HOW TO SURF FASTER

Asymmetrical spinnakers require more active trimming than symmetrical spinnakers when surfing in any kind of waves. The key is to trim the spinnaker sheet tighter as the bow goes down the face of the wave. As the boat slides down the wave, boatspeed increases and the apparent wind direction moves forward, which requires the sheet to be trimmed. Another effect of the apparent moving forward is that the apparent wind speed increases, which makes the boat go faster yet. The lighter the boat, the faster it will surf, and the more the spinnaker sheet has to be trimmed. Once the wave passes, the boat slows down and the apparent wind moves back aft, requiring the sheet to be eased. Over trimming an asymmetrical chute causes a bad case of the slows. This video shows the Fast 40+ Christopher Dragon playing small waves sailing at speeds between 10 and 14 knots.