Telltale Placement

From Al Sargent's Top 5 Vanguard 15 Rigging Tips.

Those of us who sailed collegiately are probably familiar with applying telltales in key locations. Vanguard 15s are no different. Here are three recommended locations.

What You'll Need

1. Shrouds

Tie telltales on the shrouds, around a foot above where the boom touches them. This makes it easy for the skipper to see when steering downwind. A combination clove hitch plus one half hitch works well. Replace the cassette tape every couple of months before it breaks on its own.

How to use the shroud telltales when sailing wing-on-wing:

  • Header: Watch telltales to show when you get a header. When this happens, ease the jib sheet to keep the jib from collapsing while at the same time steering downwind. Once back downwind, pull the jib sheet back to its usual position.
  • Lift: Watch telltales for indicators of a lift. When this happens, you'll want to jibe if possible, since sailing a V15 by the lee is slow. If you can't jibe, then head up to get back to a downwind course.
  • Optimal angle: It's fastest to sail as high as possible wing-on-wing without the jib collapsing. Use your telltales to determine when you're close to that angle without your jib becoming unstable.

2. Lower Jib Luff

Use electrical tape to stick telltales a couple of inches above the stock jib telltale position, below the second seam, about one inch from the luff wire. Telltales in this position indicate luffing more quickly than the stock telltales. Cassette tape responds a bit quicker than wool telltales. Keep the tape smooth to prevent the telltales from catching.

Lower telltales above and forward of the stock telltales, just below the second sail seam

The lower telltales sit above and forward of the stock telltales, just below the second seam, plus middle telltales just below the third seam. Here the boat is footing out from under a boat that rolled it, so the telltales stream straight back.

How to use the lower jib telltales:

  • Straight-line speed: keep the inside telltale at a 45-degree angle to the horizon.
  • Pinching: keep the inside telltale pointed straight up.
  • Footing or planing upwind: keep the inside telltale streaming straight back.

3. Middle Jib Luff

Use electrical tape to stick telltales midway up the sail, between the stock upper and lower telltales. Just below the third seam works well. As with the lower telltale, place these about an inch from the luff wire.

How to use the middle jib telltales:

  • Start acceleration: When accelerating for the start, you'll typically bear away onto a close reach in the final seconds. When this happens, your crew should trim to the middle telltale. (If they trim to the lower telltale, the top of the jib will luff and lose power.)
  • Reaching: When sailing the offset leg or a reach, the crew should trim to the middle telltale.
  • Lulls: If your crew is close in height to the skipper, or taller, the skipper can drive to the middle telltale upwind if the crew comes in in a lull. This lets you keep the boat in the groove at all times without shifting position.

Originally published on Medium