Bob,
What rating have they given you and how did you do on corrected time.? What were the other boats you were sailing against?
Are you able to provide more information?
Is Quickbeam shoal or standard draft?
How old is the sail and does it still have a good shape?
What type of prop are you using?
Was here bottom clean?
How strong were the winds?
Were the seas lumpy or flat?
Were you sailing with or against current? How much?
Any of these things by themselves or in combination will have an impact on the angle between tacks.
Like everyone else when beating I never sheet the boom in past the stern quarter. A plumb bob dropped from the end of the boom would just touch the casting for the stern dock line chock. If the boat heels more I can sheet in a bit more to get the same result.
La Reina will sail at 30 degrees to the apparent wind but she is going slow and making leeway. I find 35 degrees apparent works well. Speed goes up and leeway drops. If the water is lumpy I will fall off to 40 degrees apparent. My wind instrument does not give me true wind. True wind angle will be broader than apparent.
This is where the numbers start giving mixed messages. 35 degrees apparent on each tack suggests 70 degrees between tacks however true wind is a broader angle so angle between tacks is more like 90 degrees in flat water, however there is leeway to factor in. This means the bearing on the ship’s compass does not match the GPS course over ground. The ship’s compass may show 90 degrees between tacks but the GPS might show 110degrees. This would indicate 10 degrees leeway. These numbers are examples not hard and fast rules. A strong following current will reduce tacking angles whereas a strong head current will widen the angles. I can’t remember my school math on vectors but I believe the closer you point to a current the more it will slow your speed through the water but the less it pushes you side ways.
With regards to speed through the water reaching generally is a faster point of sail than beating. The issue becomes whether you gain sufficient speed to make up for the extra distance sailed. Juggling all of these factors is a matter of a lot of practice.
From an anecdotal perspective I have a friend that races a C&C 27 Mk2. He can point higher and sail faster than me. Another friend has a C&C 34 Mk2, again he can sail faster and point slightly higher however last year we sailed together over an 18 mile route that included 1.5 miles of beating into 17 knots of breeze followed by 16.5 miles of downwind sailing in everything from 1 to 15 knots of breeze. On the first part of the run they flew white sails. We caught up and passed them. I was so cocky I slowed down and went back for them. They then hoisted the cruising chute for about the last 10 miles. We were side by side at that point. They sailed faster but not as deep. We were largely neck and neck until we had about 4 miles to go. At that point I made a bad call and went the wrong side of an island. At the other side of th island they picked up the breeze soon then we did. At that point it was a case of the rich getting richer. They ended up finishing about 10 minutes ahead of us. Still not bad for a chubby 26 footer towing a dinghy.
On another occasion a friend in a Bavaria 31 was on the water with us. He was running a 130 percent Genoa that had to be sheeted outside the shrouds. As we beat to windward he called on the radio to tell us to slow down. We were pointing higher and going faster. When the wind dropped below 8 knots we had to fall off to gain power to go through the waves. At that point he over took us.
I have also sailed in Cowichan Bay along side Paul Miller in his 30. I know that in 17 knots of wind the 30 will be faster but he uses local knowledge to run completely thrash me.
The moral is that in the right conditions a Nonsuch will do well. In the wrong conditions we may as well stay home. Local knowledge and experience make a big difference.
Keep go out. Your results will improve.
Search this forum under “pointing” “sail trim” and “ leeway”. You will find a number of threads that discuss this issue.