Traveler's

[PaulP]

In Optimizing the EC12, Bob Well's illustrates a traveler set-up used on his boat. There were subsequent articles on a revised system worked up by Larry Robinson and Kelly Martin.

Is anyone using a traveler on their boat? Any experience with these?

Paul P

[s vernon]

Since no one else seems to be responding, I will comment a bit based on limited experience. I played with a traveller on an EC12 several years ago. Bob/Larry say that you want to use very little width on an EC12 traveller. Very true. Trimming the main in/down with the traveller out causes a big difference in leech tension. To generalize, with a traveller you are no longer trimming the main in at close hauled so much as you are trimming the leech down. Very easy to stall the main and stalling the main is a cardinal sin. You might be okay if the wind is high – you might want to tighten the leech/bend the mast for a flatter sail. But then if the wind drops, you do not have the same ability to trim the main boom in as you do when sheeting to a center fairlead.

That is the problem I found with a traveller. You can probably only use a quarter inch or so of offset. As I remember, if you use more offset than that, I found you are getting too much leech control and not enough boom in in the lulls – too little sail twist in the lulls.

I gave up on it – decided that because the wind generally varies so much in our races that it seems better/faster/easier to just do it like everyone else.

To me it did not seem worth the effort and not worth having a slot in the deck. I do not sail in high winds that often anyway.

My slot was bordered all around with 1/8 inch delrin rod for slipperiness and to make a bit of a raised dam to keep some of the water out.


Scott