Finding that extra click of speed

So far we have covered a lot of ground, with hopefully a few tips that have helped the new comers sort their boats, but now I want to go one step further. We shall get right down to the real nitty-gitty of finding that extra click of speed for those that haved tried hard but just don't seem to be able to match the speed of the top group of sailors in their area. As hard as you try, as experienced as you might be, there could be things that you just have not considered or do not know about, so lets see if we can find them shall we? A word of caution, don't try everything at once, move through the steps one at a time noting if there is an improvement in performance before trying other ideas.

Step one

Does the boat sail to its lines, i.e. have you managed to get the weight distribution correct within the hull? Even though it does not sound quite correct theoretically, I have noticed that most one metres seem to sail best slightly bow high! If you can get your bow to ride light, maybe the first c/m or two just out of the water some of the time, you may find you sail faster in choppy sea conditions, and it will help to stop some nose diving down hill in higher wind strengths. As you may have noted drive from the sails pushes the nose down even in light to moderate conditions down wind, and sometimes even on the wind as in the above shot. Bow down attitute seems only helpful in very light drifting conditions, if ever! Step one then, experiment.

A fine example of bow up attitude and I think we all know who this is! So what can we move around in the boat to effect attitude?.....try the battery.

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