We sail a J/44 and I have a 4-year-old running ...

February 1, 2016 “We sail a J/44 and I have a 4-year-old running Quantum A2. We are debating how to trim the pole as we drive for deeper angles. How far back can we trim the pole? Is it fast to treat the sail like a symmetrical spinnaker and trim the pole back as we drive downwind or should we leave the pole closer to the headstay and keep a higher angle? I also have a new Quantum A3 reacher; what is the closest wind angle I can hold the sail before I need to change down to a jib top? ”

David Flynn

December 8, 2015 Quantum Expert Answer

Generally speaking, you can trim the pole back about 5-6 feet from the headstay. If you go much more, the sail will start to over rotate and twist off in the head. The max true wind angles (TWA) you will want to sail are 150^o. Regarding the A3 vs. jib top: both are point-to-point sails, not buoy racing sails. If your jib top is around 140%-145% LP, it will work best at around 115-135^o TWA and 13 knots of true wind speed (TWS). As a jib, you’ll want to keep the pressure on it by heading up. Your A3 will like to sail lower in the puffs and you can sail it (depending on its size and material) 115-145^o TWA in 10-25 knots TWS.

David Flynn

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