J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum Racing Tools and Techniques Pinching or Backwinding the Main

The jib should be sheeted in. If you don't have telltales on the luff, install them about 3" in from the head stay at 3 places equidistant along the leading edge on port and starboard sides. Additionally put telltales on the leech of the jib similarly spaced. When sheeting in the jib, make sure you adjust the jib car so you get good telltale flow along the leech top and bottom. Don't worry about the bubble in the main just yet.

The luff telltales you find work best in light air when both are streaming aft. In the 12-15 kt range the inner (winward) luff telltales should be streaming upward about 45 degrees. As the wind is up, you'll want to make sure the headstay is tensioned to move the draft forward and reduce headstay sag. It also helps to put on backstay.

For the main, make sure you hoist the halyard all the way and can use the cunningham to tighten the luff, moving the draft forward in heavier breeze. Outhaul will also be on more in heavier breeze. Ideally the main and jib leech profiles will be matched, but if you are overpowered, you may have a "speed bubble" in the luff of the main. You can tighten the main sheet and take the extra out of the vang and play the traveler in the puffs. Another method for big air is to vang sheet - pull, in main tight, put on vang hard, the set the traveller somewhere below centerline and play the mainsheet in the puffs. The vang should keep the leech tension when you ease the main in the puffs.

All this assumes you have set the mast base and rig using the tuning guides - available on the menu under Info, Articles of Interest, J/30 Rig Tuning. Good luck!