54
SVN Solovelanet Global
Twist & groove
We are not talking about music and dance, one of
the most important concepts in sailing is the under-
standing of the "Groove".
Sailing in the Groove is when a boat sails at her ma-
ximum efficiency.
The width of the groove can be defined by how much
tolerance the sail has for changes to the angle the
wind hits the front of the sail.
The narrower the groove, the less tolerance for chan
-
ges in this angle and the more easily a sail will stall if
small course errors or slightly incorrect sail trim are
applied. However, a narrower groove will allow you
to point closer to the wind than a wide groove.
A sail with a more forgiving shape will give a wider
groove for the helm and trimmers to work with.
Generally, the rougher the sea state, the wider you
want your groove – to allow for the boat getting thrown
around by the waves. If the groove is too narrow in
these conditions, the sail will be constantly stalling
and produce only small amounts of occasional lift.
The amount of twist a sail has in it can be defined by
how much the upper parts of the sail fall away to lee
-
ward when compared to the lower parts of the sail. Due
to the true wind speed being higher at the top of the
rig than the bottom, the apparent wind angle is slightly
further aft at the mast head than it is at the boom.
On top, Vanessa, a boat belonging to
Patrizio Bertelli, patron of of Luna Rossa.
In the centre a boat sailing with all her
canvas up in an over-the-edge situation.
Here above, a boat taking part in the
Sydney Hobart race, which chose to face
the storm using a storm mainsail instead
of running the third reefing line at the
mainsail in order to make the boat more
stable
