At the MidWinters last month in San Diego, we had a 15+ kt day on the Sunday. We rigged the boat to our moderate wind specs, but I went a bit tighter with the jib slot opening and kept its leech tension higher than I normally do (had a lighter crew than usual).

While double trapping before start at in first weather leg of race one, I heard a whistling sound from the front of the boat/jib. Definitely NOT rudder or board hum...my blades are extremely fine and never hum (which is slow). The sound I immediately recognized as what I had heard a few years ago in Miami at the Olympic Class Regatta when being overtaken by a pro/coached team from France. At MidWinters, our boat performs well upwind against the I20's in that kind of breeze, so it's hard to know if the whistling was a good thing. Sure felt fast as ever...and since the Pro teams were tuning to that point, can it be a bad thing?

Mike.

Depends on the tune.

It whistles for the same reason some people humm...... they don't know the words.

Was it in 3/4 or 4/4 time?

If it whistles upwind make sure the pitch is in the Key of A. B is for a reach and C is for the down wind.

As a retired musician, I must say you really got some highly technical answers here. What a group, eh?

I've had the downhaul tight enough upwind to get a little "zerbert" sound off the leach of the upper batten when we're cranking double trapped upwind... Is that the same type of noise?

I've also gone fast enough on a broad reach to get a little whistling through the rigging... is it like that?

My guess is that you own a male sailboat. Usually you can tell this by the drab colored sails. Were you in the vicinity of a sailboat with brightly colored sails? This would be a female boat. I think your male boat was whistling at the female boat.

Whistling is something vibrating.
Vibration is bad.
Ergo, whistling is probably bad.

I always heard the rudder/board hum was not good also.

In your original post, you mentioned rudder hum being good. Please explain. (no need to cite links)

My OP: "my blades are extremely fine and never hum (which is slow). "...meaning that humming blades are slow/bad. Tornado blades are extremely fine on the trailing edges (typically <1/16th") and do not hum.

My thought on the sail whistle is that I may be jamming up the jib slot to the point where wind is generating a vortex as it moves through or past the slot. Getting more air acceleration between main & jib is a good thing...might a vortex/swirl have a benefit?

Typically you want the slot open more in winder conditions...but knowing how much is key and maybe I've always gone too open too soon.

Mike

I have had the whistling sound on a couple of boats. I was able to track the sound to the control lines for jib tension. After a while I decided that on one boat I was too tight and on the other boat I was not tight enough. The sound went away, when I replaced the sails.

When tuning the rudders I always go for an augmented chord and for the rig I go for a diminished chord. The problem is if they both sing at the same time you end up with a demented chord.

train whistle!

I used to sail a Sol Cat that got to humming at around 15 mph. It has to be the wires... nothing else can set up such a fine vibration that it is heard and not felt. Rudders would certainly be felt in the tiller. Rudder flutter would also be subject to specific loading... so if the whistle is at same speed be it what ever reach... rudder loading would be different in different reaches.


Additionally... vibrating could be the air stream uniting at the back of the stays. Like a flute.

Possibly the air moving past the luff track?

Your not wearing a ball cap with a propeller on top are you?