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Basic Telltale Control continued

3.1.2 Controlling the telltales by making course adjustments

When making the woolies fly by making course adjustments the rule is also simple. If you’re using a tiller, move the tiller towards the flapping telltale.

Using an example to explain. Imagine you’re sailing along on port and the red (inside) telltale is flapping. Pull the tiller to port (red). This turns the boat away from the wind and will put more wind on the inside of the sail allowing the red to fly properly.

It’s easier to remember all this however by understanding the principle. If a telltale is flapping it’s because there is not enough smooth wind on that side of the sail so make sail adjustments and/or course adjustments to present more of the wind to that side of the sail.

In this example, the boat is on starboard, which way would you turn the boat?


Figure 3.1-4 An Over Trimmed Sail

You’d turn to starboard, right? The red is flapping and is starved of wind. If you turn to starboard you are presenting more wind to the other (port) side of the sail.

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Source: Basic Sail Trim
Topic: Sails and Sail Trim
Authors: Grant Headifen, NauticEd Global Director of Education
NauticEd is a fully recognized education and certification platform for sailing students combining online and on-the-water real instruction (and now VR). NauticEd offers +24 online courses, a free sailor's toolkit that includes 2 free courses, and six ranks of certification – all integrated into NauticEd’s proprietary platform. The USCG and NASBLA recognize NauticEd as having met the established American National Standards.