Took the new boat out on Sunday for the local offshore race. The first thing I realised was I really had no idea how to adjust the hydraulic backstay for maximum performance. My old boat had no backstay adjustment.
I thought I didn't have enough tension because the no 3 jib luff was didn't look tight enough but I was worried about putting too much tension on and breaking something.
So my questions are:
What indicators do you use on a masthead rig to know you have the right tension?
How do you know when you are getting close to too much tension?
What shouldn't I do when it comes to hydraulic backstays?
Sould I release the tension while the boat is berthed etc?
thanks for any advice