Light Air Sail Trim | International Sailing Academy

Learn about Efficiency and Power in the laser mainsail and how to increase speed through trimming and easing the mainsail based on boat speed and sail forces.
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[@gashtrahe-tikakairakau-gas5297]

Thank you 😎 Greatly appreciated.

[@internationalsailingacademy]

Very welcome, glad it helped.

[@suzuyamakawa7146]

thank you :)

[@cameronpierce9426]

Fair enough, and consistent with what I've been taught elsewhere. What I can't quite get my head around is the fact that sheeting out to less than block-to-block starts luffing the main, forcing one to foot off--right? Is the idea to foot off to build speed, and then hike/sheet block-to-block and point higher? (i.e., is the idea to work upwind in mini zigzags--footing, sheeting block-to-block, footing, and so on?) Your comments appreciated,

[@vaughnharrison7377]

Actually by repeating the acceleration cycle of ease > hike > trim you are able to narrow down your steering groove. The only time footing would be necessary is if you let the boat slow too much, which is what happens if you wait too long to ease sheet. Your cycles of ease > hike > trim should be every 5 to 10 seconds in light wind depending on sea state. The objective is to keep your angle fairly straight lined and let the foils do the work by generating force and turning it into lift. Hope that helps

[@cameronpierce9426]

This does help, thank you. Just to be clear: when you ease your sheet those several inches, are you not nevertheless luffing the main somewhat? At least, this is what seems to happen to me every time I ease my main in light winds without changing my bearing (bearing away or footing off) to compensate--which I've always interpreted as depowering/dragging the rig. Thanks again,

[@vaughnharrison7377]

the front of your sail will luff if your angle is too high, or your speed still quick. As the boat slows, AW will go aft, so easing shouldn't luff the sail if done correctly. Also considering easing the sail as minimal as 1 inch from the main block. This can change the sail shape without adding too much drag

[@cameronpierce9426]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense now. Keep up the good work; I've been tuning in to your channel more and more this summer for racing tactics/skills and tuning tips.

[@trackie1957]

My club sails Laser Picos. We find the job doesn’t add much, so we usually sail with main only. Would these trim tactics apply in this case?

[@internationalsailingacademy]

Yes definitely. Make sure to keep the corner of the boom over the leeward edge of the boat if you're just sailing with the main - don't pull it into centerline

[@internationalsailingacademy]

Recommend using the jib but all this information is still valid anyway :)

[@MidnightToSixRyan]

Thanks for the video. I notice you have written "relatively flat sail" on the whiteboard. Do you use the control lines to achieve this? I've heard a number of people say that the outhaul should actually be quite tight in really light airs. Is that right?

[@vaughnharrison7377]

Ryan Brown thanks for watching! The depth in sail shape is most affected by sheet tension (top) and outhaul (bottom).. In drifter light wind you would use a slightly tighter outhaul. The best way of measuring this is measuring from the end of the boom to the clew of the sail. Check out this video on outhaul settings internationalsailingacademy.com/2017/04/how-and-why-to-mark-your-outhaul/

[@MidnightToSixRyan]

So you would normally have the clew about 6 or 7 inches from the end of the boom when sailing upwind? In drifter conditions how much tighter would you go? Thanks again!

[@vaughnharrison7377]

Ryan Brown never tighter than 6 inches in light winds. 7 is my magic number for a newer sails and light winds.

[@MidnightToSixRyan]

Awesome. Will definitely mark my outhaul before my next race!

[@matthijsknotnerus7509]

In other videos, for instance the fourth corner they will tell you to flatten your sail for more power. They explain this due to the fact that the wind contains so little energy it will stall before reaching the end of the sail. When sailing light airs i notice of i don't use the kicker fairly aggressive my leech telltales won't fly showing me there is no flow around my whole sail. What is your opinion about the importance of creating flow around the whole sail vs as you explain in your video, using a fuller sail for more power. I am sailing a mk2 sail and think due to the extra curvature in the middle they are a nightmare at low winds. All the advice is welcome :)

[@internationalsailingacademy]

Thanks for your comment and thoughtful question. Flattening the sail doesn't give you more "power"... however, it does decrease drag which is a benefit in certain conditions, particularly in flat water and very light wind. A higher drag setup and a lower drag setup can both be good in light wind. If it is almost a drifter and flat water (3 knots), for sure the low drag setup will be faster. If there is chop or a little bit more wind and/or you may be somewhere near getting your feet into the hiking strap momentarily, then the higher drag setup will be better generally speaking. Minimum vang setting upwind for any condition is block to block mainsheet tension and take the vang slack out. On a low drag setup for super light wind/flat water, it will be significantly tighter. Sounds like you're on the right track in your understanding, however the MKII should perform very well in light wind with the correct settings. Make sure if you're using a low drag setup with flattish outhaul and tight vang to sheet out enough. The mainsheet block should be outside the cockpit of the boat, outboard... probably at least a foot between traveler and mainsheet blocks. You will be low, and that requires some bravery/patience... but over time your speed will be very high with the low drag setup and VMG will improve.

[@matthijsknotnerus7509]

International Sailing Academy thank you for your answer, very thorough. I will try your advice on the MKII in the next light wind races. Today we had very variable wind from almost hiking to full on depower in some gusts. Whenever I lost pressure I eased my kicker a bit more then i would normally do and had very nice results with it (3 wins). So thank you for your advice and i will make sure to play around with it a bit more :)

[@ILCALaserSailor]

🎥One of the best videos I've seen on going fast in light air, thanks again Vaughn! Check out our channel for more fun laser videos too! #ilcalasersailor @ilcalasersailor

[@internationalsailingacademy]

Thank you so much, we appreciate that very much! ⛵️

[@jandrewkennedy]

Waffle

[@internationalsailingacademy]

😎