On the Spitfire we tie a rope to the trap line, pull it tight to the top of a rudder pintle, then take this forward to the foremost point where it will touch the seam on the top of the same hull. This point is measured backwards from the bridle tang. Recommended setting at 10-15 inches.

Now, I have a question - I have set my boat up the same every time since I got it 2 years ago, based on the same holes on the sidestays and then applying rig tension using the forestay. I figured if I set the boat the same all the time I could focus on sailing (rather than tuning) skills. This setting has been successful for me at club level.

Imagine my surprise then when I got home from the Spitfire Europeans, to find that rather than having somewhere between 10 and 15 inches, I had 0 / zero / none / nada / no rake whatsover by this measure. So I changed it to midway between 10 and 15 and guess what - I am convinced we were slower, actually coming second in 2 races for the first time this series!

What is going on?

Cheers