Sail and Rig Development
Sails and rigs go together. One can’t really judge a sail until the rig is sorted and tuned right. A rig is not tuned right until it is tuned to what the boat needs, not the sail. With my knowledge of yacht design, I understand what different boats need in regard to tuning. Where do you put the mast fore and aft, first question? This is a question of balance. If the balance is not right you will be chasing yourself around forever. Then we work on the rig tuning. What works in different conditions for the boat? Now you can look at the sails.
I have over 15 years of experience as a sail maker. 12 years I have spent designing sails for all different kinds of boats, all over the world. I really enjoy sail concept work, inventory building and working with all sail designers around the world. This is a very important job, to develop the sail inventory first. Then working with sails is much easier. Putting them on the well tuned rig will give wider ranges with less chance of holes in the inventory. Good management is key.
As a project moves along you can work on sail development. This is from gathering data of what happens on the race course. Knowing when you are fast and not so fast. Sometimes we find out the boat likes a different nose on the jib or to help balance fullness of the main. As you learn what is good and bad on the race course, you can work on the sails and inventory to increase range and speed of all the sails. Good sail programs don’t stop when you get to the starting line. They never stop.
More Information about Dee Smith