I may not know much about racing but the forward end of the boom is not going to trim the sail. Aft end yes but forward end does nothing but swing around on cables and keep the sail contained side to side.
Am I wrong?
Brian Cayer
Spirit~Wind
N30U 419
Westbrook, CT
How does the boom lower on the forward end without disconnecting the choker up at the forward end of the boom while the boom is in sailing position?
Ward Woodruff
413-847-0620 cell
Hi Brian,
Your are correct. Sail adjustments that we make are accomplished primarily by the forces we apply at the clew of our Nonsuch sails.
The choker pulls our wishbone aft which flattens our sail by adding outward and downward forces at the clew.
Because our wishbones are at an angle ( not perpendicular ) to the mast it exerts both horizontal ( outward ) and vertical ( downward ) force on the clew of our sail ( in addition to the rotational and vertical forces from our mainsheet ). The ratio of vertical to horizontal force from the wishbone is proportional to the angle according to some guy named Pythagoras.
If we change the length of the hangers, the angle of our wishbone would change ( since the clew of our sail would remain the same) thus changing the ratio between outward and downward forces it exerts.
I suspect the length of our hangers was thoughtfully chosen to balance safety and performance.
It’s amazing ( to me ) that Soave’s rig responds smartly to changing conditions with comparatively few adjustments.. I’d be afraid to mess up the delicate balance that the fixed length hangers seem to provide.
I am NOT suggesting adjustable hangers would offer benefit for racers… just that changing he angle of the wishbone would alter sail shape.
I am also not convinced that adjustable hangers would make inspection and maintenance tasks easier or safer on Soave. Ward makes a good point about the need to deal with the upper choker line.
Rob
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Cedar Point YC
Westport, CT