TopTip2020 #15 - Heavyweight Trim - by Matt Thursfield, GBR
11/04/2020 11:04:00
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TopTip2020 #15 Heavyweight Trim
by Matt Thursfield, UK
Matt Thursfield finished 4th RS Aero 9 at our first World Champs in Carnac, France, and a rememberable result is his 5th place finish in the windiest ever Lord Birkett race on Ullswater, a huge mixed class event with usually over 200 dinghies on the start line. Matt is the big man of the Midlands RS Aero fleet, tipping the scales at over 100kg (220lbs) and claims his current exile to home for the good of the realm is having a detrimental impact on his weight! Here he offers his experience to the larger proportioned sailor;
Heavyweight Trim
'So the top tip for the 100kg (220lbs) gang focusses on trim. Our size makes the hull extra sensitive to our movement which is rewarding, but we have to get so much further forward when going downwind to get that transom out of the water. See that non-slip area either side of the daggerboard? Well that’s there for the heavier boys in particular. Feel the Speed difference as your body weight moves forward of the central mainsheet. The bubbles coming from the transom will disappear, replaced by streaks of speed!
Get a competitor to help you know when you are far enough forward, make a mental note. Otherwise, check if the look and sound of your stern wave changes with a little fore/aft movement. Have a mantra “Forward is Fast!”. Stability will suffer however, when done to excess, so practice is key.'
Reply07/04/2020 18:12:00
Posts: 0
