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Islander 36 Association |
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Islander 36 Association |
Sail Trim Clinic
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Get tips for setting up your rig and sail trim for faster sailing from Michael Whitfield. Michael is a renowned professional sailing educator with over 30 years of teaching experience. He has taught and conducted corporate racing events in San Francisco, the British Virgin Islands, Denmark and Canada. He has over four decades of racing experience across a broad range of dinghies and keel boats. Shaping sails effectively for the prevailing conditions and knowing when to change gears is an essential skill for all sailors. Racers and cruisers alike crave comfortable, fast and adventurous sailing experiences. So the most effective skippers, no matter whether they're racers or cruisers, use racing techniques. Any skipper with good racing skills will avoid weather problems, arrive first at coveted anchorages and make swift and safe passages. The Islander 36 customized version of this course will introduce you to the art and science of shaping sails with exciting visual presentations that crystallize the precise shapes and orientation of sails for maximum efficiency. We start with jibs and genoas and then move aft to the main. We then look at the entire rig as a whole unit working together to shape the sail plan upwind. Spinnakers are then considered as part of the different challenges faced in down-wind scenarios. We will use a tool-oriented approach to allow you to understand cause and effect and immediately start experimenting with the tools on your own. As you do this, you will more fully identify the effect on your sails, rig shapes and their overall performance. The seminar will cover the following topics: Overview of objectives, trim fundamentals, sail controls and upwind headsail shaping Mainsail shaping, shifting gears for conditions and rig control Trim loops, helm/sail feedback and spinnaker shaping So plan to attend the Islander Fleet Sail Trim Clinic, Saturday, April 14th at the Golden Gate Yacht Club. It's great for cruisers as well as racers. Cruising skippers are encouraged to come - either bring you own boat, or crew for the day with a racer. This is one you don't want to miss if you can possibly make it. Fleet Captain Michele Williams organized this great event and will welcome you all and introduce our featured speaker. Here's the drill: Report to Golden Gate YC at 0830 - either bring your boat, or come by car. Tie up, say "hi" to your friends and get registered, coffeed, sandboxed and in your seats by 0900. (You can come Friday night if you want.) From 0900 to 1100 we'll be in a classroom reviewing the day's agenda and learning from Michael Whitfield's powerpoint visuals to bring home his ideas. He will cover setting up your rigging and sails for different situations, and how they drive your boat. From 1100 to 1130 we will be dockside looking over the tuning/rigging of as many boats as we can. From 1130 to 1215/1230 you'll get a quick lunch break. There will be a charge of about $(TBD) per person for lunch and to cover some of the cost of materials provided. From 1230 - 1530 it's time to get out on the water. We will set up match racing to compare sail trim postitions. Between 1530 & 1600 you've well-earned a return to the dock, for libations, celebrations and stories about what you've learned. So..... if you don't want to be left ashore, you'd better fill out the participation form below - first come, first served! Welcome aboard for a great 2007 season with the most vital "grand old fleet" on the Bay! For additional details or questions, contact Fleet Captain and event Coordinator Michele Williams. |