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leebitts
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122 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/19/2008 : 08:44:11

I am racing my boat phrf on Long Lake in Maine. Looking for some clarity on sail trim. In reading http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/Capri25TuningGuide2001.pdf. The author suggests that on the genoa to keep the leach 6 inches off the spreader during power up, then 1 inch at speed. Just to make sure I'm clear on this, I'm assuming by leach he means the leach, so keep the aft edge of the jib 6 inches, then 1 inch off the spreader, not the section of sail that could touch the spreader.

LeeBitts
1981 Capri 25 Hull # 142
Sailing in NH and Maine

Edited by - on

Andy_334
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Response Posted - 07/20/2008 : 08:51:38

While I did not re-read the whole document, I suspect they mean to keep the distance from the spreader tip to the spreader patch on the sail somewhere from 6 to 1 inch in the conditions that you described.

Essentially, you're looking for an even slot between the inside of the sail and the shroud.

Edited by - on

leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 10:06:04

So based on that it would not be the leach of the sail. That is much tighter than I've been putting it. In your experience do I want it to be really close in?

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Steve Milby
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Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 15:54:37

I agree with Andy that it means the distance to the nearest point on the sail, not to the leech of the sail.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">...do I want it to be really close in?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> For sailing closehauled, you generally want it trimmed very close in, for pointing, however, as the windspeed drops, you might want to begin to ease the jibsheet a little, to increase the power in the sail. Also, in a heavy chop, caused by waves or powerboat wakes, you might want to ease the jibsheet slightly, for the same reason, to increase the sail's power and help drive the boat through the chop. Recommendations such as the author gave in his article, are usually intended to be rules of thumb, that are generally applicable, but that might need to be adjusted to cope with different conditions.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 17:10:29

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by leebitts
 So based on that it would not be the leach of the sail. That is much tighter than I've been putting it. In your experience do I want it to be really close in?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">When beating to a windward mark in a good breeze... and I agree that the author meant the sail--not the actual leach of the sail. Beating in light air, fall off a little and ease the sheets for speed, then head up in the puffs. On a reaching leg (if you have one), you want to let your telltales and speed log to tell you how to trim--generally not as tightly as on a beat.

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Stardog
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Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 18:23:54

Reference of spreader tip to leech of jib means distance measured on a line perpendicular to the plane bisecting the boat to port and starboard, passing through the spreader tip and intersecting the sail. So in layman's term; from the spreader tip to what is essentially the nearest point on the sail.

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Andy_334
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Response Posted - 07/21/2008 : 20:36:13

1 inch seems really tight, unless you're trying to pinch off a competitor (I love it when they can't "live there" and have to tack away!). I typically aim for 3-4 inches, but ease to 6-8 for power to get through the motor boat chop.

As Steve said, most tuning guides are just a rule of thumb. Our UK 155 behaves differently from our EP 155.

Edited by - Andy_334 on 07/21/2008 20:36:46

SailCO26
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Response Posted - 07/22/2008 : 13:32:53

As stated above, the distance-from-spreader measurement is from the outboard end of the spreader to the closest point of the sail. You really dont have a sail control that will alter the distance from the spreader to the leach, other than sail selection. A #2 will have it's leach pretty close to the spreaders, but the #1 will be farther aft and #3 or smaller will be farther forward.

How far is an inch (or 3, or 6)? When it comes to judging small distances from far away, it's not an easy task and a lot of people have different ideas of what 1" is from 20-25' away (aka the old joke about what a male thinks is 6" vs the female version). One trick is to apply some tape in contrasting color to your spreaders at some known distance from the spreader tip (mine are blue on black, at 3" and 6"). It's much easier to trim to the same distance off the spreader as the 1st or 2nd tape (or even 1/3 of that distance), than it is to send crew up the rig with a tape measure.

That said, take any boat mfr's "tuning guide" with a large dose of sodium. If you pay attention to ANYONE's tuning guide, it should be the sailmaker - HE knows how the sail is made to set. Even then, you have to match the rig tune to the sailmaker's design, and EVEN THEN the sail will alter shape as it ages...

Is 1" too tight? Depends, is it fast? :) I have an old North Sails #1 that points very well 1" off the spreader, and 3-4" for power/chop and 6" for light air. The key is, try what's in the tuning guide, and work from there. Is it fast? Use it. Does it seem slow? Ease it 1" and try that. Faster, slower? Ease it another 1", try that. Dont forget to trim the main, too - every trim in the headsail will also change the trim on the main! By that time, the wind speed has probably changed and now you're testing for something different anyway... Welcome to sailboat racing.

Edit: btw, I'm not trying to say Andy's off saying 1" might be too tight - again, it's a difference in sails. Using EP sails, he probably has 10"+ rake in his mast, which will alter where the spreader is in relation to the draft of the headsail. With a NS setup, I usually run only 4" of rake. So it's all really just a starting point ("guide" if you will), and you go from there. You pays your $, you takes your chances...

Edited by - SailCO26 on 07/22/2008 13:53:27

leebitts
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122 Posts

Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 06:35:00

Racing last night the winds were medium to brisk (no white caps) but enough wind that trying to keep the boat flat going to windward was a challenge with 3 of us (about 500 pounds) on the rail and my 155 up.

The course is windward, reach/downwind, reach, windward to finish. We got trounced on in the windward legs, but made up a lot of ground on the other legs. For most of the windward legs, we were able to keep the boat at less than 15 degrees of heel (the rail was never in the water). I was looking closely at how far off the spreaders the jib was and I do not think we ever got it closer than 8 to 10 inches, and I do not see how we could have done better. A few observations. we did not have a crew member forward to bring the sail inside the lifelines, it did seem to come over the stanchion that it was hitting. Weight was distributed, me 165 pounds just aft of the traveler, person tending jib (about 200 pounds) halfway to the companionway, 3rd person (about 150 pounds) at the companionway. There was reasonable tension on the backstay, outhaul and cunningham pretty tight. The tell tales were streaming properly. We appeared to be 5 degrees at least off the wind from other boats (mixed fleet - Jay 22, Catalina 25, Capri 22, Flying Scott, Thistle, Hylander etc.). After the race, I followed a Catalina 250 as he sailed to his mooring a few miles to windward. In the reasonably stiff air he was pointing higher and putting distance between us. I tried a few things like heading off some to get more speed, to no avail. My boat speed was 5.8 to 6.3 knots (measured by gps).

I'm new to this boat (and racing for that matter), I think last night was my 8th time on her. What should I be looking at first? As an asside, last Tuesday the winds were such that there was really no need for us to tack, pretty much hitting every mark on one tack with the lifts. We did exceptionally well getting a very close 3rd.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 08:30:31

Sounds like you were doing some things right... but outpointed and outrun by a C-250? Hmmmmm.... Are you sure he wasn't motor-sailing?? Tell us about your sails, your bottom (of your boat, of course), and your helm balance going to weather.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 07/23/2008 08:35:01

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 08:49:51

Finishing third is great in a new-to-you boat, while you're still learning her sailing characteristics.

The reason why others were beating you to windward is because your jib was never trimmed closer than 8-10" from the spreader. That's clearly not close enough for closehauled sailing. You apparently can't trim the jib that close without having someone go forward and lift the skirt of the jib over the lifelines on each tack. That's standard procedure for serious racers, and some member of the crew should be assigned the task upon every tack.

The manner in which the jib is trimmed literally dictates the boat's sailing angle with respect to the wind. If the jib is trimmed 8-10" from the spreader, the boat can only be sailed efficiently at a sailing angle of somewhat more than 45 degrees to the wind. The helmsman is incapable of sailing closer to the wind. If the jib is trimmed 1" from the spreader, and the skirt of the sail is lifted inside the lifelines, then the sail will be much flatter, and the helmsman will be able to steer the boat efficiently at a much narrower sailing angle.

If you're not accustomed to trimming your sails that tightly, it's a little scary at first, because most of us are afraid the sail will split under such a load, but the fact is that a sail is designed to withstand such loads within a given windspeed range. If the sail can't tolerate the stress, then it must have been old and rotten and ready to go anyway. I had a 23 year old 155% genoa on my boat that I raced hard throughout it's lifetime, and still trimmed it to within about 5-6" of the spreader, which was usually the ideal trim for my Catalina 25 TR/FK. (I could trim it closer, but found, through experimentation, that the boat lost speed when I did so.) That old sail never split, even when I overpowered it so much that water started to pour over the gunwale into the cockpit.

Also, many people are afraid to trim their jib so flat, because they think the boat will heel too much, and they won't be able to control it. The fact is that trimming the jib flat depowers it, enabling the boat to stand up higher windspeeds, and to point closer to the wind.

If you trim the jib in to the recommended extent, and if the boat is heeling excessively, then it is time to either tuck a reef in the mainsail, or take down the bigger jib and put up a smaller one, or both.

Edited by - on

leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 08:55:43

This link is a picture of the boat from the week before so you can see my sails and such

http://www.lakeregionsailingclub.com/GalleryImage.asp?p=gallery-jul15& image=IMG_1322%20 Small .JPG

I purchased the boat last fall the bottom had vc-17 paint and was good and clean. I did not touch it this year. The sails I used last night were my kevlar main and 155 genona (same as in the link above). I did notice a bit of slime along the water line but certainly not much. The motor is a 4 hp Mercury (54 pounds). Other equipment on the boat includes:

- running back stay
- vang
- cunningham
- outhaul
- main is shelf footed
- sails are about 4 years old and diagnosed as "good" by sail loft that cleaned them last winter

- At some points last night I had a bit of weather helm, not sure how much off center line I had the tiller maybe 10 degrees

I checked with a few other racers from last night. Wind speed:
- beginning 6 - 8, middle 10 - 12 end 14 - 15

Edited by - on

SailCO26
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Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 09:45:47

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by leebitts
For most of the windward legs, we were able to keep the boat at less than 15 degrees of heel (the rail was never in the water).<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> 10-15' seems fastest for the CP25. Even in light air I make better time by heeling to boat at least 10'.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">we did not have a crew member forward to bring the sail inside the lifelines, it did seem to come over the stanchion that it was hitting.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">It's definitely worth doing. We always have the crewmember farthest fwd "skirt" the headsail, that is pull the foot inside the lifelines after the tack. Ideally the sail stays inside and gets trimmed before the foot gets outside, however the #1 on the CP25 is a good sized sail, and tough to get trimmed in that fast!

A couple of other things to look at:
1. Where are your headsail sheet cars located? If they're too far aft, then the twist in the sail will keep you from being able to trim in all the way. You're using the inside track, just aft of the companionway, for the #1 right?
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The tell tales were streaming properly.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">What do you mean by "properly"? Are you referring to the outside streaming aft and the inside with a slight lift? That's good - but also check this: when you turn upwind from a close-hauled course, do all the inside telltales break at the same time? Or does the top (or bottom) break before the others? To get the right amount of twist in the sail, they should all break at the same time. If the top breaks first, then there's too much twist in the sail and the cars need to move fwd. Bottom first, cars back.

Also, look at the shape of the leech where it overlaps the main, it should be very similar to the shape of the main, ie the "slot" should be close to even top-bottom. If the telltales are breaking evenly on the headsail but the slot looks off, then look to your mainsail controls.

2. How tight is the foot of the sail when you're measuring the distance off the spreader? If the foot is outside the lifeline, it can't be very tight. When we're in pointing mode with the #1, the foot is very tight from the tack to the clew. Bear in mind this is an old sail, so there's been some stretch - but it should still be well inside the lifeline.

3. What type of cars do you use? Just a regular block shackled to a T-track car will have a different entry angle than something like a Lopez block (eg: http://mauriprosailing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MPS&Category_Code=J24LOP), which means the cars need to be farther fwd.

You do use Lopez blocks with the #1, right? ;) If not, they're not cheap but make a WORLD of difference when it comes to tacking that big ol' #1. The new sheet can be trimmed standing above the block for leverage, cleated, then the sheet led to the windward cockpit winch for fine trim. Once the winch takes up the slack in the sheet, it will pop out of the cleat in the Lopez block and be free to trim/ease as necessary from the windward rail. Vera niiice!

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Weight was distributed, me 165 pounds just aft of the traveler, person tending jib (about 200 pounds) halfway to the companionway, 3rd person (about 150 pounds) at the companionway.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">That sounds about right. If heeling more than 15', have both the crew hike with their legs over the side facing out, and as close to the max-beam point (aft cabin window) as possible.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">There was reasonable tension on the backstay, outhaul and cunningham pretty tight.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Can't help you much there, would really have to see what the sail looks like. Where the draft is, and if there are any wrinkles anywhere. Another mainsail control to look at for pointing is the traveler. I tend to have the boom just high of center, but again I have an older NS main (hope to be using EP by next year!).

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">We appeared to be 5 degrees at least off the wind from other boats (mixed fleet - Jay 22, Catalina 25, Capri 22, Flying Scott, Thistle, Hylander etc.)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">You ought to be just a bit faster than the J/22 and even more over the CP22. If the C25 is a standard rig, you should easily out point/sail her. You should be able to out point/sail the C250 as well.

That said, some well sailed boats are just a b*tch to beat, so take the crews of those other boats into consideration as well. Where I race, we (PHRF-A) share the start/course with an 8-boat J/22 fleet and a 6-boat CP22 fleet. There's one J/22 that if their son is on board just gives us fits and we watch their transom the entire race. There's also 2 very well sailed CP22TM's that have been known to correct over us, and on occasion (dare I admit this?) have even beat us over the line.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'm new to this boat (and racing for that matter), I think last night was my 8th time on her.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">You'll learn more every time you go out, for as long as you own the boat! :)

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">What should I be looking at first?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">The CP25 has a large #1 compared to the main, so it's what I call a "front wheel drive" boat (most new sport/sprit boats have a much larger main and the headsail is primarily for balance, thus are "rear wheel drive"). As such, most of your power/speed is up front so focus your efforts there.

Do you run a spinnaker downwind? We've found that we're competitive upwind with the well-sailed boats in our area, but make up for our mistakes on the runs!

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">As an asside, last Tuesday the winds were such that there was really no need for us to tack, pretty much hitting every mark on one tack with the lifts. We did exceptionally well getting a very close 3rd.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Friggin drag races, I hate those. They're nice in that it's strictly a function of boat speed and mark roundings, so if you have a fast boat there's not so much focus on boat handling and/or strategy. But those boat handling drills (tacks/jibes) and strategic decisions are what separate the leaders from the pack. That's why I still prefer the ol' windward/leeward courses. You always have to pick your side (even if it's the middle), it wasnt picked for you by the RC.

Keep racing, and good luck!
Jim

Edited by - on

SailCO26
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Response Posted - 07/23/2008 : 10:54:11

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by leebitts
 This link is a picture of the boat from the week before so you can see my sails and such<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">That's a tough pic to judge from. It looks like you're already starting into your turn, as there's a luff in the top of the genoa and the foot doesnt appear to be full, either. I'm really hoping that's the spreader against the genoa at the "77", too.

Also, based on the way the sunlight is hitting the main, it looks like there's a pretty good wrinkle(s) going from the clew toward the mast. You could get rid of that with more cunningham, however the wind is pretty light in that shot and that will just flatten out the main, not what you're looking for in those conditions. Thus, I'd say the outhaul is WAY too tight and in that windspeed should be loose enough to put a slight bag in the foot of the main, but with the shelf still fairly taught along the boom (that's what it's there for).

It may also be a function of too much mast bend (backstay on). Again, in that light air you dont want a flat main so the backstay should be off. That will also reduce the tension on the headstay and induce a wee bit of sag in the luff of the genoa - a nicer round entry on the luff which is a big plus in light air. A slight ease on the genoa halyard will help here, too.

Typically, you'll want the main to not have ANY wrinkles at all. In light air start with all those "flattening" controls off, then make small adjustments from there to get any wrikles out. None of those controls should be "tight" in those wind conditions.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I purchased the boat last fall the bottom had vc-17 paint and was good and clean. I did not touch it this year.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I love VC17, and it should mostly just require touch-ups in the off season.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The sails I used last night were my kevlar main and 155 genona (same as in the link above)....sails are about 4 years old and diagnosed as "good" by sail loft that cleaned them last winter
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Then you should be sailing/pointing with the J/22 and CP22, and it shouldnt even be a contest with the C25 or C250 (nothing against those boats, mind you!), esp in that light air.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Other equipment on the boat includes:
- running back stay<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">???

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">At some points last night I had a bit of weather helm, not sure how much off center line I had the tiller maybe 10 degrees<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">10' seems a bit much, I have very little wx helm upwind. The CP25 is a VERY weight sensitive boat, and downwind you should easily be able to position crew so that the helm is dead neutral (no rudder drag).

Edited by - on

Pirate Princess
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Response Posted - 07/24/2008 : 15:55:19

I would tend to agree with Jim and thanks by the way for the refresher on jib trim.

I always look at track car placement first to make sure the sail is breaking evenly. I also dont think I would fly my #1 much past about 7-9 mph wind. After that it becomes too much a chore to stay flat and I dont think I gain much by the additional sail at higher wind speeds.

I will have to try the 1" off the spreaders trick at speed as I dont think I ever got them in that close.

Thanks guys,

Karen

Edited by - on

SailCO26
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Response Posted - 07/24/2008 : 17:07:26

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Pirate Princess
I also dont think I would fly my #1 much past about 7-9 mph wind. After that it becomes too much a chore to stay flat and I dont think I gain much by the additional sail at higher wind speeds.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I'll carry the #1 up to about 18-20k, but mainly because my #2 is a POS and the #3 is too small until about 20k.

I just picked up a temporary #2 which hopefully is better than what I have now, if so I'll use it once the wind is 15k - but I'll still hang the #1 to that point as long as I can keep the boat flat. Just have to twist it off (cars back) a fair amount (2, sometimes 3 notches).

Jim

Edited by - on

leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/24/2008 : 18:27:14

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I may have confused things a bit with the picture of my boat link. That picture was from the week before, it was intended to show the general shape/condition of the sails.

I have the cars on the inside track (aft of the companionway) the car was I think just aft of the middle of the track.

My bad on terminology, not a running back stay, but the ability to adjust it, to control mast rake. Speaking of which, the setup that I have for that is two small lines that come to jam cleats at about the position of the traveler. It seems akward to find a method of telling how much rake I have. Any suggestion on that?

Edited by - on

SailCO26
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Response Posted - 07/25/2008 : 09:26:21

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by leebitts I have the cars on the inside track (aft of the companionway) the car was I think just aft of the middle of the track.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Definitely check how the telltales break, then - that seems too far back to me, but then again it also depends on the cut of your genoa. But that might explain why you cant get the sail close to the spreaders, if it's twisted off too much (for lighter air). This would also hurt your ability to point.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">My bad on terminology, not a running back stay, but the ability to adjust it, to control mast rake.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Weeellll, really with the backstay control you're altering headstay tension and to some degree mast bend (mast bend with the backstay is quirky with a masthead rig). If you have really loose lowers and headstay, then you could effectively change the rake with the backstay, however that would be the least of your worries at that point...

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">It seems akward to find a method of telling how much rake I have. Any suggestion on that?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">There's two ways rake is typically measured, both of which are done at the dock on a somewhat calm day:
1. Hang a decent weight from the main halyard (in fits of desperation I've used a winch handle before).
2a. The first way is to measure where the halyard/weight hits the deck from the back of the mast.
2b. The second way (easier, IMHO) is to measure where the halyard crosses the top of the boom, from the back of the mast.
3. To increase rake, lengthen the headstay.

Check with your sailmaker to determine how they want the rake measured, then use that method. If they call for rake to be measured at the deck, I'll do that and once set write down what that measurement is at the boom, as I like that method better.

This is very much an initial tuning stage, as if you change the rake then everything else will have to be re-tuned as well.

Lots of rake is fast upwind, but not down. This is why if you see Stars racing they have a TON of aft-rake upwind, yet downwind it looks like the rig is about to fall over forward (btw, Stars DO have running backstays!). Is that a good thing? Well, it works in Stars - however ask your local Star racer how many masts he has at home...

On our boats, rake is typically a compromise. EP and Haarstick both like lots of rake, NS not so much. In theory, EP and H should make gains upwind, NS would downwind. In practice, we do see that in our (NS) performance: we're competitive upwind and make ground downwind. I'll probably be changing to EP in the near future, so would expect that to change and I'll have to alter my strategies/tactics accordingly.

Jim

Edited by - on

Andy_334
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Response Posted - 07/26/2008 : 21:09:55

Wow, great trim discussion: much to agree with. As others have hinted, there is no right or wrong: there is just fast and slow. There are so many variables, it is an art, not a science. We learn something every time we’re on the water.

For an EP and a UK, we’re set up with 10” of mast rake (measured by hanging a wrench off the main halyard then measuring the distance to the mast).

Trimming and easing the sheet is a constant task. I typically have the sheet in my hand for the majority of the upwind leg. Similarly, the position of the cars is critical. We adjust ours frequently during the race. I once heard it described as changing gears, just as you would in a car.

Regarding bringing the foot of the jib over the lifeline…… that is our foredeckers job. Two comments:
1. During the tack, he stands forward of the mast, helps the tack of the sail around the stays and then lifts the foot over the lifeline as I bring the sail to full trim. If he is not there, or is distracted, then I’ll “encourage” him to “skirt”. (We once had a young, testosterone charged, non-sailing guest aboard. I yelled “skirt”. His eyes lit up and he asked “where?”)
2. You can attach “wheels” to the lifeline to help the foot over the stanchion. Even then, an attentive foredecker is way more effective.

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leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/28/2008 : 11:36:34

Gotcha on the foredecker, makes sense.

Regards rake, your saying 10" is that the position you use for going upwind, and is the 10" at the boom or at the mast step (top of cabin)?

thanks

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Andy_334
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Response Posted - 07/28/2008 : 11:55:06

Rake is set up before we leave the dock. Accordingly, it is the same for up and down. It is measured from the mast step to the wrench dangling from the main halyard.

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leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/30/2008 : 08:04:35

Getting that genoa in over the lifeline stanchion is huge! Much improved race last night, we handidly beat the J22 to windward (and pretty much every one else) in the 6 to 10 knots of breeze. We had a strong 3rd place overall, being beat by just a bit by the number 2 boat and the 3 of us having a significant lead over the rest of the fleet.

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Andy_334
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Response Posted - 07/30/2008 : 21:45:21

Lee - outstanding result. Congratulations to you and your crew.

Being able to bring the jib over the lifeline and to within 4-6 inches of the stays will allow you to point much higher, without sacrificing speed. Apparently you don't need me or anybody else to tell you how important that is.

I'm sure we all look forward to reading more tales of your exploits.

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leebitts
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Response Posted - 07/31/2008 : 20:46:00

Andy 334 you inspire me!

I'm 51, been sailing since about age 12, did take 15 years off (handicapped child--- Elizabeth aka "LeeBits"). My dad had a Bristol 29 when I was growing up, I have owned a cape dory 28, cape dory 31 and Vindo 45. I bought the Capri 25 last fall, launched her this spring, have sailed her about 8 times and I must say. This is the best sailing boat I have ever experienced! I would not recommend taking this boat offshore, but for lake sailing she is the cats ass. I love this boat! I keep learning and learning. WooHoo.

Charlie

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Andy_334
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Response Posted - 08/03/2008 : 11:03:19

Charlie - thank you for your kind words. Sorry about the mix-up with your name.

This is my seventh season crewing on a Capri-25. In that time we've seen our results steadily improve and the fun-o-meter needle move further to the right!

Keep on enjoying the boat!

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