There is no doubt, the faster you go the further in you will have to trim in the sheet to maintain the same course.
The proof of this is shown in this extreme:
Go barrelling down the front of a wave on a run. As soon as you exceed the actual wind speed, your sail will billow in.
(If you’d like a video of this, watch the trailer for Bass Straight Laser.)
The apparent wind direction does move forward. If you were to maintain your trim regardless of speed increase, the weather tail would drop and the leeward tail would jump around.
However, to reach the “sweet spot” for maximum power for the new apparent wind, you will be pointing higher as well a trimming the sheet.
This is a different set of conditions to the first rule of tell tails which is made under normal windward beating conditions in a boat that will not plane to windward - such as the laser.
The degree of height gained may not be very much. The phrase “pointing higher” gives the impression of a huge gain to windward. This is not always the case and depends entirely on wind speed and wave conditions and the point of sail. Should the speed drop off, as it eventually will, you return to the old rule of sail balance and tell tails. Fast sailing in a laser is constantly shifting between displacement and planing theory. The desired effect, obviously, is to stay planing as long as possible.
All this is not to be confused with pinching in gusty conditions.
When you pinch, you are creating a backwind effect in up to the first third of your sail. This depowers the sail in the gust allowing you maintain trim and balance and gain height at the cost of losing a bit of speed and power.
Alternately you could - perhaps there are large waves - heel, bear away and lose height while gaining speed and power and then regain balance and trim. It becomes a tactical decision.
During pinching you make the choice to point higher to depower the sail using the rudder. It is not the apparent wind that has made you point higher. The apparent wind direction has stayed the same, though it has increased. If there is a shift, this also should not be confused with apparent wind change – it is actual wind direction that has changed.
During pinching your power has reduced, whereas in the case of boat speed moving the apparent wind forward, your power has remained the same.
These things become clear under real life conditions. You will have to be planing and paying attention to experience it in a laser. The effect is far more apparent in a multihull or fast boat like a skiff, 470, or Contender. As with most things, they are far easier to do and experience than to stop and think about them and be able to write them down later with accuracy.
It is more important to be able to sail balanced and win the race, or enjoy yourself and not capsize, than be able to explain how you did it.
The proof of this is shown in this extreme:
Go barrelling down the front of a wave on a run. As soon as you exceed the actual wind speed, your sail will billow in.
(If you’d like a video of this, watch the trailer for Bass Straight Laser.)
The apparent wind direction does move forward. If you were to maintain your trim regardless of speed increase, the weather tail would drop and the leeward tail would jump around.
However, to reach the “sweet spot” for maximum power for the new apparent wind, you will be pointing higher as well a trimming the sheet.
This is a different set of conditions to the first rule of tell tails which is made under normal windward beating conditions in a boat that will not plane to windward - such as the laser.
The degree of height gained may not be very much. The phrase “pointing higher” gives the impression of a huge gain to windward. This is not always the case and depends entirely on wind speed and wave conditions and the point of sail. Should the speed drop off, as it eventually will, you return to the old rule of sail balance and tell tails. Fast sailing in a laser is constantly shifting between displacement and planing theory. The desired effect, obviously, is to stay planing as long as possible.
All this is not to be confused with pinching in gusty conditions.
When you pinch, you are creating a backwind effect in up to the first third of your sail. This depowers the sail in the gust allowing you maintain trim and balance and gain height at the cost of losing a bit of speed and power.
Alternately you could - perhaps there are large waves - heel, bear away and lose height while gaining speed and power and then regain balance and trim. It becomes a tactical decision.
During pinching you make the choice to point higher to depower the sail using the rudder. It is not the apparent wind that has made you point higher. The apparent wind direction has stayed the same, though it has increased. If there is a shift, this also should not be confused with apparent wind change – it is actual wind direction that has changed.
During pinching your power has reduced, whereas in the case of boat speed moving the apparent wind forward, your power has remained the same.
These things become clear under real life conditions. You will have to be planing and paying attention to experience it in a laser. The effect is far more apparent in a multihull or fast boat like a skiff, 470, or Contender. As with most things, they are far easier to do and experience than to stop and think about them and be able to write them down later with accuracy.
It is more important to be able to sail balanced and win the race, or enjoy yourself and not capsize, than be able to explain how you did it.