Hi, Ashley

Posted By: Tod Mills, M17 #408 BuscaBrisas
Date: 10/17/08 8:51p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Sheeting (Ashley - R23 s/v Pearl #639 SF Bay)

Thanks. Yes, the Lake Erie video it is as simple as that....except that it does take a little experimenting to learn what works for your boat: How much bend in the mainsheet, how stiff of elastic for the return spring, and at what point in the swing of the helm should the elastic go slack. Once you've figured out your boat, you can usually (practice makes perfect) set it up pretty quickly. You know you have it right if the boat will hold her course EVEN WHEN the wind changes in strength (up to time to take a reef). If you don't have it quite right, the boat may sail herself for that particular windspeed, but if the wind builds or lightens, then she'll veer off course. I've sailed Busca on a reach just fwd of abeam on a day when the wind was not quite strong enough to reef in the morning to near drifter conditions in the mid-day lull and never had to adjust the sheet-to-tiller. And there have been days where I just couldn't seem to find the sweet spot. In the second video, on the Chesapeake in lighter air, the control line runs from the tiller to a block on the weather coaming up to a block on the boom to a block on the genny sheet back to a block on the boom and then dead-ending at the block on the weather coaming. That gives a 1:2 or fool's purchase. The purpose of the blocks on the boom are twofold: First (and most importantly), they provide a way to route the control line without it dragging on something such as the coaming or coachroof. Second, in theory anyway, it helps (a small amount) the responsiveness by adding in the power of the mainsail, although as far off the wind as I am in this video, it probably isn't working properly because the flow over the main is probably pretty screwy. The theory is that as the boat starts to round up, the windspeed increases and the boom lifts (no vang) and the control line pulls on the tiller harder. More here: http://www.htmills.com/SSa-SelfSteering.html I find it a lot of fun experimenting with it and satisfying when it is working smoothly.