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                                  JIB TRIM TWEAKING
                                                                        BY Sarah Paisley

        Once the jib is set up properly there are a few things to remember about trimming the jib while racing. One of the most important things to remember is that the jib can be used to help steer the boat depending on how it is trimmed. If the jib is eased a few inches, it will help the boat steer up into the wind, but if the jib is trimmed all the way in, its going to pull the bow of the boat down and help the boat bear off.
       When coming off the starting line, just completing a tack, or basically any other time when the boat isn't quite up to speed be sure that the jib isn't trimmed too tightly. Until the boat is fully up to speed, the jib should be eased an inch or two off of where it would normally be trimmed during the race. How long to leave the jib eased depends on the conditions; in light air or choppy water it will take longer for the boat to get powered up and the jib to be trimmed completely, but in medium to heavy wind and flat water the jib should only stay eased for a second or two before it's fully trimmed in.
       While sailing upwind the jib will need to be adjusted as the conditions change. If the wind gets lighter, then the jib will need to be eased to make sure that the top batten stays parallel to the centerline of the boat, and is never hooked in towards the middle of the boat, but if the breeze builds the jib can be trimmed in tighter the windier it gets.
Another situation where the jib needs adjusted during the beat is if the boat is sailing through some extra chop or if a big puff hits and the boat is heeled over too far. When its obvious that the boat is going to sail through some chop ease the jib a few inches just as the boat gets to the chop, and then after the boat is back in flatter water slowly trim the jib back in as the boat gets back up too speed. On a day when there are big puffs, it will help to ease the jib whenever a big puffs hits and the boat is getting knocked down. A good clue on when the jib needs eased is when the skipper is frantically trying to dump the main and mumbling something that can't be printed in this magazine.
       If it’s just a generally windy day and the main never really gets trimmed in all the way, then the jib should be eased an inch or two out from where it would normally would be. If the jib is trimmed in tight, but the main is eased a bit, the front of the main is going to backwind slightly, but if the jib is a little eased then it will help keep the main full and the boat pointing and up to speed.
       One other time when it’s important that the jib is not over trimmed is when rounding a leeward mark and heading back upwind. If the jib is trimmed too tightly when rounding the mark, it will pull the bow of the boat down away from the wind and make it very difficult to have a tight, tactical rounding. The best thing to do when rounding a leeward mark is to trim the jib just barely enough to keep it from luffing, or it’s even ok to let it luff if that's easier, at that point in the race a luffing jib is better than one that's trimmed too tight. By keeping the jib eased, the boat will head up onto the breeze much easier which will lead to a much tighter rounding and keep the boats behind you from getting inside.
       The last situation where it’s important to help steer the boat with the jib, is when you get a big lift. If the skipper tries to use just the rudder to steer up in a lift the boat doesn't respond right away, and using the rudder too much causes the boat to slow down. It's really helpful to the skipper if the jib gets eased out an inch to a few inches, depending on how big the lift is, to help steer the boat up onto the breeze without using the rudder quite so much. In this case though, it’s important to communicate with the skipper to let them know that you have the jib eased for a lift so they can keep heading up to get back on the new heading. As the boat heads up, gradually trim the jib in until its fully trimmed in for the conditions. I hope this was helpful, and I look forward to seeing every one out on the race course this summer.


Competitors at Eagle Creek trying to keep her flat and moving.
                                    

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