A NIGHT WITH OUR EXPERTS

Winter Seminar With North Sails In Portsmouth, RI

North Sails in Portsmouth, RI hosted a starting strategy, sail trim, and tuning seminar to kick off the Spring sailing season. One Design President, and multi-World Champion, expert Tim Healy gave a technical presentation about headstay sag and prebend, and how that affects your angle of attack, sail depth, and twist. Going into a significant amount of detail on headstay sag, Tim shared the ways it can be controlled on any given boat.

1. Adjust your jib halyard
2. Adjust your shroud tension
3. Backstay tension
4. Mainsheet tension
5. Mast blocks at the deck (if your boat has it)
6. Moving your mast forward and aft are all ways to adjust your headstay length

When is headstay sag most ideal? Tim says when you have light to moderate wind conditions, or when you are looking for more power. When you are looking to get more power, headstay sag can also help get you more speed, allow you to point higher. Off the starting line, it can also contribute greatly with your accelerations. Learn more about headstay sag here. One Design expert and sail designer, Mike Marshall, fresh off his J/22 Midwinters win gave the audience some great tips on starting line strategy. Even for Mike, starting isn't easy! He presented three questions you should ask yourself before every start.

1. Where do you want to start on the line? Boat, middle, or pin?>
2. Am I high or low in the box?
3. Am I leading or pushing?

The same processes can be done at every start you. With main concepts to think about things like where is the wind coming from , line bias, what are the tacking angles , where is the most pressure on the race course, and is there any current that can influence where you are at your final approach. Tim Healy contributed an excellent point to Mike’s overview, which explained the importance of being confident with slow boat handling at the start. Being able to maintain your place on the line, and not accelerate too soon can almost guarantee you a hole to leeward at the start. Both Mike and Tim agreed that patience was vital because some opportunities open up a little last minute, but can save you the stress of having to find an escape route after go. Learn more about starting strategies here. Experts Tim Dawson and Henry Little were also there to support the seminar topics, giving their perspectives from racing on larger One Designs to 100-footers. All the the seminar topics can be applied to boats of all kinds, and all sizes. There was a ton to learn from some of the best in our industry at the seminar in Portsmouth, RI, and the crowd brought some great questions that we can all relate to. Sailors who partake in local racing were in grand attendance, including local Laser sailors, Thistles, VX One, Shields, J/24s, PHRF, ORC, IRC racers. Thanks to our experts for a great night, bringing local fleets together in Rhode Island to get us all pumped for some great racing in one of the best places for sailing New England has to offer. Questions about rig tune, racing, or sails? Contact your local loft today!