Start off with the trapeze just touching the deck right under where it hangs. This will be good in moderate wind and swell conditions. If you sail flat water you can try down about two inches. If you are not low on the trapeze from the beginning of the learning process you will find it harder to get used to going down to the correct area. That is if you decide to trap high because it is easy. If you are too high and the boat goes over you will find the trapeze will actually pull you over the top. This is a lousy feeling. If you trapeze low you may even be able to sit on the side of the boat and comfortably unhook while making your way to the water to right the boat.

If the sea conditions are really rough they are usually harder on one tack than the other. For example on the West Coast big sea conditions are more pronounced on a starboard tack. In those conditions I will sometimes move the starboard loop up an inch to keep from getting hit by the waves.

Later,
Dan