[quote=BigWhoop]My thoughts, in order of importance:
1) Put telltales on your jib at 1/3 and 2/3 height about one telltale length back from the luff (front). Set up the boat before the start so that both telltales break at the same time (constant angle of attack). Concentrate on keeping the leeward telltale streaming and the windward telltale just breaking. You should spend 85% of your time watching the telltales.
2) Sheet in the main slightly. Unless it's really blowing you want the traveller right up.
3) How much do you weigh? Minimum weight is 295 pounds. If you are much heavier than this you must sail lower to make more power to push the extra water out of the way.
4) Change the mast rake, depending on your answer to question 3. More rake (2 or three holes on forestay) makes the boat point higher for equal weight, less rake (2 or 4 holes) powers the boat up for heavier teams.
5) We always used to set the side stay tension tight. Put somebody sizeable on the wire, on land, and lower the pin. We used to have that person "bounce" and the pin person pop the pin in at the bottom of the bounce.
6) Set the downhaul tight. Get right up by the mast and lunge downwards and then cleat it off.
7) Make sure the outhaul is quite tight for upwind. "Bowstring" it by cleating it, pulling sideways in the middle, then taking the slack out and cleating it. Repeat as necessary.
When you are just sailing, if you have a reliable training partner, point the same direction as them and then set the:
traveller
jib sheet tension
main sheet tension
downhaul
outhaul
go back to shore and reset the rake (repeat as necessary)
At a regatta you might ask somebody to come out ten minutes early and go through all that to make sure you know what your settings are going to be. A mark on the jib sheet and mainsheet is handy, particularly the jib sheet since you want your crew to reset it exactly after each tack.
Concentrate on keeping the leeward telltale streaming and the windward telltale just breaking. You should spend 85% of your time watching the telltales. I'm pretty sure this is your issue. You have to sail the boat down the groove as it shifts and wanders. The groove is only about 5 degrees wide.
Good luck! I just love sailboat racing.[/quote]
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