How To Trim Sails: Foresail Trim

[@willtaylor8904]

Nick, being in my late 30s I'm clearly not going to be the eldest person watching this but I've been in and around sailing vessels and the marine industry my whole life and I think that was the clearest introduction to foresail trim I've ever heard! 👏👏👏

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah thanks mate.

[@SailingHollyBlue]

I agree! I have always understood the aerofoil part but hadn’t completely understood why sails need to twist... Thanks Nick 👍

[@sailingmarie7097]

Watched it too. It is pretty dang good. Really. But there is a guy called giulietta sailing. He has the advantage here I think ;)

[@kennethvannorsdall3123]

Nick, I've been sailing for almost 40 years. I have owned my 30 footer for 25 years, sailing great lakes, lake Erie. This season I'll be sailing with a new main and 155% Genoa. So your video today finds me today, perusing KZbin, boning up on sail trim. Yeah I'm experienced and raced at one time. Still I am lazy and have forgotten the Nuances of good sail trim. Great video Nick, well done.

[@sailingrubyrose]

A pleasure mate. Always good to brush up on skills

[@stephenmeyer3284]

Sure glad I didn't pay attention to your introduction. As a former America's Cup sailor I found the video a great, easy to understand, primer. I have forwarded to all my crew and their spouses. It will make sailing more fun for everyone aboard as they will be able to contribute to sailing!! Thanks. Great job.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Absolute pleasure mate

[@Mr.Cheerios]

I’ve been on KZbin for a hot minute looking for good sailing videos. This channel’s educational videos are unbelievably helpful. Great work man, please keep generating more content.

[@courtneygorman6491]

Nick I've been sailing for over 50 years and I must say a very good and concise explanation. Well done. Cheers!

[@rik8809]

Am I the only one who didn’t recognize Nick’s voice at first? I truly thought it was someone else. In any case, I’m glad it’s finally changed. Congrats, Nick! 😀

[@meestahwah]

I had the same experience! I was right confused for a bit until I could hear it was actually him.

[@FtLMale1]

I first sailed some 50 years ago in an 6’ Dink and have owned multiple sailboats over the years, yet I’ve never had any lessons. Now with your instruction I’m finally understanding the reason for each aspect of trim that experience has burned into me, as well as how much each aspect of trim effects a particular situation. Thanks Mate.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Pleasure mate

[@phildavey256]

Thanks, very clear and simple to understand advice. I just hope my wife remembers it longer than one day. Thanks again

[@davidtierney-kanning100]

Nick, this and the video on mainsail trimming for greater speed are great. I've sailed small boats for a few years, but never understood the effect of the sheets, foresail cars, traveller or vang on sail trim. We just purchased a 30 ft cruiser and needed to quickly learn more details on all aspects of sailing a larger boat, and your technical series is a great resource. Thanks for making these available for us less-experienced sailors.

[@DavidMartin-fk9sd]

No better sailing channel than this, to give great explanations!

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah thanks mate

[@downwind_david]

A great explanation there, Nick. I, like you, learnt a lot of this stuff from crewing on other people's boats. Whilst you don't push a boat to its limits when cruising, the knowledge you gain from being part of a racing crew is invaluable (and free!).

[@noelroberts9058]

Very good explanation of jib trim. Keeping it simple made it easier to understand. Continue making more technical videos. You have a nice way of explaining complicated sailing techniques

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah cheers mate

[@wildcoastadventures7535]

Awesome, concise content with no waffle. Thank You!

[@Neilhuny]

Bloomin' fantastic! This should be one of the first videos any and all sailors should watch (short of 'Vendee Globe/America's Cup' skippers). It is undoubtedly the best guide to trimming the fore sale and particularly has great info re the tell-tales.... compulsory viewing!

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah thanks mate

[@Nohandle5467]

Yes, as a new sailor I look forward to these instructions. Well done, thank you!

[@simoneclarke5104]

Thanks Nick, very informative video! My husband and I bought our first boat and are spending the cold Canadian winter studying in our cabin.

[@rebeccafarlow5588]

Clicked through to watch the main sail trim video first and came back and watched this one. Great series for me as a beginner. Thank you so much for the work that went into the graphics. The combination of the two videos explanations plus graphics was an excellent boost to my sailing education. Also glad to see that you listened to the feedback from the first video (mainsail) and found ways to incorporate some of the missing info into this one. Love that you two are learning just as much as you’re teaching! Great job all around. Keep it up. ❤️

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah thanks so much

[@bobbystitt6581]

Thanks so much for these lessons in sailing your channel is so informative and yours is the only channel I’ve seen that go’s into so much info on sailing. Enjoy your new Cat.!!

[@bobbystitt6581]

I want the x5 or the 526 personally .!! See you out on the sea some day !!

[@everest_CFA]

An excellent video!!! This is combination with your regular videos, really sets your channel apart!!! So so so good. Thank you 🙏

[@sailingrubyrose]

Absolute pleasure mate. Feel free to spread the word ! 😉

[@normanrubenis7283]

Just in the process of learning, but this made it all very clear. Great vid, cheers.

[@williamlarimore1308]

Thank you makes sail trim easier for me to understand

[@sailingrubyrose]

Glad To help

[@businessexpansionstrategie4015]

Great 2 videos part 1 and part 2. Now I need to go out and practice, practice, practice!

[@JasonFilippi]

Great summary video that I can easily come back to for a nice refresher! Many good tips that are never covered in basic sailing classes. This just became my latest 'favorite' video. Thx Nick! Nicely done.

[@JustMe-pp1mp]

Not a sailor here, but hit 'like' anyway just becasue you're a good ol' sod ! Keep healthy young man.... :-)

[@SteveBannister]

Great stuff Nick, very useful for us who aren't american cup sailors

[@327365hp]

Good mid-winter refresher. Nicely done Nick.

[@jenniferlawrence1372]

Mechanical Monday? Oh I get it, it's Tuesday where you are! Great video. Clear explanations for us beginners/amateurs. (nice neon!)

[@sutoo2]

great demo and explanations

[@flomads9037]

Technical Tuesday on a Monday!! You sneaky sneak sailor. Turns out I use that more than a calendar, and I thought I was off.

[@sailingrubyrose]

In Australia mate! It’s Tuesday here 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@flomads9037]

@@sailingrubyrose You're in the future!!

[@pmnfernando]

great stuff mate,easy to reference!

[@berndkonemann5049]

Got that noted and printed onto a laminated paper I shall stick into the cocpit until I recall by heart... Always got confused... Thank you Bernd

[@zillafunfun1576]

Keep it up, it's great to see examples of the correct techniques. looking forward to your catamaran.

[@TheAtma50]

Great video Nick and very instructive but the Tell-tail I'm most interested in is the Tell-tail sign chocolate on my chin when I'm supposed to be on a diet ! Stay Safe & Fair Winds !!

[@jordiibanez4720]

Thanks you for your clear technical explanation. I would like to understand how to manage better with a selftacking genova in the last 2 scenarios you described. Thanks in advance.

[@garyag45]

As a 71 year old land lubber I will probably never be on a sail boat, but I love this stuff, 👍

[@daveamies5031]

And which land are you lubbing on? If there's water nearby i'm sure there is a boat owner who'd be happy for some crew.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

A great way to start sailing is to join a local sailing club and take lessons there. Also, using club boats is much cheaper and easier than owning a boat. There are many sailing clubs far inland in places like Colorado and Nebraska. They're not all on coasts.

[@rogercouzens3150]

Great advice and explained in simple clear terms! 🙏🙏🙏

[@SailingLifeonJupiter]

Sweet vid guys....many cruisers are missing these basics

[@bgauthi1]

Great stuff as always Nick. I have never sailed a boat with an adjustable backstay or running backstays so I learned some great info here. Thanks! Can't wait for the next one. Hope you get out of quarantine soon. Take care.

[@woody6t1]

Brilliantly explained.

[@2212db]

Interesting stuff and well explained, thank you.

[@abdulkkhan5095]

Good job!

[@carlguile2856]

Great Job Nick!

[@sailingrubyrose]

Thanks mate

[@pax2crypto559]

I love your videos!! Thanks for being so clear and giving thorough explanations.

[@BarracudaHawk]

Good stuff nick.

[@sailingrubyrose]

A pleasure mate

[@h.v7461]

Easily explained. Nice job Nick! Cheers 🍻

[@1962gms]

Hi Nick, very interesting video (although it felt a little rushed) will have to go over it a couple of times - ideally when we have our yacht under us!, Thanks.

[@allaheadflank]

Thanks!

[@sailingrubyrose]

A pleasure mate. Hope you found it useful

[@edkleinstuber2119]

class dismissed!! thank you

[@chrisstephen4563]

Nice one Nick

[@alimitchell5346]

Well explained..one for the memory hard drive!👍

[@alexandrefrossardnogueira3894]

Very good!

[@trevhedges]

Cheers guys

[@gavinwehlburg8084]

Hi Nick, excellent, thank you very much. Kind regards Gavin

[@westmc45]

I found this very helpful

[@Lauren.e426]

This was the best "sailing" video that you have made. Really helpful and easy to understand.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Ah thanks so much

[@sailingavocet]

great video friends, fair winds!

[@sailingrubyrose]

You too mate. Stay safe

[@svfuerte850]

Thanks! Really great graphics and real video combined for a simple but comprehensive explanation. I’ve a self tacking jib on a Hanse 350 and haven’t played with the clew board - yet - went for safe midpoint connection 😀. In your experience is it worth trialling? Obviously more to it than car adjustments.....

[@sailingrubyrose]

We rarely changed the position on ours. Too much of an embuggerance.

[@svfuerte850]

Ha! Thanks - PS - thanks for sharing your season, the French tourist board owe you guys a few 🍻

[@digitalcanvas4444]

These are always awesome, Nick. Thank you!!!

[@sailingrubyrose]

A pleasure mate

[@dougnolen9237]

clear and concise. thanks

[@jamesmyers3773]

Always been curious about this.👍🏻

[@SV-DEDICATED]

Right on time for me. Thanks.

[@jwebster5840]

Thanks did your Tech Tuesday briefing. I tried to look for your Precision Sails promotional link last year but couldn’t find it. Has it been removed or is Precision Sails still offering such. Many thanks!

[@whereswaldo1191]

If you have all your tell-tails flying horizontal you will have maximum lift but you will have increased drag to a point where your net gain is reduces so a little lifting on your front tell-tails will give you best results.

[@alexkrok8334]

Thanks for sharing, was very useful.

[@BreakingWavesSailing]

Nice one!

[@williamdykes2750]

Good technical discussion, Nick, but I expected at least a bullet point explanation of a practical sail trim problem. What does one do if one has to put down a beer in order to trim?

[@johanvanheerden8458]

Thnx a lot so simple!

[@And-rc9yy]

Very good thank you.

[@tterry911]

Thanks for that. Very interesting.

[@TheBestGamingCritic]

Nice video. I'm off to watch the main sail vid that I missed some how.

[@mikegilbert3515]

Love the instructional video, though nearly had a fit with the exploding text graphics... ;)

[@HeadCannonPrime]

Thanks, I saved this for later reference.

[@hazzargooleypunch5805]

Thanks, very useful.

[@digitalcanvas4444]

Hi Nick. The Cp ratio of a boat seems to be instrumental in determining how fast it can sail. Would you be willing to tackle an explanation of it and how to take published boat statistics like LWL and Beam to calculate a boat's Cp ratio? Thank you!

[@Krieghandt]

Will you be discussing hard and soft sails as well? That pretty new technology, but I'm starting to see it at the top end amateur craft.

[@geoffwright7110]

can you explain moving the genoa cars under sail? would they be loaded and hence difficult to move safely. A newby sailor question i guess.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Under extreme load they do become more difficult to move, but not impossible. With performance oriented monohulls you can adjust the cars with lines leading to the cockpit

[@downwind_david]

As Nick said and it depends on your situation and boat... I race in Western Australia and moving cars while beating upwind when it is usually blowing 20knots or more is difficult and potentially dangerous, so I always ask crew to move cars when we are on the opposite tack to the car that needs moving. Obviously, this can be done in this situation because you're tacking regularly. Even so, if I was cruising, I would still try to release some of the tension on the sheet... makes life easier and safer.

[@geoffwright7110]

Thanks for the feed back. will discuss and give it a go. kind regards

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@geoffwright7110 The leeward cars are under high load. The windward cars are under minimal load usually. As David says, you can often move the windward cars on each tack.

[@orionspero560]

You seem to be associating right winds and smooth water along with heavy winds and rough water. Now heavy winds and smooth water is unlikely come up but what do you reckon then for heavy seas and the light wind.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Mate, waves are generally created by wind. The higher the wind the bigger the waves. You can very occasionally get rough seas and light winds, but it’s normally after a weather system has passed through and the sea state has yet to settle. In this situation it is just bloody uncomfortable as you don’t have the stay of the sail to keep the boat from bobbing all over the place.

[@orionspero560]

@@sailingrubyrose My understanding is that there are 2 sources of waves one is wind and the other is swell. Or am I missing something? Honestly I'm working towards motor yacht but I was intrested in the technical information as information.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Swell is normally generated by weather systems that are further away from the position you are in. They are however still wind generated

[@orionspero560]

@@sailingrubyrose So I would be correct to that you could get into a situation with a lot of swell and not much wind over an extended period of time?

[@sailingrubyrose]

It normally doesn’t last that long. In all our years of sailing offshore and coastal, you may get a few hours of swell with no wind, but as sure as eggs is eggs, the wind fills back in before too long.

[@glenpeters955]

Is it possible to overtension the backstay, especially if they are hydraulically operated. Taken to the extreme the results could be rather catastrophic.

[@sailingrubyrose]

Yes mate it is possible. On Ruby Rose the difference In tensioned backstage vs loose was half An inch

[@janbennetsen7292]

@@sailingrubyrose On fractionally rigged boats it much more, as You also bend the mast to flatten the main. Years back I had a Soling and there We moved the top of the mast a meter or so, but that is extreme (on Star boat's it's even more)

[@gerhardvanwaltsleben8944]

Lekker man lekker

[@timvukman4734]

Thank you. That was another wonderfully well prepared video with explainations that were clear. I learned quite a lot and I am grateful

[@spaceoddity2485]

good !

[@tomatobrush3283]

A lot to learn for me, how long did it take you too pick this up? Seems a lot of knowledge condensed. One question for you, would these principles apply during a race only, is it for optimum sailing or does it also take in to account environmental factors like currents and different wind speeds and general comfort of sailing?

[@sailingrubyrose]

Sailing is a lifelong learning experience. I have been lucky to have been surrounded by older sailors who taught me. The principles apply to any sail, although for racing more so. Being able to add even half a knot of boat speed to a passage where your average speed goes from 4 to 4.5kts means you get there 10% faster. Over an Atlantic crossing that is 2 days

[@Tinker001]

@@sailingrubyrose Don't forget the most important part... Properly trimmed sails don't make that annoying noise.

[@janbennetsen7292]

@@Tinker001 Not to forget that a well trimmed boat generally is much nicer to sail. It's faster, the helm is well balanced, the boat doesn't heel as much, sails last longer and there is no noise.

[@FMuscleZ28]

I have an unrelated question, I see other youtubers complaining about sleeping in rougher water while on anchor. Would sleeping in a hammock be better in these conditions? I'm still working towards my own SV, I haven't had the opportunity to overnight on board so far.

[@lkm5462]

Super

[@michalwilk8135]

Where is this main trim video You mentioned ?

[@michalwilk8135]

Ok ok I've found :)

[@sailingrubyrose]

Hahah. Beat me to it mate. Enjoy

[@ushillbillies]

Good stuff,,

[@george-3412]

If in doubt let it out 😉

[@martyhownice2441]

Dont we want more twist in light winds, meaning the genoa cars more aft? Otherwise the foresail will not match the shape of the (twisted) mainsail. Or am i missing something here?

[@campingboy9213]

Wed night club racing. On calm races our tell tails point to our cold beer. Carefully open the beer and soon you dont give a hoot about tell tails.

[@arniesea]

Very interesting! Thanks! One request, some of your fans have aging eyes. It is really difficult for me to read the flashing graphics between each chapter. Please consider just a normal, stationary bold text. (Music is ok, the letters just don't need to dance to the beat! Thanks!)

[@Chris.Tustain]

in ballooning parlance , right with high. but ballooning is with greater altitudes how it effects sailing I have no idea.... but it may give newbys idea how air moves not only with wind ......

[@leifmealone4749]

1) Stalled leeward telltails = Ease sheet. I was thinking point higher but I guess it all depends on where you are going. Excellent video. Thanks.

[@bertieblackman8791]

A lot of people teach it as “point higher” but that never made sense to me because usually you’re going the direction you’re going for a reason so surely trimming the sails (in this instance ease the sheets) is the answer. Also, as the video alludes to, pointing higher/lower won’t necessarily fix all your telltales and you’ll probably need to trim as well anyway.

[@LoanwordEggcorn]

@@bertieblackman8791 It somewhat depends whether you're sailing to get somewhere or for fun.

[@BarracudaHawk]

I’m still waiting for your chenal du four trip .....

[@Trishpage312]

Yes the graphic lettering is bugging my eyes out

[@geoff850]

Great information, but try slowing it down a bit to give time to digest what you're saying.

[@timstrauss3060]

Step 1: stop dragging a heavy keel through the water for stability.

[@nffremote]

Great information, dreadful graphics on the intros....

[@shawndonohoe2789]

I'm fluent in English and yet I couldn't keep up

[@Tinker001]

Do like I do... Watch it over and over until it makes sense. :P

[@cmoreoverland6739]

Sail porn music. Otherwise very good stuff!

[@robmartin1341]

Great videos but please leave out the flashing intros, I have to close my eyes