RE: Sailing tips for a newbie
Eric Johnson (etj@nwlink.com)
Thu, 3 Jun 1999 12:31:07 -0700
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>
> In the light winds (5-8 knots) we've had here the last couple of
> weekends, I am able to get a respectable speed up when on a beam reach
> or even sailing to windward, but I seem to come to a dead halt when
> trying a run or broad reach. I would appreciate any pointers you experts
> have out there. I think I am getting my sails at approximately the
> right angle, but there must something screwy, because I see other boats
> flying by me. This may be a ridiculous request of you all without
> experiencing the conditions, or seeing my technique, but I thought I
> would give it a shot. I am trying to ramp up the learning curve as fast
> as possible. For reference, I have been sailing with main and Genoa on
> rolling furler.
Buy or borrow a GPS to tell for sure. It >seems< slow off the wind since
apparent wind drops to zero... but oftentimes I'm blown away by how fast I'm
actually travelling. In a light breeze you can be doing several knots and
hardly notice it.