How to set up a twin wire assy?

Hi guys. Found a setting which felt uberly fast on sunday. Bu the problem is that the rig is totally adjustable and i fear i cant repeat this setting. How would i go about tuning my rig? and getting settings for most windstrengths? Im going to do the POW with carshalton this year and dont want to be behind pennies and other current rulers due to rig tuning etc.

Ah i c
THe problem is that the shrouds are adjustable as well as the lowers
Alex

maybe we should get a rig tension gauge that woud work. i will try and blag one through the company.

rig tension guage, simple answer. You can not rig tune without one properly, every time you go out record shroads, caps and lower bend. Jib tension you just pull more on as it gets windier as long as it is not sagging.

Speak to people you know within the class to get ball park figures for your settings to give you a starting point. The routine we go through crudely is to have a tight top section in light winds but everything else quite loose, as it generates curvataure in the sal maximising the lift generated by the sails and having the top section tight means that we maintain power instead of losing it through flexing in the gusts. As it get windier we gradually shift from having the sails set up for max lift and max power to a lower drag profile and shifting the centre of effort downwards. Basically, tighten up the lowers and primary shrouds and slacken the top section by loosening the caps. This makes the boat more stable and allows us to push the boat harder as the power has moved down the height of the sail. Loosening the caps means the top section flexes when over powered and allows you to spill power big time when its windy or extremely gusty. You also have to concentrate on your sail controls, trim, etc to make the settings effective but that's a lot easier to judge when your sailing than trying to guess if your mast is set up right. There's a lot of useful information in Frank Bethwaite's High Performance Sailing if you really want to explore the theory.

Edited by 49erGBR735HSC