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SETTING UP YOUR RIG
1. First, attach the sail to the mast and boom with the sail ties and outhaul at the end of the boom. A double loop provides finer adjustment, and should be used for the sail ties on the mast, but a single loop is sufficient for those along the boom.Ordinary reef knots are fine for this purpose.Stronger ties are needed at the top of the mast, at the tack of the sail and at the clew (i.e. at the corners). The sail ties along the boom should be quite loose - the sail can be up to one centimetre off the boom.
2. Luff curve. You will have noticed that the front edge of your sail (the luff) is not straight, but curves outwards. This is because it is designed to fit your mast when the mast is bending. Generally, Optimist masts start to bend in about 10 knots of breeze, but they vary in stiffness. Of the three main makes used by the top racers, the Optimax is the most flexible, and the Black Gold is about 8% stiffer. The Giuletti is about 10% stiffer than a Black Gold.
a) If the wind is less than 10 knots, the luff of the sail won't fit the straight mast. So the ideal is to ease off the top and bottom sail ties so that the sail is up to one centimetre away from the mast at each end, while keeping the middle sail ties tight, so that the middle part of the sail is one millimetre off the mast.
b) Above 10 knots of breeze, tie all the mast ties tight, so that the sail is one millimetre off the mast all the way up.
3. Now adjust the diagonal tie at the top of the mast until the black stripe on the luff of the sail is between the bands on the mast.
Optimists Training, May 2002.
4. Next, step the mast in the boat, and if you haven't already done so, rig the sprit. Put on just enough sprit tension to take the creases out of the sail, and pull on enough outhaul so that any creases in the 'shelf' at the bottom of the sail do not cross the seam joining the shelf to the main panels of the sail. The sail should take on a nice aerofoil shape, without any distortions introduced by you. In winds of less than 5 knots, you will need to pull on the outhaul to flatten the sail, and in stronger winds (depending on your weight) you will also need to flatten the sail by using the outhaul.
5 .Now put some twists into the restraining tie which goes from the jaws of the boom, round the front of the mast. Loop the tie over the small knob on the front of the mast. This tie acts against the downward force exerted by the kicker (which is still loose at this point), and therefore it controls the tightness of the luff of the sail. Generally you want the luff to be loose, but it will need to be tighter in strong winds, say above 20 knots, and in very light winds - say below 5 knots. To keep the luff loose, put in more twists, and to tighten it, use less twists.
6. Next tighten the kicker. You will need more tension than you probably imagine. Even in a lightish breeze, you should push down on the boom before tightening the kicker, and above 20 knots you should pull in the mainsheet until the end of the boom is almost touching the stern deck before cleating the kicker. The only time when you do not need any kicker tension is in very light winds, eg below 5 knots. Incidentally, if you stand behind your boat in the dinghy park at this point, and look up at the leach (the back edge) of the sail, you may well find that the top of the sail is 'hooked' to windward. While it is disastrous to sail with a hooked leach, in practice the sail will 'unhook' as the mast bends when you are out on the water, so don't worry too much about this.
7. When you have put the kicker on, there will be creases in the sail running from the top of the mast to the end of the boom. Go back to the sprit tensioner and pull on just enough tension to take these creases out again.
8. Finally, check your mast-rake. This is done by measuring from the top of the mast to the point where your measuring tape touches the deck at the stern of the boat, while pushing backwards gently on the mast. 111" to 112" is normal, although lighter sailors may rake the mast back to 110". Some heavier sailors also rake the mast back to 110" in strong winds, but since this makes the boat want to turn to windward, there are others who make no adjustment for strong winds, and there are even some who rake the mast further forward in strong winds and waves. We use 111" most of the time. To adjust the mast-rake, turn the little wheel at the foot of the mast clockwise or anticlockwise.
Et voila! That's it. This procedure should be followed regardless of what sail you are using. And don't forget to tie the mast into the boat!
Text - Parkinson, C (January 2003).
1. First, attach the sail to the mast and boom with the sail ties and outhaul at the end of the boom. A double loop provides finer adjustment, and should be used for the sail ties on the mast, but a single loop is sufficient for those along the boom.Ordinary reef knots are fine for this purpose.Stronger ties are needed at the top of the mast, at the tack of the sail and at the clew (i.e. at the corners). The sail ties along the boom should be quite loose - the sail can be up to one centimetre off the boom.
2. Luff curve. You will have noticed that the front edge of your sail (the luff) is not straight, but curves outwards. This is because it is designed to fit your mast when the mast is bending. Generally, Optimist masts start to bend in about 10 knots of breeze, but they vary in stiffness. Of the three main makes used by the top racers, the Optimax is the most flexible, and the Black Gold is about 8% stiffer. The Giuletti is about 10% stiffer than a Black Gold.
a) If the wind is less than 10 knots, the luff of the sail won't fit the straight mast. So the ideal is to ease off the top and bottom sail ties so that the sail is up to one centimetre away from the mast at each end, while keeping the middle sail ties tight, so that the middle part of the sail is one millimetre off the mast.
b) Above 10 knots of breeze, tie all the mast ties tight, so that the sail is one millimetre off the mast all the way up.
3. Now adjust the diagonal tie at the top of the mast until the black stripe on the luff of the sail is between the bands on the mast.
Optimists Training, May 2002.
4. Next, step the mast in the boat, and if you haven't already done so, rig the sprit. Put on just enough sprit tension to take the creases out of the sail, and pull on enough outhaul so that any creases in the 'shelf' at the bottom of the sail do not cross the seam joining the shelf to the main panels of the sail. The sail should take on a nice aerofoil shape, without any distortions introduced by you. In winds of less than 5 knots, you will need to pull on the outhaul to flatten the sail, and in stronger winds (depending on your weight) you will also need to flatten the sail by using the outhaul.
5 .Now put some twists into the restraining tie which goes from the jaws of the boom, round the front of the mast. Loop the tie over the small knob on the front of the mast. This tie acts against the downward force exerted by the kicker (which is still loose at this point), and therefore it controls the tightness of the luff of the sail. Generally you want the luff to be loose, but it will need to be tighter in strong winds, say above 20 knots, and in very light winds - say below 5 knots. To keep the luff loose, put in more twists, and to tighten it, use less twists.
6. Next tighten the kicker. You will need more tension than you probably imagine. Even in a lightish breeze, you should push down on the boom before tightening the kicker, and above 20 knots you should pull in the mainsheet until the end of the boom is almost touching the stern deck before cleating the kicker. The only time when you do not need any kicker tension is in very light winds, eg below 5 knots. Incidentally, if you stand behind your boat in the dinghy park at this point, and look up at the leach (the back edge) of the sail, you may well find that the top of the sail is 'hooked' to windward. While it is disastrous to sail with a hooked leach, in practice the sail will 'unhook' as the mast bends when you are out on the water, so don't worry too much about this.
7. When you have put the kicker on, there will be creases in the sail running from the top of the mast to the end of the boom. Go back to the sprit tensioner and pull on just enough tension to take these creases out again.
8. Finally, check your mast-rake. This is done by measuring from the top of the mast to the point where your measuring tape touches the deck at the stern of the boat, while pushing backwards gently on the mast. 111" to 112" is normal, although lighter sailors may rake the mast back to 110". Some heavier sailors also rake the mast back to 110" in strong winds, but since this makes the boat want to turn to windward, there are others who make no adjustment for strong winds, and there are even some who rake the mast further forward in strong winds and waves. We use 111" most of the time. To adjust the mast-rake, turn the little wheel at the foot of the mast clockwise or anticlockwise.
Et voila! That's it. This procedure should be followed regardless of what sail you are using. And don't forget to tie the mast into the boat!
Text - Parkinson, C (January 2003).
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