Originally Posted by
keyhavenpotter
Are the adjustments you're talking about tension between the peak and throat or the head lashed to the yard?
Talking about tension when rigged along the yard and along the boom .
I'm assuming if the peak to throat tension is too high there are wrinkles parallel to the yard and if too loose wrinkles perpendicular to the yard when close hauled.
Yes that's correct.
Can you judge the correct tension by looking for wrinkles or do you use sail shape as your guide?
Both. Wrinkles will clearly show too little or too much tension. So you can adjust to that indication. However when it looks ok it could still be improved by the following check. Rig the sail on dry land with downhaul set, and set the boat as if beating to windward, mainsheet tension applied as you would sailing to windward. Now, holding the mainsheet steady, and standing at the back of the boat, luff the boat into the wind just enough to luff the sail. If the sail luff first at the middle of the yard, the peak needs releasing slightly. keep releasing and re-trying the luff until the sail luffs at the throat, the intersection of yard and luff of the sail.
When lashing the head (between the peak and throat) do you get it as tight as possible or leave some slack?
You must leave some slack. This is the key setting on the whole of the lug rig. Here's why. The throat of the sail is tacked to the yard in some way. Either by lashing or shackle the throat clew will move forward as the downhaul is applied. It will pull down some and then stop. At this position the yard tension has to be the tension you want it to be. This is why it is trial and error to achieve a good setting.
I guess it has to be the case that this setting is the setting for one wind strength. Hopefully with good spar bend to sail round the setting will do well enough for a wide range of winds. I tend to have mine set for a nice breeze, which leaves it slightly tight for very light breezes and still fine for strong winds.
Also I find using two bits of string to tie off the clews to the ends of the yards helps. One goes round the sail and yard to take the strain of the wind and the other is used to adjust the clew to spar end, ie the tension we have been talking about. This separates the two functions.
Brian