Tuning Your Tanzer for Moderate Air
By Jim Chastain (T-420)
Truly the most pleasurable
experience for any sailor is when the weather conditions are ideal for his
boat, and he feels confident in handling the boat on all points of sailing. He
can then devote much more attention to strategy and tactics on the race course,
or just enjoy the scenery if daysailing. For the Tanzer 16 ideal conditions
are moderate air, or wind velocities in the 7 to 12 knot range.
For moderate air sailing, your
rig must be set up differently than for the other extremes of heavy or light
air to obtain maximum sail performance and boat speed. When stepping the mast,
ensure that there is about a 2-3 inch gap between the deck and the front of the
mast in the deck slot. This will open up the slot between the main and the
jib, and promote uniform air flow with a minimum of turbulence for good lift
from the main. Don't overtighten the shrouds and forestay; run a fairly loose
rig. Rig the downhaul (or Cunningham) and boomvang, but don't overtighten
them. These devices should be used only to adjust draft in the main when
changing points of sailing. Place your jib block- cars such that the luff of
the jib shakes evenly from the top to the bottom when you luff the boat to
windward. A double purchase on the mainsheet block system should be more than
adequate. Make sure the halyards are tight when you raise the sails. The forestay
should sag a little when the jib halyard is properly secured. Adjust the
outhaul on the mainsail to provide a smooth unwrinkled shape, and adjust the
downhaul (or Cunningham) to put the maximum draft approximately two thirds of
the way forward in the sail.
The objective for moderate air
sailing is to keep your boat flat and balanced with full power in the sails and
maintain a neutral helm except when changing course. This is accomplished
mainly by continual adjustments in weight distribution within the boat, subtle
adjustments in the tiller to maintain an optimum angle of attack, and playing
the mainsheet to help balance the boat when the preceding adjustments fail to
do so. You should seek to place the boat "in the groove" sailing to
windward, where little or no adjustments in sail trim are necessary. You will
feel no pressure on the tiller and sailing seems effortless. This skill is
only developed by practice, and is nearly an art itself. Sailing off the wind,
a neutral helm and perfect weight distribution are equally important. With
spinnaker up, although you arc tempted to position yourself at the back of the
cockpit or on the lee rail while at the helm you should not; this could cause
an imbalance in the forces on the boat that would require compensation by sail
trim adjustment or excessive rudder action. You would sacrifice power and/or
reduction of drag for your comfortable position in the boat. For best results,
position your crew amidships or slightly off center and yourself as far forward
and on the windward rail ready to shift your weight as required. Also, don't
overtrim your sails, learn how to ease them to the point of luffing and trim in
for full power. Be observant and take advantage of changes in wind direction
and velocity. Pull the centerboard halfway up when off the wind to reduce drag
and weather helm.
One great way to improve your
skill is by sailing at night when your vision is limited. This forces you to
use your senses of feel, balance and sound to sail the boat, and develops your
"automatic pilot", which is vital to enable you to observe
occurrences outside your boat that are important for optimum sailing. Practice
and time in the boat is the real key to improvement of your sailing skills.