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This is the place to get your answers to questions on tactics, strategy, rules, trim, tuning, boat preparation; anything that makes your boat go, or helps you win races.

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Q: We are a 35 ft boat with a carbon mast and quantum sails - what product do you recomend for polishing the carbon mast? Thanks R

Q: For a J/105 do you have downwind target speed, true wind and true wind angle tables or polars?

Q: Hi Wally, First I'd like to say that you always have excellent tips and reports I've read your article in your blog about tunning the rig for the conditions and I have some doubts about this rig tune issue. How do you know if the rig tension is right for the conditions? What are you looking for when you change it, any visual clue? I'm not a professional sailor, so it's a little more difficult to check this correctly. Thanks a lot.

Q: I am looking to buy new sails for my Capri 22. We sail in a one designgroup in White Bear Lake Minnesota. I would like a price for a main, 155jib and a 100% jib.

Q: Please forward this question to Farley, do you have a tuning guide for thesails on the Beneteau 47.7 we're buying at Texhoma. We're moving it to SanDiego next month and would like to set it up correctly from the start. Igot the tuning guide from Beneteua, but my guess is it's geared towardsnorth Sails. Appreciate any help you may give. Regards, Garland Bell

Q: Good Morning Quantum,Could you please forward a copy of your general sail trim guide for Main,Genoa,& Spinnaker.Do you have any sail trim info specifically for a Far1020. Thanks so muchfor this great service.

Q: I have a 2003 Jeanneau Sun Fast 37 with Quantum sails. I have searched yourweb site for a tuning guide for the boat and have not been able to find one.I sail on the Chesapeake in the Solomon's area and need to improve theperformance of the boat. Can you assist?

Q: I have recently purchased a tartan 34c and would like to get some tips onsail trim for this boat or just a sail trim handbook. This boat moves andI'm sure it can go faster. My address is 2352 Eutaw place, Baltimore Md21217

Q: Do you make Coronado 15 Sails and if so how much?

Q: Hello I am racing instructor and am planning our schools program for thesummer and was considering a trip to your loft in Toronto to have thestudents talk you about your sails and the whole sail making process. Isthis something that you would be open to?

Q: Hello,I have read the article about tuning of a Snipe, which was very informative.Do you have any suggestions for a book title especially for advanced Snipesailing.Thanks !

Q: hi,i have just bought a Toni Tio and i was wondering if there is a book on howto rigg one on a optimist. if there is could u send me one.bye

Q: looking for a set of downwind polars for a melges 24{ not sailing onedesign, and we need to get down wind against the symetrical kites}

Q: I just bought a J22 that has a new set of Quantumsails. I would like to know if a tuning book isavailable for these sails.

Q: I am trying to find the best sails for my daughter's Vanguard C420. The boatis 3 years old and the captain and crew weigh @ 280-315. they sail from VAto MA. They started in Opti's and have moved up to 420's, they do sail hardand I want to give them the best so they can focus on their improving skillsand not fight their equiptment. Thank you Hugh Harr

Q: I would like a trim guide for all the sails!

Q: Hey!!. Do you have a trim guide?? How can I get a copy? i have a Maxi 999dept 145 cm.My email adress is fa.brattinga@home.nl

Q: I have an International Finn. I can not find any kind of rigging and tuningof the dinghy, as well as functionality of the parts.I went to Geelong last week, just before the regata and saw little storejust near the shore, that how I got your address. Do you provide any kind ofsail service at Geelong or Melbourne?Thanks in advance

Q: When sailing downwind in a whitesail only fleet, is it faster to broad reachup and down or (as I read recently) sail wing and wing directly at themark, slightly by the lee?P.S. - I have a Quantum main that’s a pleasure to sail with.

Q: Hi,I sail a Jeanneau Sun Fast 36.How do I get my hands on a trim guide for head & mainsail as well assymmetrical spinnakers?Any plans on opening a Swedish loft?ThanksRobin WallmanTeknologgatan 2411 32 GoteborgSweden

Q: I am currently sailing on a J105 (sold my J30) and plan to buy a 105 nextspring. Need information on tuning guides, and tips as well as sail menufor outfitting my 105 for racing .

Q: Hey!!. Do you have a trim guide?? How can I get a copy?

Q: I would appreciate receiving copies of your trim guides for headsails,mainsails, spinakers and genakers (1st question on top). I could not findany other place for sending my address, so here it goes:Rua Lopes Quintas 465, ap 203Rio de Janeiro, RJCEP 22460-010BrasilThank you for your attention.

Q: How can I get a copy of your trim guide for headsails,mainsails andasymetricals?

Q: Morning, We are Xboat racers. If a boat has turtled a few times and themain sail developed a tear from it does this mean the sail is wrecked? Wontthe water forces on the sail blow it out? Please let me know if you can.P.S.your sails are super!Kevin Andrasko Oshkosh,Wisconsin

Q: When droop hiking in a Star is it acceptable to pull yourself back into theboat using the backstay for support or does it harm the rig?Thanks.

Q: How does one determine which side of a race course is favored (e.g. whetherto go right or to go left)

Q: I'm phrf racing an Ericson 23 under typical inland lake conditions, and amready to buy a new main and genoa. Light air days are more frequent thanmoderate to heavy, so should I go with a new 155 and reef the main when thewind is up, or do more of a compromise and back off the headsail size?

Q: how do you tell the bias of the start line?

Q: I have raced 40 feet with a couple different "champs-genious of the sail",always as main-trimer.sailing up wind:One of both , asked to keep telltails always almost flying.The other one, asked (in the same kevlar-fusion racing mainsail) to keep thefirst telltail always off, as the second one always streaming.Whats your opinion?

Q: hello ý am racing with melges24, my question is; on banana route, how can weget more advantage with asymmetrical spinnaker against to other boats withsymmetrical spinnakers?(is more gybing solution?thanks

Q: As a "poverty stricken" twilight racer here in Tasmania, I still like to getthe best out of my 24' masthead rigged Van De Stadt. My problem is that myno.1 headsail has a pronounced hook in the last 2 inches of the leech. Thesail works well and we point at least as high as most of our competitors.Is such a hook a serious speed issue , or is it merely a cosmetic problem?If it is a major speed impediment , what is the best (and cheapest)solution?Cheers from Hobart!

Q: I have a Beneteau 311, I am looking for rigging and trim tips to getcompetitive in my local club racing. Also I need to replace my head sail (genoa ), what would you recommend.

Q: Is it possible to get more copies of your guides on your sails,Asymemetrical, Mainsail & Headsails. 15 of each so our crew can study themin detail.Thank you

Q: I own an Australian Northshore 33 cruiser/racer and interested in targetspeeds. I could not get any joy from sourcing the polars from the company orthe designer but thought it should be possible to derive it by logging thewind speed and dircetion and boat speed into some software via NMEA (I haveboat speed instrument, Raymarine ST60 wind, ST4000 autopilot interfaced andwith NMEA and serial interface box). Is there any software that could dothat or can you recomend an approach to collect the data and generate thetarget speeds.Enjoy your comments and thanks.

Q: I am racing on a J-110 (bowsprit with asymmetrical spinnakers). Ipreviously raced on a C&C 30 with symmetrical chutes, and am experiencedwith spinnaker changes (peeling) with symmetrical spinnakers. I am not sureif there is a "standard method" of changing spinnakers on bowsprit boats.It is impossible to reach the clews to change sheets, thus it seems to methat I would need to use a 2nd set of spinnaker sheets (sheet plus lazysheet combination) to make it work, plus a 2nd set of aft turning blocks.Is there a standard method, or am I better off just changing chutesbare-poled?

Q: I have just bought a toni tio optimist sail.i used your sharkskin sail very successfully last year. I bought a new blackgold rig to go with the new sail and I am not going as fast as I did withthe sharkskin and an older optipart rig.How should I tune the boat differently.How slack should the luff tension be in moderate winds ? I rake the mast at282-284 cm should this be different as I am not pointing as high as before.Im sure it is just a set up problem but I have gone from 40 to 56 in therankings with the new equipment. Can you please help ?

Q: Do you have the star tunning guide in portuguese (brazilian) language?

Q: Could you please send me informartion about Star Boat Rig Tuning, MainsailTrim, Jib Trim and Backstays.Thanks you in advance Nicholas

Q: We are racing an Ericson 36 in the Southern Great Lakes area, somtimes nearChicago. We have heard that many people are now having rig tuning settingsfor different conditions. Can you give some advice on how we might establisha baseline and then a range of changes as the wind increases or decreases.Also, we are curious about headsails. For this boat, should we have afull-sized heavy #1, or go a little smaller? Thank you

Q: Hi,I have a Martin 242 that I sail in Northern Indiana. I am thinking aboutdoing some long-distance racing and I am curious if we need any specialsails. Also, what is the best way to trim sails at night? I was also curiousabout hiking out during distance races-do all boats do it the same as inshort races? Thanks

Q: Mast tuining of the first 40.7 and race preparetion or any information thatyou can give on the 40.7Thank you

Q: When sailing downwind at an angle where there is flow across the mainsail,is it faster to ease the main just short of luffing (reducing angle ofattack), or trim it in just short of a stall(maximum angle of attack)?

Q: Hello I m leandro from Argentina. I have a doubt about current. Going upwindisn t the same for everybody? It only chages the laylines. At list I thinkso. Your explanation will be helpfull for me.Thanks

Q: Do telltales on the leech of the jib/genoa aid in trim? I have heard twoschools of thought and am still undecided as to which is correct.(School #1) Many say that leech telltales have no use on a headsail and anyinformation they provide is unreliable at best. Luff telltales for the jib,and leech telltales for the main is the way to go since its really all onebig sail.(School #2) Some believe that jib leech telltales are beneficial to trim. Itwill let you know if there is flow seperation prior to the leech. Jib sheettension should never be so much that the leech tale so much as flutters. Ifthe leech telltale does start to stall then you need to either ease thesheet, or move the jib lead back twisting the top of the sail andre-establish flow.Do leech tales on the headsail help? If so, are they beneficial on jibs andoverlapping genoas? Thanks for any advice.