J24 Tuning Tip for Flat Water and Light Air

Fresh from another 1st place victory at the King's Day Regatta in Jacksonville, FL, Nov. 20-21, Quantum Sails' Tim Healy shared some valuable tuning tips with fellow racers this past weekend.  His dockside clinic was attended by 30+ sailors with lots of excellent feedback.  Tim's Tip:

"In light air and flat water with 20/15 on shroud tension, it is important that you achieve 2 ½-3 fingers of headstay sag. This will ensure that you get the proper genoa depth.  Make sure the genoa is no tighter than 3 inches from the spreader tip to avoid stalling the upper part of the sail.  The genoa should be 6-8 inches from the spreader tip when accelerating out of a tack."

This strong regional J24 competition was hosted by the Florida Yacht Club and held on the St. John's River.  Several of the 21 boats made the trek from a distance, notably RI, NJ, TX, SC, and GA.  In five races over two days competitors saw consistently light air and flat water but made the most of it -- hard to complain when that is accompanied by sunshine and temps in the 70's!  The Florida Yacht Club was a terrific venue and their Southern hospitality was on full display: all facilities were made available for competitors.  The meals were excellent, and the race committee was excellent in light, tricky conditions. 

Quantum took first place -- congratulations to Dan Borrer (helm), Chip Till (cockpit), John Paulson (mast), Stephanie Karidas (bow),  and Tim Healy (tactics).  Fourth place went to Peter Bream, another Quantum customer.  Sails used included the TH2 Main, the Technora tri-radial Genoa, and the full radial spinnaker.