Submitted on June 20, 2007 by Todd Bracken

Question: I’ve seen a few North headsails (Jibs / Genoas) with an angle line extending forward from the clew of the sail towards the luff. I assume it denotes the ideal or neutral sheeting angle for corresponding genoa lead car placement.

First, what’s the technical name for this angle indicator? Second, how is it properly calculated?

Sincerely,
Todd Bracken

Answer: Hello Todd, thanks for your question.

This line drawn (or taped) on the clew is generally called a "Trim Stripe", and is just a quick reference line (sheeting angle line), to help less experienced crews find the approximate proper lead position. The line is the projection of the jib sheet angle drawn within the clew of the sail, and aims roughly towards the middle of the luff (50% up). However, that varies with aspect ratio (higher aspect sails require a more forward position), fabric modulus (stiffer sails require a more forward position) and the spreader/shroud base configuration. And obviously a trim line would only be a base setting, since proper lead adjustment depends on sailing conditions. For these reasons we generally do NOT include Clew Trim Stripes on our sails. However, some of our One-Design Class sails do have them, achieved empirically when sailing or by measuring pictures. So I'm guessing you have seen them on North's OD sails.

Sincerely,
Perry Lewis
North Sails, Midwest

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