Light Wind

The trick in light airs, which I've also found true on dinghies, is to heel the
boat to leeward just enough to ensure gravity assists the sails natural curve,
this also, depending on the particular boat hull and rocker, may naturally
point the boat to weather, but this should be avoided, it is often better
particularly in drifters, to keep moving by sailing a tad freerer to ensure a
ready supply of created wind to make up for the lack of true wind in the
lulls.

Rigging the sail with not too full a draft, certainly not to tight or hooked a
leech and as fine an entry as possible will all contribute positively as will
keeping a weather eye open on the water as to where the damn wind is
anyway

Edited by G.R.F.

Sailing heeled only works in very light winds.  After about 3 knots it starts making you drift sideways, so when you get the power in the sails to keep them filling when flat, keep her upright, bow down, don't hook the leech, open the slot and get your crews head out of the boat to find those gusts.

Clearly not a small pond sailor then. Most of my sailing career has been in less than 5 knots.

A mode changes should occur when the wind flow switches from being laminar to turbulent. This happens at around 4knots depending on other factors such as humidity, air density, pressure etc. The sail shapes required for these two separate conditions are very different.

Originally posted by Lukepiewalker Oh you can learn lots, mostly about concentration...

I dont have enough concentration for light wind sailing, but at the moment if I dont go out the liklyhood of a sail is nil