> I certainly don't use as tight an angle as I could even with
> my arrangement, yet I go upwind just fine. I could point higher, but I'd be
> pinching and stalling the keel in that situation, so i wouldn't actually
get
> anywhere any quicker. I've done a lot of research on racing and whatnot,
and
> its so important to have boat speed that you should often trade it off for
> pointing anyways (e.g. better to be going 3 knots at 50 degrees relative to
> true wind than 2.5 knots at 45). I'd REALLY like to race Jerry or Judy
> sometime to test some of these theories of mine.
>
Hi Eric,
Since I installed the genny tracks on the cabintop, Redwing really points high
and moves fast with the lapper -- a *lot* higher and faster than she used to
with the old genny tracks on the rubrail that you describe. My keel isn't
bad, but it could be better , and I don't have a problem stalling out that I
can notice -- I don't sense there's significantly increased leeway when I'm
pointing high and screaming along.
I chose the cabin top location for my tracks after going out sailing and
holding the jib sheets in diferent locations with my lgoved hand and seeing
how well it worked. The cabintop worked the best -- I could point
significantly highre. I think a section of track on the side deck, would work
better than the tracks belwo the rubrail as well, but not quite as well as on
the cabintop.
If my keel was limiting my ability to oint and I wanted to improve my old
keel, I'd do the following to make it similar to the new P19 keels used since
1997. You keel's not galvanized, right?, so you could radius the front edge
smoothly if it isn't already and bevel the trailing edge linearly about 2.75
inches, with a radiused 1/4" trailing edge. Then you's re-epoxy it to prevent
rust.
I don't think you can use the decksweeper 150% genoa with cabintop tracks, the
deck would be better location for the blocks.
To see how I installed the genny tracks on the cabin top, go to
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/jblumhorst/HomePage/index.htm">Judy B's West
Wight Potter Pages</A> and follow the link about "installing genoa tracks".
Regards,
Judy B.
Judith Blumhorst, DC
HMS18/P19 Fleet Cap'n Potters Yachters
1985 WWP19 #266 Redwing
SF Bay, CA
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/jblumhorst/HomePage/index.htm">Judy B's West
Wight Potter Pages</A>