Thanks for the feedback on question #1. We basically came up with the same ideas, it's nice to know we're on the right track.
So, on to driving: Headed upwind is it better in general to try to squeeze up or to push the bow down? We're talking VMG here. I noticed that 3-5 degrees gave us 1/2 knot boat speed, the same difference between the forward tickler flicking and all 3 streaming steadily, but we didn't know if the angle was worth the speed. We could head out one day with a GPS and do it scientifically but I thought I'd cut a corner and ask you lot :)
Luke.
Best way to find out is to come down to Newport in two weeks to sail against 30 other Vipers and experiment. My guess is that it depends on the conditions. We did some multi-boat testing in Larchmont yesterday and in 10-12 kts and very mild chop, we weren't losing a lot of speed by pushing a couple of degrees higher, but we were also hiking hard and tuned a little better than the other boat. And there was a difference tack to tack, so there could have been a couple of different variables there.
Quote from: Luke Porter on June 13, 2011, 08:00:50 PM
So, on to driving: Headed upwind is it better in general to try to squeeze up or to push the bow down?
Squeeze up, as long as you keep enough speed. In chop, or if you are sailing heavy you'll have to sail bow down to keep her moving.
Sailing 2-up in Biscayne Bay with Brian in low-20 breeze was quite enlightening about how active you need to be on the helm, moving between feathering to keep the boat flat to power mode for speed. In chop or gusty conditions, don't be afraid to be active on the helm. It's really not an either or...