
What is the issue?
Getting the most out of a vessel is not easy. A few highly gifted individuals will be able to feel for the sweet spots of a vessel and make the most of it. But people this talented are rare and it takes a long time for most of us to get the feel of a vessel and optimise it in a wide range of conditionsWhy address this?
Boat performance is the centre of all activity for a racing crew, and even cruisers want to get to their destination as quickly and as efficiently as possible. No one goes out with the express desire to sail inefficiently.Love eOceanic? Get Even More with the App!

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How to address this?
Find the fast settings for various angles, wind speeds and conditions and code the vessel so they may be more easily repeated.
Photo: Michael Harpur
For instance, 3-4 knots of wind in smooth conditions. Record all the sail arrangement sweet spots and the individual measurements for each control creating a profile like this:
Beam Reach / 3-4 knots of wind / smooth conditions
- • No. 3 Genoa
- • Halyard position 4
- • Lead position 5
- • Mainsail = un-reefed position 8
- • Traveller 25 cm off the wind
- • Backstay tension 2
- • Cunningham notch 7
After this process has been undertaken across a wide range of conditions all that is required to sail the vessel optimally is to call off the condition record and punch in the numbers. This will immediately result in the tried and tested optimal performance for that condition and a profile point which can be further enhanced.

Photo: Michael Harpur
With thanks to:
Michael Harpur, Yacht ObsessionAdd your review or comment:
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