Mainsail shape analysis

An important part of sail design is the analysis of the flying shape of the sail during sea trials, training, and racing. For mainsails, one of the key variables to a successful design is the mast bend. The mast setup is generally carried out by the rigger before the launch of the yacht. The mast bend can change significantly while sailing, depending on many factors, the most important being the backstay tension. In the mainsail design, we can only choose one number for the luff curve, which will have to be the best compromise of all the mast settings during the intended sailing of the yacht.