Tweaking the rig can make such a difference

So Craig, David and myself were sailing at Datchet on a perfect training course. 20 yard start line, 100 yard beat followed by run, beat and then finish. 3 different boats with different make sails and so many races finished where the boats crossed the line at the same time.

I was sailing the skinny Proteus which is devilishly quick in calm weather, Craig had the latest Proteus version which I think is getting close to a final version, and David was sailing his V12. We started in near calm conditions and the skinny Proteus was dominent. However when the wind filled in to 5-8 mph I lost the edge. The boat would not point and hold its lane off the starting line, so after a few races at the back it was time for a tweak.

First, there were two turns on the shrouds to tighten the rig up. A bit more backstay was needed to keep the mast in a gentle fair curve. I now have 5 degrees of spreader rake to allow the middle of the mast to hold straight instead of inverting as it did at the weekend. I flattened the jib foot completely and tightened the jib leach a fraction. Remember I am using max depth moulded Sailboat RC sails. Finally I checked the sheeting angles and brought them in a fraction.

In the next race, the boats pointing ability returned without losing any speed.

The point I want to make is you need to be constantly attentive to you boats set up. From basic things like checking before each day that your sheets have not shrunk to measuring everything on days when you are going quick so you can replicate the set up. If the boat is not going well and you are sure it is not your helming technique, bring the boat in and check all is good.

Happy sailing. Summer is nearly here in the Northern hemisphere.