John, thank you for a good post with lots of specific information.
Then I would set my diamond tension so that when trapezing and with max downhaul the windward wire is just tight, this will make the maximum power for your sail available to you.
Could you specify how you decide on what's "tight" enough in the above point? Just a visual check while sailing, or something that can be measured?
To find your setting, do you experiment while sailing, or do you set it up on the beach (without wind filling the sail). I asumed that you did this while sailing, but it would be good to know.
It was fun reading about your T experiences. That masts differ in stiffness was not new information. But that you brits was working on a new T mast in the 90's was news to me. One of the reasons for the T carbon mast (flogging a dead horse here) introduction was that you brits was working on yet another alu T mast? Do you know anything about that?
