I am currently running in the "Cruiser non-spin" class so no chute for the time being, According to the polars, between 5 to 7 knots there's about an 8% up-tick in VMG to wind for 142 - 144 degrees broad reach and as you mentioned it seems to even-out around 12 knots and favor running as you get to higher winds speeds
However, we're strictly talking boat speed relative to wind.. I'm on a lake where all this typically occurs on the length of the lake so wing on wing you run straight back (lengthwise) to the finish line versus having to use the fairly limited amount of width jibing from shore to shore while reaching . Adding to the complexity of accounting for the time consuming jibes and, especially in light air, slow acceleration of the boat having to rebuild both momentum and apparent wind. You also have to deal with shifting / potentially reduced winds as you approach the tree line on shore as opposed to running straight down the main channel in cleaner / less shifty air.. Which bring me to the next point.. Assuming some wind / acceleration capabilities except when competing Wednesday nite style short drag races where you stay really close to the competition it's kind of a crap shoot (At least for me) to determine how many jibes is too many vs what you gain in boat speed by reaching higher.. The more I'm doing this the more I understand the wisdom in playing it safe and just running wing and wing. -Francois Rivard -1990 34+ "Take Five" Lake Lanier, Georgia From: "Ronald B. Frerker" <[email protected]> To: Jean-Francois J Rivard/Atlanta/IBM@IBMUS, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: 03/16/2015 12:47 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List Whisker Pole With chutes the general rule is to reach up in the lighter winds and sail more DDW in the stronger winds. It would seem that would also work for JAM racing. Does anyone have a polar diagram for their boat to compare boat speed in the 5-7 range to see the speed difference between DDW and reaching with apparent wind at the beam? From the angle and boat speed for both positions, we could calculate how much extra distance sailed vs speed. Ron Wild Cheri C&C 30-1 STL I stronger winds I've had some success jibing and broad reaching vs the whisker pole guys running straight down. But yesterday (3-7 knots true) I could not make it work. I'm told a shallower reach / more frequent jibes could have made a difference.. But that seems counter intuitive from a VMG standpoint..
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