## Trimming the Sail 

## How to get rid of Weather Helm? 

## Posted By: Bruce, Sun Cat 

ow, if I could just get rid of a wicked weather helm that I seem unable to tune out of the boat–-she rounds up in every puff when any more close-hauled than a beam reach, tiller hard over. Having sailed all my life, taught sailing, and raced successfully in Marconi-rigged cats and sloops. I seem unable to tune this out of an otherwise delightful boat. It makes the boat ever-more unpleasant to sail. Any suggestions? N 

## Quick study guide 

## Posted By: Jim B., Sun Cat 

ase out the mainsheet and pull up some centerboard. Check that your rudder is ALL the way down. Literally, if it is back even a few centimeters, there will be more weather helm. The IdaSailor rudder will also make a difference, if you do not have that. There is no reason that these boats should have too much weather helm. E 

## Posted By: CarlHaddick, Horizon Cat, Central Texas 

 would stress the trim the centerboard, myself. When I sailed with the centerboard all the way down, I just sailed s- turns any closer than a beam reach if the wind was at all cooperative. Every little puff would round the boat up, and I would end up dragging the rudder sideways. I 

The magic thing is that as you pull up on the centerboard, you are rotating it back, moving the boat's pivot aft. The weather helm you are getting is because the boat's sail effort is aft of where the boat pivots in the water. Moving the pivot back cures the problem. 

Don't worry about slippage and losing draft - your boat will balance out nicely if you adjust the centerboard, and any leeway you gain will be difficult to detect. 

Single handing our Horizon Cat, I'll balance the helm with the centerboard, go below to grab a nicely chilled Deja Blue, and return to the helm on basically the same point of sail. 

In fact, the helm balances almost too nicely. Coming about, if you don't start the maneuver with a little weather helm it's easy to end up with the boat falling off too far on the new tack. If the wind is blowing and I've got all the weather helm trimmed out, I'll drop the centerboard as I use about half rudder to windward. On the new tack, as soon as the sail develops power it checks the swing off the wind. As that happens, coming back up on the centerboard and returning the helm amidships puts the boat on the desired heading. 

Good luck - my bet is that your weather helm will trim right out. 

## Posted By: Carl, Picnic Cat, Central Texas 

n our Picnic Cat the centerboard effect is really cool. When it's time to drop the sail, I move forward to the mast, giving the boat enough weather helm to point itself into the wind. O 

I initially couldn't understand why things didn't get ugly once she started making sternway, but I think I've got it figured out, and it's because of the centerboard. 

When the boat begins to move backwards, the rudder will flop to one side or the other. However, without any on-axis water flow over the centerboard, it doesn't make any hydrodynamic lift, it's just a poor excuse for a drogue. 

The rudder to one side moves the stern off the wind and the drag from the centerboard farther towards the bow tends to weathervane (hydrovane?) the bow to the wind. The boat stays calm in a sort of hove to condition. 

Interestingly, centerboard full down helps produce weather helm as long as the boat still has forward motion. Then when we're drifting backwards, it helps keep the boat approximately beam to the wind. 

