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Sailing Myths – Don’t Believe All That You Hear!

Brett Bowden
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Sailing Myths – Don’t Believe All That You Hear!

In the sport of sailing, there are plenty of myths and I have attempted to set out below some of the most common ones with the correct answers that debunk them.

1. MYTH – To determine the favoured end of the starting line, go to the middle of the line and point straight into the wind, the end of the line that your bow is pointing to is the end that is favoured. 

TRUTH – This will show you which end is further upwind but it is not necessarily the end that is favoured. The favoured end of the starting line is the one that will get you to the windward mark sooner, taking into account a number of strategic and tactical factors including which end is farther upwind and by how much. You must also take into account wind shifts, pressure, current, waves and location of the first mark.

2. MYTH – The best way to stay in front of another boat is by tacking ahead and to windward of them.

TRUTH – The most common reason why a boat gets passed on a beat is that she lets the boat behind go too far away and then there is a wind shift. The idea, when you are protecting a lead, is to minimize the leverage or separation, between you and the boat behind so that, even if the wind shifts in their favour, they won’t gain enough to pass you. We have all been told that the best way to do this is to tack directly upwind of the other boat. But think about that – if you tack on another boat’s wind, they will tack right away and then the distance between boats will be increasing.

3. MYTH – In an oscillating breeze, wait for the maximum header that you expect and then tack.

TRUTH – Tacking on headers is the right strategy, but don’t wait until you are headed all the way. Tack when you are headed to your median course. When racing in an oscillating breeze, the goal is to sail on the lifted tack and avoid sailing on the headed tack as much as possible. That’s why you should tack when you are headed – so you can sail a lift on the other tack. 

4. MYTH – Pull your cunningham tight enough to remove horizontal wrinkles along the luff of the mainsail. Sails are designed to be smooth, so use your Cunningham to achieve this shape. 

TRUTH – The purpose of the cunningham is primarily to control the fore-and-aft position of the draft and the fullness of the sail. It is not intended for getting rid of wrinkles. The most important thing about trimming your mainsail is to make sure it has the right shape for the wind and wave conditions in which you are racing. It is almost always better to
have the right sail shape with a few wrinkles than to make the sail look cosmetically perfect but have a slower shape. 

5. MYTH – When sailing upwind, never trim the sheet or traveller so
the boom is higher than the centerline.

TRUTH – Many racing boats sail very fast upwind with their booms above the centreline, so experiment with this. This works best in lighter air when you need a decent amount of twist in the sail. By pulling the boom to windward, you get enough twist with most of the sail close to the centreline. As the wind comes up and you trim the main harder with less twist, start dropping the boom. If you keep it above centreline, too much of the sail may be on the windward side of the boat creating drag.

6. MYTH – When sailing upwind in waves, you should position your crew weight as close together as possible near the middle of the boat.

TRUTH – It may actually be faster when racing upwind in waves, to
spread your weight out a bit fore and aft. Squeezing your crew weight together in the middle of the boat is a good idea and you should try that. Sometimes, even when you have your weight as close together as possible, the boat still seems to pound. If this happens, it could be that your weight distribution is not optimized
for the frequency of the waves. Try moving farther apart and test different distances and see which arrangement minimizes hobby-horsing.

7. MYTH – It’s fine to leave the jib sheet cleated most of the time while you are racing upwind.

TRUTH – You would never cleat the spinnaker sheet while you are racing. For for the same reason you should not cleat the jib sheet nor the mainsheet for that matter. The wind and waves are always changing, so to keep going fast you must continually change your sail trim to match the new conditions. You can’t do this if your sheets are cleated.

8. MYTH – In order to get mark-room, you have to hail for room at the mark.

TRUTH – There is absolutely no requirement in the rules for a hail in order to get mark-room.  Hailing for room at the mark is a common misunderstanding. There is some logic in expecting an inside boat to hail for mark-room when they are entitled to it. The rules don’t require this. Instead, they say simply that the outside boat must give mark-room to the inside boat. 

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The Way Sails Work To Windward

Brett Bowden
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The Way Sails Work To Windward

Most sailors know that modern sails perform much like an aeroplane wing and that’s the way sails work to windward.

Because of the way that a sail is curved, and because of the angle of attack when trimmed properly, the air passing over the leeward side speeds up in comparison to the air passing over the windward side.

It is the difference in pressure that creates force on the sail and enables a boat to sail close to the direction of the wind.

Sail Shape Tips – 

  • Camber or draught provides power but can also result in excess heel. A 15% draft depth is considered fairly full for a mainsail and a 10% draft is fairly shallow.
  • In extremely light conditions, the air has difficulty making sharp bends. You need to keep your sails a bit flatter so the air does not detach.
  • Pulling the draft forward with luff tension can provide extra power in a chop; otherwise, it should be kept in its designed position which is 35 to 40 per cent in a jib and 45 to 50 per cent aft in the main.
  • A little twist is necessary because the upper part of the mainsail is always sailing in a bit of a lift caused by the friction of air closer to the surface.
  • In general, you have the right amount of twist with the top batten being parallel to the boom and the leech of the jib or genoa being parallel to the belly of the main. 

Light-Air Sailing – 

  • Keep sails flat and the leech open. Use a moderate amount of outhaul and set the jib leads back a notch or two. You may even need a bit of mast bend if the upper pats of the main are a bit full.
  • Resist the temptation to pinch because you risk killing any apparent wind that you have created.
  • Resist the urge to strap the sails in tight and keep things loose, if in doubt let it out.
  • Keep crew movement to a minimum.
  • In a drifter move crew weight to leeward to reduce wetted surface friction and help the sails to belly out.

Moderate Air Sailing – 

  • Keep sails full and drawing with plenty of draft, especially in choppy conditions.
  • Keep the boom towards the centreline with the top batten parallel and add some luff tension to each sail to counteract the draft moving aft.
  • Fight the urge to strap your sails in tight which will create the illusion of power.

Heavy Air Sailing –

  • Flatten the sails using the outhaul and backstay and move the jib lead aft. If you have a backstay, in puffy conditions, pull it on to depower and let it off in the lulls.
  • Drop the traveller to dump power from the main and let the main sheet out as a last resort. Use your vang to control the upper leech and aid pointing.
  • The helmsman and trimmers should continually communicate to keep the boat under control and balanced all the while maintaining maximum power in the sails.
  • Don’t worry about a bit of a bubble in the main if it is not flogging as the air is still attached.
  • Hike Hard.

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Attack And Defend

Brett Bowden
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Attack And Defend

Knowing how to attack and defend is a skill that develops with time on the water.

When racing, it rarely pays to concentrate on beating one boat as you risk the rest of the fleet getting away. 

Having said that, there are key areas of the race course or regatta when this could be necessary, so the ability to attack and defend is a vital tool to have in your toolbox.

I have set out below some attack and defend situations and solutions.
  • At the start, you need to concentrate on beating the boats around you so sail high or low to attack or defend your immediate competitors.
  • When you meet another boat on the course, you have no choice but to react to them. Whether you cross, tack or duck can have long-term implications for the race.
  • When you have a particular boat you have to beat in a race or series, you need to either attack or defend.  All the while though be aware of other boats that may upset your plan. There are instances where you could both lose out.
  • You can defend the boat to windward by sailing high to not allow them the room to roll you. The desired outcome is to force them to tack off to give you a clear lane. 
  • You are able to attack boats to leeward by driving over the top of them. To do that you have to have enough bow forward and space to leeward.
  • Upwind, the leebow is an important attacking manoeuvre to get right. You will use the leebow when you want to protect your side of the course. A well-executed leebow will force your opponent to tack away.
  • In order to stop boats from tacking on you at the layline, bear away slightly as they approach on a port. This will force them to duck you or tack early, once that happens, head up to the close-hauled course again.
  • Upwind, the simplest way to attack if you are a few boat lengths ahead is simply to cover. They will slow down in dirty air or be forced to tack away from the favoured side.
  • Downwind, pressure is a key factor and if there is a hitch mark don’t be too concerned about defending the boat that gybe sets as they are likely to be initially sailing in dirty air unless you are both well clear of the following boats.
  • One of the simplest ways to attack downwind is to put the boat in front in your wind shadow. This will slow them down and in many cases force them away from the favoured side of the course.
  • Offwind, if you need to attack the boat in front work high in lulls and drive low in the gusts. A warning though, don’t work too high unless you expect a large change in windspeed. You risk ending up having to sail a lot more distance in down pressure.
  • The easiest way to get clear of another boat downwind is to gybe off.
  • If you want to attack another boat, gybe in their face, you can take control, gybing right when they do.
  • If you are being attacked off the wind, defend by making a slick gybe and get  going high to break any cover ASAP
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Tips And Rules For The Upwind Leg

Brett Bowden
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Tips And Rules For The Upwind Leg

 

Tips And Rules For The Upwind Leg, To get to the first mark at the head of the fleet consider the following. 

Sail on the Lifted Tack as Long as Possible

The basic idea when sailing upwind is to sail on the lifted tack as long as possible but there are a few other general rules that ensure you make the most of the upwind leg.

Avoid the corners:

It is true that every time you tack you slow down but that doesn’t mean that it is a good idea to simply sail two long tacks to the mark. The reason for this is that once you get to the layline, you are no longer able to take advantage of any shifts that come your way.

The other problem is that if any other boats get in your way or steal your wind, you may have to do 2 quick tacks. Two tacks not only slow you down but may cause you to overstand the mark and sail extra distance.

Sometimes overstanding, to leave a bit in the bank, may seem like a good idea because you can put the bow down and sail a little faster but because you are sailing further to get to the top of the beat, the result is a net loss.

Sail the long tack first:

unless there are other strategic reasons to do otherwise such as more pressure or a shift coming from the other side of the course.

The reason to sail the long tack first is that you have more options when the breeze shifts. If you have already reached the layline, a lift will mean that all boats inside you get an advantage over you and all you can do is ease sails and head for the mark having sailed extra distance.

Don’t give up: Tips And Rules For The Upwind Leg

In fluky conditions, and you find yourself on the wrong side of a major shift, stay cool, it’s not the end of the world. Persistence is as much a part of sailing as brilliance and hard work can often lessen the damage done by missing that shift.

If you do get caught out on the wrong side of a major shift, don’t be tempted to take a flier and split from the fleet to try to win back everything you lost in one fell swoop. Not only does it rarely work but in most cases, it simply compounds the loss.

  • Get out on the course early and note how the wind is shifting before the start.
  • If you are expecting a persistent shift, sail to the shift.
  • Avoid the layline until the very end of the windward leg.
  • If a wind shift skews the beat, sail the long leg first.
  • Figure out your sail control settings before you start to sail the first beat so you can get off the line as fast as possible.
  • Steering head to wind to gauge wind direction is not good because it flogs your sails unnecessarily, it is better to sail upwind before the start making note of the headings on each tack.
  • It is best to tack short of the layline while you are still a good distance away as it allows you to still play the shifts.

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Guide To Changing Gears

Brett Bowden
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Guide To Changing Gears

Today, Iim trying something different using screenshots to give a Guide To Changing Gears. I hope you enjoy it.

Dave Dellenbaugh has been giving sailors the benefit of his boundless sailing knowledge for over two decades. He uses an easy-to-follow format through his “Speed and Smarts” newsletters.

Visuals rather than longwinded explanations do a better job explaining the sometimes baffling concepts of our sport.

David’s style of webinar presentation is second to none and will appeal to a rank beginner through to a sailing legend who is looking to refresh their knowledge.

With thanks to David, I have set out below a couple of screenshots that I took from a recent Speed and Smarts webinar.   I believe the screenshots give a great Guide To Changing Gears

Guide To Changing Gears

When Conditions Change So Must The Gears

The Gears – 

Indicators To Changing Gears

Gear Indicators Using The Mainsail 

What the telltale tells You About Which Gear You Are In-

DOWN LOAD Dave Dellenbaugh’s Changing Gears Guide

If you like what Dave has provided, visit his website and explore the endless stream of Sailing lessons, Tips and Strategies available. https://www.speedandsmarts.com/ 

When sail trim is the cause of the problem, it’s usually the main, not the jib. The upper leech of the main provides most of your pointing ability. Be sure to trim the main so the upper batten is at least parallel to the boom.

If you need more pointing ability, try trimming the main tighter. You can hook the upper batten as much as 15 degrees to weather for short periods. Avoid the temptation to over trim the jib to help pointing ability.

Hooking the jib leech will choke the slot between the main and jib, stalling the entire sail plan. The jib should never have less twist than described in the “basic setup.”

Only after you’ve decided to trim the main harder should you try to pinch the boat. In this mode, the weather telltales on the jib will be stalled. In big puffs, the luff of the jib can break as much as 8 inches back.

This “super pinch” mode can only be held for short bursts and in flat water. Once the boat starts to slow down, be sure to ease the sails out, regain your speed, and then start the process again.

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Sailing Tips 

Upwind Sailing Tips

Brett Bowden
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Upwind Sailing Tips

 

 

We all need upwind sailing tips and who better to tell us how other than Noel Drennan

Noel is well known across the world in sailing circles and has done and achieved more than most sailors could ever dream of in their lifetime and therefore is imminently qualified to give us tips about how to get faster upwind.

Classes he has sailed include the Laser, Etchells, Farr 40, RC 44, TP 52, A class cat, Maxis, Ocean racers, and Soling plus he has sailed many other types of boats from Arabian Dow to the Version 5 Americas Cup boats. 

Noel has been part of four Americas cup campaigns. In 2000 and 2003 he sailed on Stars and Stripes with Dennis Conner plus competed in the Volvo round the world Ocean Race in 2001 and 2005 winning in 2001 with “Illbruck” and completed the circumnavigation on “Movistar” in 2005.

Noel has sailed in 33 Sydney to Hobart races winning overall twice and has sailed on boats that have won line honours three times.

How do you recognize whether a shift is velocity-driven or an actual shift?

Essentially, most shifts will usually happen with a velocity drop or a velocity increase, but essentially, before the start of the race, I try and get my head to wind reading and check the wind. I’ll try to do it in the lulls or in a gust and see if there’s a pattern there, and go from there.

What’s the most important trim adjustment when you’re going upwind?
I think just as simple as the main sheet, it does so much in all boats, from dinghies to keelboats. And the main sheet is the absolute key adjustment for the balance and trim.
Speaking of trim, can you actually feel it when you’re sitting on the side of the boat.

For me, that’s been a very important factor for my success in that I have the dinghy feel, but I’ve sailed a lot on keelboats, so you’re feeling what’s happening with the boat.

It’s loading up or unloading, or the mainsheet’s too tight for acceleration, whatever it is, but on a keelboat, you’ll also have an instruments package that will quantify that.

If you have the feel from previous dinghy sailing, then you’ll be ahead of the instruments and that’s what you need to be.
As you approach the weather mark and you get lifted ten degrees above the mark, how would you handle this?

I would probably sail above the mark for sure, to take the shift and get above and just for the clean lane around the mark yes, probably somebody will gain by going to the mark, putting the bow down and going at the mark.

You hear it often said that you should always sail towards the next shift is there a reason why you should sail towards the next shift?

Not really, but it usually does work out as an advantage. It really depends if you know it’s more likely to be a header on one side of the course or not.

I don’t think it’s always a golden rule that you should sail towards the next shift. It might be a lift and you might end up being to leeward of everybody.

How do clouds influence your upwind strategy?

I’ll always look up and look at the clouds. If I was sailing in Melbourne, for sure on the day I’d be looking for the sea breeze clouds building on the land or if it’s any sort of southerly or westerly, just the cloud formations which give you a hint of what is coming.

Because I’ve done a reasonable amount of ocean racing, and in the Volvo ocean race you sail with really good navigators, when they come up on deck they just tell you to look at the cloud, and go to the right-hand side of it and you’ll be lifted, or stay away from that one. 

You learn what to stay away from or when safe to go towards. Which side of the clouds you’re going to be lifted and which side you’re going to be headed. I think it’s a pretty important thing to do.

It’s often said that you must sail the long the tack first when heading to a mark, why is that?

I think it’s a pretty good rule, essentially because you don’t really know what’s going to happen next, and if you’re getting close to the top mark you don’t want to end up on one layline, you just want to have options.

Should you sail for puffs or shifts?

Essentially it’s a little bit to do with the boat. If it’s a boat like in an Etchells…if you’re racing to six to eight knots, it’s wind speed. And over probably 10, it’s probably the shift.

Downwind in a planing boat,  I go for windspeed every time. 

When you’re going upwind, what sort of feedback are you looking for from your crew?
I like to actually have a pretty well-defined person who is looking around. They are the member of my crew who gives me a  good description of how we’re actually going.
As the forward hand, you’ve got the best option to look around. It depends on the crew, we might have someone that is better but is on the main sheet.

This might be a bit class-specific, but how much and when do you play the jib sheet on the beat?

I think it’s pretty important. And it’s more where you are on the racecourse, and deciding what your next move tactically will be. If you get a lift, if I want to get to the right side,  ease and play the jib. Boats like the Etchells will accelerate better with the jib eased, you can almost leave the main. 

Mainsail twist, what do you look for in different wind conditions and wave conditions?

I’d use the leech ribbons as a bit of a guide in certain conditions to make sure I’m not over-trimmed.

Look at the leech and the telltales in the middle of the sail. See, if they’re lifting or they’re stuck or flowing. Consider the backwind from the jib on the luff of the main.

If the mainsail back wind is starting down low, the jib cars are down too low or in too far.

In Melbourne where we sail a lot, you get extreme conditions from flat water, bumpy water and tack to tack. It’s so different starboard and port, so in most cases, you have to acquire a different setup on each tack.

If I knew that we are going into the waves on port tack,   we’ll set up for more twist, and I’ll ease the backstay, and I might make one or two other minor adjustments because if I know I have to have more twist because of the waves, I’ll set this up to be slightly deeper.

I’m assuming it’s all about balance?

It’s such a difference between a big boat and a small boat with the board, but absolutely.  Quite often in dinghies, the board is just put down and not adjusted. The position and depth of the board is a factor in the whole balance of the boat.

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Choose The Best Side Of The Course

Brett Bowden
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Choose The Best Side Of The Course

 I and most sailors continue to struggle with how to choose the best side of the course.

Fortunately, it is not Voodoo and an article I located written by hugely accomplished yachtsman, Gary Jobson from Annapolis in the USA goes a long way to demystify this essential planning aspect of any race.

I have copied Gary’s advice below.

  • Sailors tend to stay in a group when they are winning. If you see a majority of the fleet heading in one direction, it’s an indication that they are sailing to the favoured side of the course.
  • Study the water carefully for more wind, look for dark patches on the water. Study one section of the horizon at a time. Stand up so you have a greater height of eye. Use polarised sunglasses because they help contrast the colour of the water better. Let your eyes blink naturally.
  • Watch and observe how the wind affects other boats, even if they are not on your course.
  • Look for current shears in tidal areas. Once you pass a shear in the water, immediately analyse whether you are gaining or losing on the boats that have not yet passed the shear.
  • Remember, taking a flyer rarely pays off. If you are behind, go for the smaller gain. If you go for the big gain, you risk losing a lot of distance.
  • Remember which side of the course was favoured on the first windward leg and then play that side again, both upwind and downwind.
  • Keep a note of what happened during the day, patterns often repeat themselves.

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Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly

Brett Bowden
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Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly

All racing sailors must Understand The Elements And Plan Accordingly.

As a competing sailor, we must study the weather when planning to race and must know as much as we can about the wind, clouds, rain, currents and water temperature as is possible. 

This knowledge can have a big effect on the outcome of a race and I must mention that even though the science of Meteorology has a place to play,  it is too much to expect a meteorologist to guess what local wind and wave conditions will be for a particular day.

Weather forecasts are helpful in giving predicted wind strengths which will affect your sail selection and rig settings but you should always temper this with your observations both from the shore on race day and out on the course when racing.

It is important when racing to look ahead and develop an ability to see the velocity of the wind and set your sails and rig accordingly.

One way to calculate what the wind velocity will be is to look at the waves and ripples on the surface. and sunglasses will heighten the contrast.

Gusts and Clouds

Wind direction on the race course can have a high degree of predictability if you have done your homework but there are other things that you should keep in mind.

First, you must know how to handle a gust. Look at the band of wind as it is coming at you and work out which tack you should be on to take maximum advantage of the puff.

If you see some horizontal movement that shows the gust is moving from your right to left when you are on Starboard tack, plan on getting a lift and staying on the same tack.

If you see more wind to weather, you should consider tacking to get to the pressure sooner but the important thing is to go after the wind.

Stability is an important element in all wind shifts and early in each season, there is a significant difference in water and wind temperatures meaning that the horizontal flow of wind over water increases or decreases its speed by a dramatic amount.

With regard to clouds, sail towards them but note the movement, wind is stronger on the leading edge and sides but not so strong on the back edge.

A land mass can have an effect on the wind as much as 3 miles distance meaning local knowledge about an area is important, so study the geology of an area if you have not sailed there before.

If in doubt stay with the fleet and then use your own evaluation as to which side is paying.

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Tacking and How To Get It Right.

Brett Bowden
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Tacking and How To Get It Right.

Competing sailors must practice tacking and how to get it right

Unfortunately, all of us have fluffed a tack and sometimes with disastrous results. We may have let a competitor off the hook, got the boat in irons or caused ourselves a myriad of poor outcomes.

The goal of a good tack is to maximise our gain to windward. This is not the same as completing the tack as quickly as possible. (although this may be necessary sometimes) Not coming out of the tack as fast as possible.

You need to control the speed of your tack to ensure that you end up where you want to. Whether it is to be on the layline or on or off another boat.

The way you execute this is by speeding up or slowing down the turn.

When you are simply tacking to make it around the course, you should aim for a good tack. You should calmly set up and not rush it. Always be considering the boats around you and where each will be when you have completed your turn.

If your aim is to get across to the other side of the course, you would tack and foot off a little initially. The aim is to get to the favoured side as quickly as possible.

It is extremely rare that a crash tack pays. This is because of the time it takes to build speed again on the new course plus the distance you lose to windward.

When tacking on a knock towards the lifting tack, ideally you tack straight away rather than bearing away with the knock. In this case, the tack may be quicker than usual as you will tack through fewer degrees.

As with all things to do with sailboat racing you must constantly have your head out of the boat. This ensures you are prepared in advance to play the shifts and pressure changes.

Tacking to loose cover 

As an example, you may want to stay with a particular boat or boats and head to the favoured side of the course. By tacking but not giving the boat or boats heading your way dirty air they are likely to keep going.

Tacking for Tight Cover

A tight cover is used when you need to beat a particular boat or even need to sail that boat down the fleet. Position yourself where you are giving the boat dirty air.

Watch them closely and tack when they tack but be wary of dummy tacks and be prepared to act accordingly so that you maintain the cover.

A tight cover is a way of shepherding a boat to go the way you want them to as they will continually tack to get clear air.

As an example, if you want the fleet to go right, you can tight cover on Starboard and loose cover on Port.

To tack in precisely the right place, you may need to speed up or slow your tack down.

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How Telltales Work

Brett Bowden
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How Telltales Work

You must know how telltales work to be a successful sailboat racer and those sailors that have mastered their use can be found on the podium more often than not.

Twist is when the top of the sail opens in comparison to the lower sections. This gives us the ability to control the lift and drag created by our sails.

Twist is increased in light winds and progressively taken out as the wind increases. The reason for this is fiction from the water slows the wind on the lower parts of the sail. 

In lighter wind, the wind angles up the sail vary greater than they do in heavier winds. You need to twist your sails in light air to make sure they are trimmed correctly all the way up.

As the wind speed increases the surface friction has less of an effect on the wind angle. There is less difference between the top and bottom of the sail so less twist is required.

How to Set Twist for the prevailing conditions.

Headsail: 

The luff telltales tell you where the sail is in terms of power and car position, but, when sailing upwind, the leech telltales are absolutely crucial as they show how close you are to maximum trim.

You want to be as close to stalling as possible and your leech telltales are the best indicator of this. Generally, the top leech telltale will stall first so trim the sheet until it stalls.

Once it stalls, ease the sheet slightly until it gets flowing 95% of the time.

As the wind drops the sheet should be eased and as it increases, the trim should come on.

Mainsail:

Trimming the mainsail is virtually identical for all boats, fractional, masthead, racing or cruising and the cunningham, boom vang, backstay, outhaul and running backstays (if fitted) are all used for the same purposes.

On a cat-rigged boat, telltales near the luff can help and are sometimes known as steering telltales.

Set the mainsail with the maximum depth it can carry but without stalling the leech and as with the jib different amounts of twist are needed depending on the prevailing wind conditions.

When sailing upwind twist should be controlled using mainsheet tension, and the correct twist is determined using the mainsail telltales.

A word of warning – If your vang pulled on hard you will not be able to add twist by easing the mainsheet.

When you sail into a lull and the mainsail begins to stall more twist is needed. Once the telltales are stalled the main sheet is eased until they fly again.

For correct trim in lighter air, all mainsail leech ribbons should flow, in moderate conditions, the top leech telltale should flow about 50% of the time.

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