift passages.

Skilled crew/sail handlers also relish the rewarding process of optimizing sail trim and boat speed for the fun of it. Additionally, all sailors may optimize passage times, produce and retain navigation options for themselves, win races if they choose and have more fun by employing sail shaping tools and concepts drawn from the performance sailor’s bag of tricks.

This two-part course will introduce you to the art and science of shaping sails with exciting visual presentations that crystallize the precise shapes and orientations of sails for maximum efficiency. We start with headsails (jibs and genoas), moving next to the main. We then look at the entire rig as a whole unit working together to shape the sail plan upwind. Spinnakers are then considered as part of the different challenges faced in off the wind scenarios. We will use a tool-oriented approach to render arcane and subtle concepts and distinctions visible and useful. This will allow you to immediately start playing with them on your own, experimenting with the tools. As you do this, you will more fully identify the effect on your sail and rig shapes and performance and come to understand the underlying concepts more fully. These same techniques are employed by performance sailors worldwide to accomplish sail shaping goals.

Session I:

• Overview of objectives, trim fundamentals, sail controls, mainsail shaping, and upwind headsail shaping

Session II:

• Shifting gears for conditions, rig control and trim loops, helm/sail feedback and spinnaker shaping (symmetrical and asymmetrical)