We are finding that adding around 1 1/2 - 2" to the forestay datum, in our North Sails Shields Tuning Guide is about right. You need lots of headstay sag to create enough power to get The Shields through any type of chop and/or light spots.

The photo here shows how much sag we normally sail with, it is blowing about 12 knots:

Question 2: On a possible related subject, I have a question about rake. It has always been my understanding that you add rake in light winds, then reduce it as the breeze builds to move the center of effort forward. In the Shields class this is accomplished by tensioning the forestay. One of the Etchells sailors I know is saying do the exact opposite, and add rake as the wind builds. I've tried this with dinghies, but not with keelboats. Which is the correct response?

Answer 2: Headstay sag is critical to creating rise in the boat as well, but it must be coupled with the proper rig tip placement. Having the tip in the right spot helps to balance the helm properly, getting the tip set up can be accomplished by: 1.making sure your mast butt is maximum forward and 2.your partners are maximum aft. These numbers are found in The Class Rules. Some visuals to look for are: the mainsheet ends up being about 6-8" away from becoming two blocked, the jib leech is almost "rocked in" at the spreader and your jib clew will almost hit the block. Remember, balanced helm-good; pulling tiller up to your chin-bad! Throughout all this you can stay with the 800lbs on the uppers and 300 lbs on the lowers-these settings never change.

Question 3: Third (Thank you reading all this!) If someone wants to start tuning the boat differently from the tuning guide, what is a good place to start? In the Shields class I've noticed that, despite the tuning guide specifying no change in shroud settings, people have been changing at least the lowers quite a bit dependent upon breeze. For that specifically, what's a good place to start. We're a heavy boat and tend to suffer in the light, what are some changes we could try as far as tune goes?
Thank you very much, I believe I speak for the community here when I say that we really appreciate this service, and the direct (and correct!) answers it provides.

Answer 3: KR on Etchells tuning. Chuck is spot on with regard to balance being the priority with regard to headstay length. The key element here is that a longer headstay doesn't necessarily mean more sag. Sure, if the headstay is lengthened and you don't change the step and deck position of the mast- the headstay will inherently have more sag. But, most of the time that isn't what you are looking for. When I started sailing the Etchells in 1993 I didn't feel enough helm and just kept lengthening the headstay until it "felt right". Then I measured it and it was about 2"longer than the Curtis or Brun tuning guides. But, I had moved the step and the deck position in unison and just thought that the set up was better for the way I sailed. Which tends to be get in the front row and "reach" to the next shift. Probably with a much more twisty set up than others.

This has been successful for me. For example, I was talking to Jeff Madrigalli about his set up with Shark Kahn at the recent worlds, and he was telling me that they go with a tight leeched main and a shorter headstay. Completely the opposite way to tune- but proving that there are two ways to skin the cat.
Bottom line is that don't think of headstay length as sag. Think of it as changing the balance of the boat. A longer headstay probably means step forward and sailing with more twist in a faster mode. A shorter headstay means step aft and tighter leech in more of a pointing mode. Both methods have success.

CA on Shields set up: The other key mentioned was frictionless controls-this is a must when sailing The Shields. Most Shields are quite old and keeping up with maintenance can be a challenge. If I had to pick two controls each season to work on they would be the traveler and backstay systems. These two controls are your throttles, both passing through decks, blocks and bulkheads; you want to make certain the line used is at minimum diameter for both. The traveler likes to be floating around the centerline more often than not-helping with your height off other boats. The backstay is put on when the puffs roll in and eased through any lulls or large wave pattern where power is needed. You will see some great photos with explanations at the link below on how to set most of this up on your Shields.

Kristian, I hoped this helped you answer some of your questions. Feel free to contact me any time and definitely visit our tuning section below.

Chuck Allen is the Northeast Representative for North Sails One Design, with a main focus on J-24's and Shields. He was second at the Shields Nationals in 2004 and has won the Newport Fleet 9 Championship 4 separate times.

Ken Read is the Vice President of North Sails, and won the Etchells Worlds in 2003 and the North American's twice in the 1990's.

For more information on Shields Tuning, click here.

Chuck Allen- North Sails One-Design

01/04/06