Re: Sail Trim Primer [Was: P19 Outhaul -- Was Re: P-19 Sail Flutter

JBlumhorst@aol.com
Fri, 17 Sep 1999 04:13:26 EDT


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In a message dated 9/16/99 10:54:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
gpotter@calinet.com writes:

> Hi Judy:
>
> Would you mind listing some of the sailing books you use to learn about
sail
> trim and so forth?
>
> Thanks
> gretchen
>

Gretchen,

I forgot one important part of my answer -- I really learned most of this
stuff in sailing school twenty years ago. While I've read a ton of books
since then, I highly recommend taking a few courses. You'd learn to sail
safely and well quickly.

As a kid, I sailed small dinghies. As an adult twenty-some years ago, I got
a membership in a sailing school in Boston that had a fleet of Solings
(Olympic-class sloops) and a few cruisers.

My office was on the waterfront, right next door to the marina. For one
whole year, I took classes on shore, instruction on the the racers, and
sailed several times a week, after work and on weekends. The classes covered
theory/physics of sailing, safety, navigation, maintenance of systems,
regulations, and on-the-water skills. I got certified for basic keelboat and
coastal navigation (but my navigation skills are terribly rusty these days --
I need a refresher course). I didn't learn much about racing tactics or even
how to fly a spinnaker, but I learned how to drive a boat (helm) and how to
trim a sail.

Having a certified, professional sailing instructor is worth every penny it
costs. Everything I learned on that racer has been valuable to me while
sailing my Potter, since all cruisers have many of the same trimming controls
as a racer.

I always want to get good performance out of every boat I sail. I define
good performance as speed and safety together. Trimming a boat correctly
means that you get better performance AND a larger safety margin out of your
boat.

Sailing a thorough-bred racer was a pretty good learning experience for
sailing a mini-cruiser like a Potter. All said, I'll take a P15 or a P19
anyday over any racer for the kind of cruising I most enjoy. The P19 may not
be a Soling, but it's a lively, fast, responsive little boat.

And I plan on taking a couple of courses next year, because there's always
more to learn.

Fair winds,
Judy B