[quote=rattlenhum]Hold on...wait a minute....back up!
On the H16, the forestay has nothing to do with setting mast rake. Rake is set by pinning higher (forward rake) or lower (aft rake) on the shrouds. This limits how far forward the mast can go when the jib halyard (whole rig actually) is tightened (and the forestay goes slack). When pinned lower on the shrouds, the forestay [i]does[/i] have to be long enough to connect to the bridle when stepping the mast. If yours isn't long enough with two adjusters, it's not an H16 forestay.
In practice, you aren't going to be able to rake very far back on an older boat with stretched sails and a 5:1 mainsheet. When sheeted hard with max aft rake, the mainblocks should be just shy of block to block. Any further aft and you'll go block to block before tightening the mainsail. Newer H16s (like Joe's in the vid) have a low profile 6:1 mainsheet system and the lower block is pinned directly to the traveler (no shackle)...all to reduce the block stack height.
Raking aft also requires that the jib be pinned higher at the tack; otherwise, the jib goes block to block before getting tight, too. (There are ways to reduce that stack height as well.)
As mentioned above, newer H16s have features (different mast base/step, cut of jib, etc.) to allow more aft rake, and raking aft does put more pressure on the rudders. That's why top racers have EPO3 blades that cost ~$500 a pop.
It should also be mentioned that aft rake will make the boat suck downwind in lighter air.
The anti-pitchpole foils have been around forever....no one uses them, and that vid isn't very convincing. Here are some other mitigative measures to try when sailing off the wind in heavier air:
Get your weight as far back as possible. Crew should trap out behind/straddling skipper. If double trapped, crews rear foot should be between skippers feet.
When sailing a beam reach, start with traveling the jib out half way. It there's too much pressure on the bows (pitching threat), travel it out all the way. In even bigger air, you can travel the main out further, too, to reduce heeling and pitching.
On a broad reach, the main should be sheeted a little harder/flatter than for lighter air, and you need to push the boat farther downwind the harder it's blowing (and as you feel a gust coming). The objective is to stall the mainsail a little (or be on the verge of stalling) which keeps the boat flat and minimizes the leeward bow digging.[/quote]
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