Top Speed

There are hundreds of reasons you might not be getting top speed during your sail. Here's one most sailors don't think about...

Have you ever left a spare halyard attached near the bow pulpit? That halyard cannot be winched tight enough not to vibrate, even imperceptibly. This vibration creates aerodynamic drag many times the diameter of the wire. Even if it could be tightened enough to stop vibrating, it still disrupts the airflow meeting the jib, just where you want the flow to be clean. The halyard should be secured as tightly along side the mast as possible.

Aerodynamic drag is also produced by crew standing up when you're sailing to windward. During a race or when you're trying to make progress to the wind, crew should stay low to the deck, either sitting or lying down.

Happy Sailing from Steve Colgate, founder of Offshore Sailing School!