Mainsail Trimmer
Seattle, Washington
48° North: How does the AC boat main compare to anything you've trimmed before?
The AC boat main is pretty big, so that took some getting used to. The controls you use to change its shape are not too unusual: mainsheet, traveller, cunno (cunningham), outhaul, checkstay. In addition you also have adjustable jumpers, an adjustable mast butt, and the batten tension varies. Its pretty complicated but after awhile it just seems normal.
The hardest thing to get used to for a new trimmer is the load, up to 5,000 kilograms on the sheet. Bearing away around the windward mark is also pretty exciting in breeze!
48° North: Do you ever take your eyes off the mainsail?
You are not looking at the sail all the time, but probably about half the time. The rest of the time you are looking at the speedo, making a hydraulic adjustment, looking at the wind, or sometimes at the other boat. You get a pretty sore neck by the end of the day from looking up!
48° North: Do you automatically trim and react or does someone tell you before something is going to happen?
You are mostly trimming in response to the speed of the boat and the conditions, like when the wind changes or you hit a wave. You also trim in response to the mode call from the tactician (pointing vs footing).
Usually you are on your own to do what you think is best, but you get feedback from the helmsman about rudder load, from the tactician about mode, from someone calling the wind (usually the traveller guy), and you try to match the jib setup as well. Different helmsmen prefer slightly different helm loads and ways to handle puffs, so there is some variation. There are 1-6 guys grinding the mainsheet, depending on the situation. You call "trim main" or variations on that to get the trim you want.
48° North: The OLN commentators are always pointing out the excellent crew work on OneWorld.
That's a testament to the hard work put in by the whole team over the last two-plus years. Each day presents a new challenge, and you just try to do all you can to help the team move forward each day.
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