R Speculation

Jeffers referred to Blazes and raking rigs ....

This was introduced by a few Phantom guys who also sail Blazes... Any advantage on the Blaze does seem very marginal.  The rigs are of course very different and it may well suit the Phantom but not the Blaze. 

I've naturally experimented to see if there was anything that might transfer across as well.  I got a feeling that letting the mast drop back on a Phantom might work because raking your mast back also has a direct effect on the lowers.  They slacken of course as a direct consequence and allow the mast to bend a lot more -  This helps get sail shape changed.    So any benefit attributed to mast rake might really be down to changes in lowers tension .. in full or in part.

So I abandoned a raking mast adjustment on the Blaze (which it is rather raked anyway) and am trying out simple adjsutment of the lowers.... and there might just be some benefit.   In really windy conditions slacker lowers can help but I do mean really windy..  If it blows that hard I'd probably slacken them on the shore prior to going out anyway and then just leave them - having them adjustable on the water just makes it quick to change.

Some of this stuff can be very subjective and there seems more than one way to sail the boat we find. I sail with a much flatter sail than most and I am far from being 'light' ... others still seem to go well with much fuller set-ups and of course we sail with identical North sails.  I also like 'simple' all other things being equal as it keeps your head out of the boat.  Simple also means you are not constantly wondering if your settings are 'right'.

Mike L.

Fine apart from the fact that as you release the forestay tension on the Phantom you pull a bit more on the lowers.

I'm sure you are better informed than I !   And I'm sure 'lowers only' must have been tried.  On the Blaze the rig is always much more raked anyway.  It one time we worried it might end up like the Contender with more and more rake being applied.... but there is a clear point with very high rake on the Blaze where the handling goes off song ...  It stopped the trend going too far thankfully.   

Mike L.

Losen lowers, adjust forestay, tighten shrouds... Ease off kicker, tweak Cunningham, let off outhaul.... Adjust the traveller... Ease main sheet...... Tighten toestraps... Hike like a bitch. Well whatever the arguments for and against new classes and condemning oneself to the handicap fleet, at least some builders are focused on KISS for us muppets!

Way to go RS and Cirrus - thank you!

there have been phantoms with set ups that loosened the forestay and automatically pulled the lowers on the right amount...lots of fine tuning and no-one bothered.

AIUI - yes, looks good doesn't it?  Nice n simple.