Perfect sail trim results in maximum forward speed, minimum heel, and a neutral helm. In other words, the sails are balanced between the headsail and the mainsail and the tiller requires little to no input to hold the sailboat’s heading. But we all know that perfection is elusive and it’s a moving target. Wind and water change and sometimes we can’t or don’t want to adjust the sail trim accordingly. That can mean that the sails are out of balance and you have to apply more force to the tiller to hold your course, also called weather helm (windward) or lee helm (leeward).

What a year it’s been, right? For me, it’s gone by fast. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since I wrote Is COVID-19 Keeping You Off The Water? In another sense, everything seems to have slowed down and some plans have been put on hold or canceled. We definitely live in a very different world now than last winter, one that nobody predicted.

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