Hi all,

I'm curious what the general thinking is regarding beam reaching. How high should the boat be pointed while flying the spinnaker before going back to the #1 - and which spinnaker (masthead or frac) for that matter?

I'm asking because we lost some serious distance on a beam reach during a recent PHRF race - and I don't know if it was due to us being on the wrong side of the course from when the wind filled in, current, or having the masthead spin flying (it came with the boat in 2003, and though this is the first season I've really used it, I can't tell if it's a little bulgy or not.) The rest of the fleet (including a couple of J27s) were to 15-20 boatlengths to windward of us with significantly better boat speed. Our speed improved when we put the #1 back up about halfway through the leg (I didn't try to carry the masthead above 90deg), but this may have just been the filling wind finally reaching us. What's the general thinking?

Thanks, Greg Hanket #44 rhumbnutz Havre de Grace, MD