Out on a perfect day of sailing, with the wind filling your sails and all of your telltales flowing parallel,
you notice the very top or very bottom telltale changing directions. What do you do in order to
maintain perfect sail trim? The surprising answer may indeed be that it is time to trim your jib blocks.
Jib blocks, when done properly, can increase efficiency and airflow over your sail.
On a light wind day, you can fine tune your job blocks by adjusting your block to a neutral block
position, which can be done in three steps. First, determine the mid-point along the sails luff. Then,
align that mid-point with the clew of the sail. Third, slide the block in line to create an imaginary straight
line that reached from the block through the clew and to the mid-point of the luff. This is illustrated
below:
Got it? Good. Now for challenge round, how to test your sheet block position. In order to test to see if
you have set your block for the correct conditions, follow this two-step process:
1. Sail in close hauled position and trim the sail so all of the telltales are flowing parallel to each other.
2. Slowly turn upwind to see if the upper, lower, or all 3 of the telltales break at the same time.
If the upper telltale breaks first, you move the block forward. If the bottom telltale breaks first, move
the block aft. When all of your telltales break at the same time, you have achieved the perfect block
position and are getting the most out of your sail and cruising at optimum speed for the wind
