J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum Racing Tools and Techniques Drag Racing a Beneteau 35 - heeling properly?

We're still learning about heeling in light air. Luckily the wind picked up to 8 knots and we drove on by. I had the crew centered in the boat, then hiking as things picked up. A few puffs made it tough to keep her straight, not over too far...

On that note,....what is the optimal heel angle for the J30?

As flat as possible while still maintaining helm feel.

I remember JWorld teaching that the boat's heel should not exceed having the cabin top winch level with the water??

Try this one -- windward side deck level. I'm thinking that was the engineering on that angle.

We can race really well against the newer more narrow boats when the wind is really blowing. Lite air races are really frustrating. I drove my arms off Saturday in air from 8 down to 4 knots. Four and a half hours of heading up and falling back off, really trying to get around the course. Great spin sets and jibes by the crew. Our lake/river courses are a tactical nightmare. We can sail to our rating and better in over 15 knots, but cannot in less air. But, it's a lot like working hard to keep the ole boat in great shape; worth every minute. We really appreciate all the great data on this site. You're helping us bring home the silver!

These are the corrected times for the top six:
J/32 - 15810
J/100 - 15905
J/30 (us) - 16438
J/32 - 16623
C&C 99 - 16634
J/105 - 16964