SW> was more favorable for his racing conditions?
 SW> I enjoyed "messing" with the tuning of my sailboats, usually being able 
 SW> to improve the general balance of the rig.  If your 
 SW> boat sails equally well on both tacks both on and off 
 SW> the wind and does this with relatively light helm 
 SW> through a variety of wind strengths, you are probably 
 SW> "there" on your rigging tuning, and you probably won't 
 SW> be able to improve it much with any amount of 
 SW> "messing".  To further improve performance, look 
 SW> elsewhere, like fairing the hull, upgrading canvas and 
 SW> running rigging, and crew practice.
On competitive J-24,s, the crew adjust the rig tension before each race.
(Rules prohibit adjustment during a race). The boat is very sensitive to
shroud tension since this affects forestay tension. The idea is to sail
with the forestay vey loose in light to medium conditions and then
tighten up as the wind inceases - There is a lot more to it, like mast
bend etc. 
My, point is that when everything else is equal, such as in a strict
one design class, adjusting the rigging pays large dividends. I feel
that boats racing under handicap rules do not pay enough attention to
their rigs.
In the J-24,s "LOOSE is FAST".
--- Maximus/2 2.02
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