The year is winding down and all of us
at Elliott/Pattison Sails would like to thank you for
your business and support during 2009. We look forward
to the coming year as we strive to do an even better job
of supporting our customers. We have added a new
question and answer section to our web site along with
this newsletter so that we can keep you better informed
with useful tips and ideas on getting the most out of
you boat. But please feel free to contact me directly
any time! My direct email is
hp@epsails.com and our phone number is 949 645-6697.
If you enjoy this edition please take a minute to update
your profile with the link at the bottom, and please use
the "Forward email" link to send this newsletter to any
friend or fellow sailor that would enjoy it also!
Merry Christmas and Happy Sailing!
Harry Pattison, President Elliott / Pattison Sailmakers
Question and Answer
Q: My new
mainsail has a loose foot and I have never sailed with
one before. What are its advantages and how should I be
using it? It also came with a long strap that has Velcro
on both sides that was attached to the clew. What is it
for?
A: A loose footed
main gives you a much wider, and easier, range of
adjusting the amount of shape there is in the bottom
part of you mainsail. With just the outhaul you can pull
the foot tight making the main much flatter, or ease it
off and make it as full as you want. Generally going up
wind in medium air when you are not overpowered the out
haul should be ease enough so that the foot of the
mainsail in the middle is about 3" to 4" away from the
boom. As the wind increases tighten the outhaul to make
the sail flatter and reduce power. In light air and
choppy conditions you can ease the outhaul a little more
to make the sail fuller and more powerful. Do the same
thing on reaches and going downwind.
The Velcro strap is to hold the clew down to the boom in
place of a slug that slides inside the groove on the
boom. It should go through the clew ring and around the
boom at least 3 times and tight enough so that the clew
ring is just above the boom. The reason we provide them
is that they will slide on the boom much easier and with
less friction than an outhaul slug slide.
In my article on Controlling Headstay
Sag I focused mainly on conventional rigs with in-line
spreaders. On those rigs your adjustments are done
mostly with the backstay, runners, and checkstays.
Tuning a rig with swept aft spreaders and shrouds is
quite different because in these rigs a large
component of both headstay sag and mast bend are
controlled through shroud tension. These rigs are most
often found on boats with jibs that don't overlap the
rig.
To start you need to understand what the individual
shrouds do, and what effect changing their tension
will have.
10 Days left, Order E/P gear now with 15% Discount
Visit the E/P Store for a great Christmas gift for the
sailor in your life.
We have two sizes of our "Sailor's Gear Bag", Elliott /
Pattison hats, our embroidered pull-over Fleece, and our
great long sleeve Sport-Tek Tee-Shirt for cool comfort
and great sun protection
Right now is the best time of the year to purchase sails for
next season before 2010 prices go into effect, and to take
advantage of our special Year End 15% Discount.
Elliott /
Pattison Sailmakers
