[Public-List] Pointing

[David Tessier]

Interesting discussion re two reports of large ca. 130o tacks to windward, including factors that can cause this.  I wonder whether it might in part me measurement error/method?  Measuring the angle from one tack to another seems pretty straight forward to me by GPS, provided current is negligible and waves are small or at least not out of synch with the wind direction.  Measuring the angle to windward on each tack with respect to the true wind seems more difficult to me.
.
.
Last summer, we sailed our A30 along side a Catalina sailboat that could not point nearly as high as we were.  Its mainsail was rather old and too full.  At the suggestion of the very experienced skipper of a third sailboat (Contessa 26) in our little flotilla, the Catalina's skipper put a reef in the mainsail which flattened it and the pointing ability improved significantly.
.
. 
I wonder whether transverse boat trim might affect pointing? or a difference from on port and starboard tacks?
Cheers,
David
#319
  		 	   		  
 1327962411.0