Trimming sails - child's play

Stephan Gölnitz

· 05.09.2007

Many little things make a big difference in the end - whether the sail trim becomes a torture or whether you are on the water in a new best time. These tips are intended to help beginners in particular. There may also be something new for one or two experts. The fact that the clew tension sometimes changes dramatically when the boom is moved has surprised even the pros.

At a manufacturer rigging competition a few years ago, JP shaper Werner Gnigler (also an Arrows sail designer at the time) managed to rig a 6.3 camber sail in just one minute and 18 seconds. It will be hard to top that, because professionals such as developers and testers "sometimes rig 15 race sails a day", says Neil Pryde tester Peter Bijl. But anyone can achieve the contest performance of the "slowest" man in the industry at the time. The Naish manager at the time, Pat Curell, finished in 3:39 minutes without rushing, just by using the right sequence and hand movements. That's hardly longer than it takes to get started on a winter neo. These tips are intended to help beginners in particular. There may also be something new for one or two experts. The fact that the clew tension sometimes changes dramatically when the fork is moved has surprised even the pros.

The correct luff tension For all current sails and sails up to ten years old, the leech (trailing edge) must be slippery in the upper area on land. This is achieved by applying a lot of tension to the luff extrusion (bottom). In most cases, these creases run between the second and third battens from the top to about the centre of the sail. The sail may also still slip while sailing. Sails with a tight leech (too little tension) do not go fast, are difficult to control and feel heavy. Tip: You cannot destroy the sail or mast with manual force alone, without a crank. So don't be afraid and keep it trimmed! The VTS (Visual Trim System) on all North sails stands for nothing more than printed dots. These indicate how far the creases must run into the sail. Simply tighten the bottom of the sail until the creases reach the desired point (MIN for light winds, MAX for strong winds) - and you're done!

With camber sails, you have to feel the tension on the clew: use two fingers to pull the rope slightly until it tightens - this is the zero position. With many camber sails, this is also the light wind trim. In stronger winds, the tension is increased by one to three centimetres. These trimming tips are based on experience with modern sails, but may differ for individual models.

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Stephan Gölnitz

Deputy Editor in Chief surf

Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.

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Trimming sails - child's play

Stephan Gölnitz

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