Expert tips to understand heel angles

by Andy Rice, Yachting World
Keelboat sailors obsess about maintaining the optimum angle of heel. According to Chris ‘Twiggy’ Grube, it’s a good obsession to have, and keeping consistently to that ideal heel is a vital goal for success on the race course. “It’s about getting the right amount of angle on the rudder and making sure you’ve got good flow over both foils,” says Twiggy.

Every class has a known optimum heel angle, although this will probably vary across different wind and wave conditions. “In the J/70 we’re aiming at 8° of heel in super-light conditions, but once we’re up to full power conditions we’re aiming for 12°, and an absolute max of 14°. The J/70 has a short keel so any more than that and you’re slipping sideways and losing grip in the water.

“The J/70 also runs a very neutral helm, there’s not much feel in the rudder so it’s tempting to let the boat heel a bit more to leeward, just to get a bit more weather helm and a bit more bite,” he explains. – Full report