I always wondered what Jane did behind my back to ensure our gybes are so elegant!
On the rake front, both Jane and Mike are correct. Once the breeze gets up so we are fully hiking and beginning to get over powered, we start to increase rig tension via the shrouds to put a little more bend in the mast and flatten the sail to depower it. As the wind increases, so we use even more shroud tension and begin to ease the jib halyard bringing the top of the mast progressively further aft. In survival conditions the boom can get a little difficult for the helm to get under whilst tacking and this is probably about one-third or less halyard easing, two-thirds or more additional shroud tension. At its extreme, the mainsail can be almost completely bladed.
Kevin Iles
N3491 - still for sale at a very modest price!
On the rake front, both Jane and Mike are correct. Once the breeze gets up so we are fully hiking and beginning to get over powered, we start to increase rig tension via the shrouds to put a little more bend in the mast and flatten the sail to depower it. As the wind increases, so we use even more shroud tension and begin to ease the jib halyard bringing the top of the mast progressively further aft. In survival conditions the boom can get a little difficult for the helm to get under whilst tacking and this is probably about one-third or less halyard easing, two-thirds or more additional shroud tension. At its extreme, the mainsail can be almost completely bladed.
Kevin Iles
N3491 - still for sale at a very modest price!