Technique: Don't luff all your telltales.... perhaps even stall a few

Our practice / casual race #1 sail has seen better days.

It's leech hooks horribly, even after some basic surgery.

It won't point.

It's teaching me how to sail upwind better, I think....

Traditionally you are taught to get all your tell tales to lift at the same time. Doing that with this sail leaves the foot loose, and sailing to the lower tell tales left us tacking through about 100 degrees.

So.... Forget the "all telltales luff at once" approach. I'm going to thank the North U trim book here, which honestly I need to thank on many many levels as it's generally awesome. Trim the foot in so the bottom telltale is bordering on stalling while the top tell tales are on the verge of luffing.

Having tried this, once, in light air, I can testify that we managed to point pretty well, better than we could before.

My guess is also that the twist this adds to the sail works two fold, firstly it allows the bottom to point higher as its sheeted tighter and secondly as the boat pitches it means there's some part of the sail that still works.

Three boats out in our class tonight. Two short WL legs in a dying breeze. Led through first WL then lost it on the second upwind. Came out deep from our first tack and then had to duck Shamen, if we hadn't messed up the first tack I think we'd have pretty much laid the mark in the persistent shift we were seeing, and won, but oh well.

I need to practice helming tacks, again, and again, and again....

This may or may not provide a link to the track.

Our baggy #1 has gone from a 8 -> 4 jib lead position. Our good #1 was sheeted at 5 before, what will it be now?

Going further with this....

The deep "all tell tales lift at the same time" is good for acceleration. So good off the line and good coming out of a tack, then bring leads back and sheet in at the same time to move to pointing mode.