Correct Use of the Traveller

[jakeroyd]

Could some one help , please , with the correct way to set up the traveller.
I have sailed a Moody 27 over quite a bit of the Devon/Cornwall coast for some five years now and have always been unsure.

If hard on the wind I set the traveller right up to windward with the sheet set up hard. Is this correct.

In lighter airs and off the wind a little more I ease both the sheet and put the traveller in the centre of to the lee.

Underwhat conditions would you use the sheet hard in but the traveller to leward ? Would this be when the boat is becoming a little overpowered (against a lot overpowered when you dump the main!)

Some simple rules would be appreciated

Thanks
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[isandell]

Basically, you have it the wrong way round.

The traveller should be to windard and the mainsheet eased in light winds and vice versa.

Have a look at the kemp sails website.

http://www.kempsails.com/da/12071

Ian

 

[billmacfarlane]

In stronger winds, ease the traveller down to leeward. It helps to depower the main and ease the pressure on the helm. You'll sail faster to windward as the boat will be better balanced, sailing more upright and your rudder won't be acting like a brake. In lighter wiinds pull the traveller up until the boom is as close to the centre line as you can get. Don't let the boom go past the centre line, but you can let the traveller go past it. This will only be effective if you use this in conjunction with the main halyard and clew outhall ( if you've got one) to control the shape of the mainsail. I'm sure your Moody's main drive comes from the headsail, but every little helps. I think YM did a really useful couple of articles on sail shape that might be worth looking at.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Jake,

Rather than a set of 'rules', the best bet is to understand what effect the individual controls have on the sail, and what overall effect you are aiming for.....

So.... I'm going to brain dump here, so apologies if it comes out a little randomly....!

In essence, you are trying to get a leech that is sufficiently open that air flow nicely, but not so open that it is stalling.... this is trial and error, and there are numerous books on the subject.....you are also trying to get a sail that is full throughout its entire height, but not overly full.... again experience will tell....

So.... how do each of your controls help with this......

downhaul/cunningham - tends to flatten the sail if pulled on hard, but limited effect on the leech
kicker - tends to flatten the sail, and particularly close the leech when pulled on hard
main sheet - alters the angle of attach of the sail and also flattens the sail and closes the leech when pulled on very hard
outhaul - flattens the lower half of the sail when pulled on very hard

The primary other factor is the standing rigging set up... but for most cruisers this is quite rightly 'set and forget'

The traveller can be used in context of these above controls..... let me explain...

if you want a fairly open leech, as perhaps you are using a very large Genoa with a very open leech profile, but are pointing high so want the main centred, if you pulled the main right on, then you would close the leech.... instead, you could have a looser main, and use the traveller to centre the sail.....

alternatively, you migh want a tighter leech, as perhaps its getting a bit breezy... loads of kicker will help to close the leech, but you might not want the main in too tight, so you could still pull the main sheet in hard, and use the traveller to set it off the wind slightly....

What you'll notice is that I am suggesting that you use all the controls in sympathy with one another, and generally use the traveller to set the angle of attack of the main and then other controls to set rig shape.....

If you follow the 'rule' that best upwind speed is with a centred main.... a good approach is to firstly trim the sail fior good shape, and then use the traveller to centre as best as possible....

Just don't lose site of the fact that centred doesn't mean the boom... it means the centre of effort of the main...

Watch your log!

 

[William_H]

If you had a really powerful boom vang (kicker) then you could leave the traveller centred or pull it up to windward to get the boom centred. If you released the main sheet then the boom could only swing out. Vang (kickers) are not normally so powerfull so that by letting the traveller go down wind in a gust you can keep the main sheet tight while keeping the boom pulled down keeping the mainsail flat hence dumping wind while retaining drive. A bellied main will cause heeling and drag even when eased.
NAS ideas are good except I think he is wrong saying all cruisers should have set and forget standing rigging. Most have or should have adjustable backstay to help bend the mast (more so on a fractional rig) to depower the mainsail. tighten the backstay to bend the mast for strong winds. If you have an adjustable inner forestay then tighten that to bend the mast.
Just keep asking people and trying things. It will all fall into place.
good luck will

 

[charles_reed]

As one has already said the traveller is one of 6 controls you have to shape your mainsail. All operate in conjunction one with another and short of a good grounding in dinghy sailing it's impossible to cover it in writing, in short and on this BB.

However, as a rule of thumb, more wind = more traveller, sometimes in light winds you'll move it to windward to increase sail camber.

C J Marchaj covers it comprehensively, if abstrusely, in his "Theory and Practice of Sailing". If your math is up to it that's a fascinating book - some of the best trimmers I've ever known, though, were virtually illiterate and definitely unnumerate

 

[AlexL]

I've got a good book on the subject. Here Basically it says to set the mainsail shape with the mainsheet and set the boom position - or sail angle to the wind, with the traveller. My book states (and this works well on my boat) to pull in the mainsheet until the top batten is parallel to the boom - in light winds this is not much sheet, and in strong winds it will be alot. Then once this is correct use the traveller to set the boom on the centre line if sailing hard on the wind. Never have the boom above the centre line though. In light winds this will require the traveller to windward - possibly all the way 'up' the track if very light, in stronger winds the traveller may be closer to the centre. In stronger winds you can let the traveller down to leeward - the aim then is to balance out the weather helm, and control the angle of heel - not to keep the main on centre. Another good rule of thumb which I find works is that if you use this method, is if the wind strengthens to the point that the traveller is all the way down to leeward and the heel or weatherhelm is still excessive - this is the cue to stick in a reef.

You can think of this method of a kind of push-pull, or like the gloves you used to have as a kid on a piece of string, when you pull one in, you have to pull the other out. If you visualise the boom on the centre line. You can pull the traveller up to windward and ease the sheet - the boom doesn't move, but the leech opens up, or you can let the traveller down towards leeward and pull in the sheet - again the boom doesn't move but the leech closes.
Generally this works well for anything up to about a beam reach. as long as the wind doesn't change too much, leave the sheet alone and use the traveller to adjust sail angle. As you sail further of the wind, use the traveller, not the sheet to adjust sail angle. Once you are far enough off the wind that the traveller is all the way down to leeward, then obviously you have to use the sheet to set sail angle, but then you can use the kicker to control the leech.

 

[jakeroyd]

Thanks everybody
This has been a great help
I look forward to getting it right