Tuning notes RC44 n°18 - Russel

Mast Rake.
Genoa 1 rake;
• When under 4 knots TWS, gauge released as far as 12. The idea being to get the forestay to sag as much as possible
• 5 knots TWS, gauge 16
• In 6 knots TWS with the ram on 16 most of the forestay tension comes from the mainsheet, the runner is still slack. So that when you have to ease the main the jib powers up and you therefore need to compensate by tightening the headstay.
• 12 knots TWS, gauge 22.

Note; generally in light winds with the number one genoa try to adjust the rake such that the clew of the sail is as close as possible to the turning block (or inside the turning block) at maximum sheet tension.
Halyard tension should be soft in under 7 knots and firm in over 9 knots but never so firm as to be taking too much of the headstay load as this will increase the headstay sag.

Genoa 2 rake;
• 12 knots TWS gauge 21
• 18 knots TWS gauge 24.
• Release the gauge (below 21) if you are caught sailing with the code 2 in lighter winds..

Genoa 3
• 18 knots plus gauge 24.

Gennaker rake;

A1 range is 3 to 8knots TWS depending on the density.
At the bottom of the range of the A1 (less than 5 knots) and below range on the A2 (7-8 knots) we ease the rig back to get the luff of the gennaker to stand up.

Note; It is important to have enough tension on the runners in light wind to prevent the mast (and gennaker luff) from moving.

Check stays and runner;

Light wind; 2-6 knots the check stay should be very firm (number one tape stripe on the runner). The runner should be tensioned to tighten the check stay but not tighten the runner, thus pulling the middle of the mast back to create more depth in the mainsail.

Medium wind; 6-9 knots check stay should be tight (number 2 tape stripe) with the runner 75% of the maximum.

Fresh wind; 10 – 12 knots. (number three stripe on checkstay). Runner should be max load with check stay only tensioned to prevent the mast from panting.

Trim tab;

• 0 degrees downwind (unless more than 10 degrees of heel) then apply 1 degree.
• 8 degrees is the most common number we use upwind.
• Use less tab if you are trying to sail fast (for example, when you are over lay line or trying to roll another boat.)
• Use more tab (up to 9 degrees) at the start or trying to live off another boats hip.
• Use maximum tab when rounding the leeward mark or turning hard in the pre-start. This is very important because the rudder is unloaded and you must ask the keel to take more load….otherwise the boat will slip sideways.
• Use approximately 2 degrees when two sail reaching.

Traveler;

• 2-5 knots TWS. Set such that the boom is on centerline or 200mm above. Meaning the traveler needs to be pulled well to windward. Be careful to not pull the traveler up too high when you are trying to accelerate ( for example, out of tacks or at the start or immediately after rounding the leeward mark)
• 6-8 knots TWS. Set the traveler such that the boom is on or just below (100mm) centerline.
• 9-11 knots with the genoa 1, adust the traveler to keep the bottom of the mainsail under control.
• 12 - 13 knots with the code 2 genoa, boom should be on or just below centerline (100mm)
• 14 knots plus. Set the traveler adjacent to the bottom edge of the aft hatch.
• Use fine adjustments with the traveler and mainsheet to help the boat accelerate rather than using too much helm. It is usually better to accelerate using small combinations of sail trim and helm rather than trying to do it all with one item. But you need to be aggressively persue building speed and try to never let your speeds drop more than 2 tenths below the target. In other words, a high mode is 2 tenths below target and a fast mode is 2 tenths above – don’t get too greedy with the high mode.

Mast tune;

Set mast with the standard jack pressure (185) with the headstay tensioned such that the aft edge of the mast is a few millimeters off the mast collar.
Mast should have 25mm sag in under 7 knots, otherwise should be tuned to be straight using the diagonals.
Check stay and backstay tension effects the sideways tune so it is important to only look at the mast when the backstay and runner is set correctly.
It is possible to use higher jack loads for strong winds (195) but we generally do not change the rigging for different wind speeds and only work with the mast rake.

Other general notes;

• In gusty conditions, the genoa trimmer must be aware of the mainsail trim and release the headsail just before (or as) the gust hits to prevent the mainsail from washing out and allow the mainsheet trimmer to ease the mainsheet or release the traveler.
• There is a big difference between the set up when under powered to over powered. The transition with the genoa one is around 8.5 knots TWS. When powering up in light winds (or waves) the genoa car should be well forward with a a significant amount of depth in the bottom of the sail. Above 8- 9 knots, the foot of the genoa should deflect the leeward shroud. Until 8-9 knots TWS, it is important to trim the genoa as tight as possible against the spreaders to properly balance the boat.
• In gusty conditions and especially with the code 2 and 3 genoa, use the traveler as well as the mainsheet to power and depower the boat. In steady conditions (such as sea breeze) you can mainly play with the mainsheet.
• In stronger winds (above 14 knots) when tacking it is better to use a combination of lowering the traveler out of tacks as well as easing the mainsheet to avoid having to ease the mainsheet too much (which makes the sail too deep and collapses the sail).
• Generally always try to aggressively get the boat speed first before trying to sail high. The foils are relatively small on this boat so speed is essential for them to generate the required lift. (also why it is important to use more tab at lower speeds or when trying to sail high). When sailing in a straight line it is better to err on the side of having more boat speed than trying to sail high. When starting a race, many people try to sail too high too early, before they have built the speed.
• Keep the gennaker pole in the centre in winds below 7 knots TWS or at the bottom of the range of the code 2 gennaker.
• Keep the lose weight (sails, food, lifejackets, anchor etc) forward around the mast, but never in front of the forward hatch, in TWS less than 8 knots. After that, bring the weight back and store unused sails behind the mast with the anchor and other lose items near the aft hatch.
• Downwind move the crew weight back as soon as the boat speed reaches 9 knots.
• Downwind, try to react to the gains and losses in pressure immediately by really concentrating on the changes in heel. If you are late it will require a greater change in course in order to correct the loss or gain in pressure. You should be reacting to even very small changes in heel by compensating with the helm.
• This is a light boat with powerful sails. Therefore in strong winds, (more than 18 knots and especially in more than 22 knots) it is important to steer the boat with the sails. For example, do not try to use too much rudder when bearing away otherwise you will have too much heel and stall. Always ease the sails first THEN bear away with the rudder when the boat is flat. If the boat is too heeled and the rudder is turned it will simply lift the stern out of the water (and then stall). Even in the pre-start it may be important to also ease the genoa to keep the boat flat which of course makes the rudder more efficient. If the rudder stalls, take angle off and then re-apply the angle.
• In strong winds (more than 20 knots) when sailing downwind it is much faster to sail as high as possible while keeping the boat under control. Before doing this the crew weight must be well aft (3 crew behind the helm).
• In strong winds (more than 18 knots) always try to gybe when sailing at maximum speed and put priority on getting the mainsail across. Gennaker trim should be secondary. Even in 25 knots plus, it should still be possible to gybe the mainsheet without tailing it on the winch, by simply bearing away fast to a downwind course (or slightly by the lee) and grabbing the mainsheet at chest height and throwing the boom across. Tailing hard on the new runner also helps pull the boom across. Once the mainsail is gybed the boat can be slowly brought up ( but not too much until the gennaker is full and the speed comes back).
• Mainsail halyard tension; use slightly less (50mm) in winds under 6 knots to help induce twist in the head of the mainsail.
• In powered up conditions it is critical to come out of tacks with full runner tension. The pitman and bowman should work together to ensure the new runner is being loaded as the boat passes through head to wind. Full runner flattens the mainsail (and genoa) and makes the boat a lot easier to steer out of tacks.


Other general notes are on the class website. Sail Fast!