5 EXPERT TIPS - CHRIS GRUBE ON HEEL ANGLE

Don't just sit on the rail! Heel angle trim is key in keelboats, as Chris 'Twiggy' Grube explains to Andy Rice

- Andy Rice

Keelboat sailors obsess about maintaining the optimum angle of heel. According to Grube, it's a good obsession to have, and keeping consistently to that ideal heel is a vital goal for success on the race course. “It's about getting the right amount of angle on the rudder and making sure you've got good flow over both foils,” says Twiggy.

Every class has a known optimum heel angle, although this will probably vary across different wind and wave conditions. “In the J/70 we're aiming at 8° of heel in super-light conditions, but once we're up to full power conditions we're aiming for 12°, and an absolute max of 14°. The J/70 has a short keel so any more than that and you're slipping sideways and losing grip in the water.

“The J/70 also runs a very neutral helm, there's not much feel in the rudder so it's tempting to let the boat heel a bit more to leeward, just to get a bit more weather helm and a bit more bite,” he explains.

Twiggy warns against this temptation, but admits there are few shortcuts to getting comfortable with such a neutral helm other than more time in the boat.