Jib adjustment: the perfect sail “trim” with sheet, carriage and Barber

Jib adjustment is critical to having a good upwind angle, as well as good boat speed for given wind conditions. The parameters on which to adjust the sail are mainly two: the intensity of the wind and the angle at which we are sailing with respect to it. Based on these two factors we will adjust the tension of the halyard, that of the sheet, and the sheet point itself of the sail via the carriage, plus the Barber if any.

Jib adjustment – Watch out for the windward marker threads.

On the jib or genoa we will find at least two sets of fillets on the sail, near the luff, one set at the top, and one at the bottom. The ones at the bottom are mainly used to tell if we have the right sheet tension: when they are all parallel the “trim” of the sail is the correct one, but if they fall downward it means we have capped the sheet too much or we are leaning too much. If they point upward we have capped too little, or vice versa we are sailing at too narrow an angle to the wind compared to the sail trim.

Adjusting the bow – Understanding when to let go

The series of threads at the top will give us similar indications, but will also tell us whether the sheet point is in the correct position. If the point is too far back at the top of the sail, a hint of foiled bubble may be created with the fillets pointing upward, at which point the carriage position will need to be advanced toward the bow until the right balance is found, also depending on the wind speed and strength. The sheet and jib carriage should be adjusted in a coordinated manner: the wider the luff the more the carriage should be advanced, and vice versa. When sailing upwind for a prolonged time, in order to achieve the best possible leech shape, in addition to advancing the jib carriage one can try to use an outermost point of sheet, through perhaps a flying sheave and an additional sheet, so as to almost completely eliminate the leech twist that is created when we let sheet off at wide gaits.

Finally, we also often have windward marker fillets, usually 1-2 at the top of the sail, placed in the leech. If these leech threads come out stretched correctly the trimm is right, if they hide it means the adjustment is not perfect and a few cm of sheet should be left.

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Adjusting the bow – how to manage the barber

What does it look like and what is it for? The barber, not to be confused with the carriage that works on the fore-aft axis, is nothing more than a ring that, thanks to a line connected to a stopper or choke, applies a force perpendicular to the headsail sheet. When we cock the barber the sail sheet and clew will move toward the middle part of the boat, approaching or even passing the deckhouse. Basically, the barber by acting on the sheet goes to change the angle of incidence of the sail with respect to the wind, allowing us to tighten upwind more, with all that follows and we will see below.

The barber should be worked when sailing upwind and according to wind strength. In winds below 6-7 knots, the boat will have to be made to accelerate with barber unloaded so as not to close the sail too much at a time when the boat is still slow and there is no need to seek maximum heave angle. As the boat accelerates we will begin to point the barber with the sail luff gradually moving toward the center of the deck.

With little wind it is counterproductive to overstretch; we will risk having a sail that allows us to heave a lot but with a decidedly slow boat. If the wind, on the other hand, rises from 8-9 knots and up, at least to 16-18 knots, this will be the phase when we will put the most load on this maneuver. This is because we are in the medium wind conditions where boats can usually express their full power and don’t have major speed problems, so it is the best time to caulk the barber and try to hold as tight an upwind as possible.

It is useful to set up 3 or 4 signs on the deck with sticker to have references, to be perfected outing after outing, on where to take the barber when we cock it. Exaggerating with tension, or giving too little of it, will make the maneuver useless or counterproductive. Our trusted sailmaker will be able to help with this assessment.

Above 18 knots of wind it is necessary to assess the situation and figure out what load to give to the maneuver. With intense air, it is physiological that the mainsailer must let go of the mainsheet frequently: with the barber heavily caulked, the air coming off the jib will create tremendous and counterproductive rejection on the mainsail, as it will come to foil a portion of even more than 50 percent of the sail. It will be necessary to let go a little, by doing so we will have less rejection on the mainsail and at the same time the boat will heel less since the sail has a smaller angle to the wind, so it will also benefit the mainsailer who will be able to unload the sail less. The overall effect will be better from an aerodynamic point of view and therefore better in terms of speed.

Mauro Giuffrè

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