Carbon Mast - Worth it?

[Adam Barker]

Hi guys
My crew and I are probably towards the heavier end of crew weights for a national 12, 22 Stone with my trim 14.5 sitting in the back. I currently have an ali mast (SuperSpars I believe). Would it be worth getting a carbon one?
I think that ideally i'm looking for ways to power up my Chapter as much as possible so any advice would be much appreciated.
Many thanks
Adam

[Crusader 3244]

When we get back on the water chances are our crew weight will be pushing the envelope for a Crusader cos the crew is growing and while the helm remains a relative (and large) constant - so potential answers interest me.
Once airs range into moderate and above powering up ought not to be a problem, should it (?), and the sailmaker determines how much power is factored into the cut. Am I correct in thinking carbon rigs are better able to regulate power? Carbon set ups can de-power powerfully cut sails. Do carbon rigs aid crews of modest weight because power can be regulated to match crew weight, wind strength, and point of sailing that power is down-regulated (matched) to the ability to make use of it.
BW 2011 was blowy, my skills rusty from two decades away from sailing, and my experience in the short chop of the estuary was limited. We were there for no other reason to make up the numbers within the AC fleet. I did find myself struggling to make upwind progress. I should think we weighed in well above 21 stone. Without much experience of open water and being accustomed to close quarter competition on small waters and meres I think I reverted to type and was aiming too high. We' wern't making active use of shroud tension control to induce bend in Proctor C (ally) mast. I was included to feather the gusts in a way that one might in a laser. We were not powering through the chop.Momentum was not being carried forward.

Footage of brightlinsea has driven some sense in, has it? I spotted a lot of leach twist in many rigs.
Now I figure I ought to have used shroud tension (increased) to induce pre-bend to be controlled and limited with mast ram and eased kicker to permit some twist. Instead of feathering to windward in the gusts we could have laid off slightly, eased the sheets in the knowledge that pre-bend would flatten the sail to a more manageable and effective foil, keep the slot from stalling and induced twist would lower the centre of effort acting on the sail making thus resulting that more of our hiking effort would get converted into forward motion. Twist spills wind from the top and lowers the healing moment. Reduce power for blowy beats; restore some for off-wind.

Carbon, so far as I get it, permits the factoring in of more power in sail cut that can then be downgraded to match the point of sailing and limitations of crew weight. If I have it right, and I concede my technique was horribly lacking at Thorpe Bay, carbon rigs offer the greatest advantages to lighter crews. I hope to make the action of my tensioners a bit more user friendly so we make better use of them in race. If that don't do no good then that nut on the tiller has to go.
Hell, fun first, prizes second.