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The default sail trim looks a bit off - with topsail and topgallant and on a beam wind, I need to have all three headsails and rudder 'off the wind' - The mizzen needs to be shivered or furled to give even vaguely neutral trim with only 1-2 headsails.

If I set the Griping to 3 or so then I get a more controllable trim which allows all the square sails to draw, and the rudder to be trimming the course, rather than fighting the sails, small variations around here give a slight tendency to bear off the wind or come to it, but the default value (6) is too extreme IMO.

Thanks for looking at this. How do you find tacking, if you reduce griping to 3? Does it become much harder?

I carried through a tack without making sternway or performing any adjustment to the sails set (headsails eased, spanker hauled in on the approach to the wind, then reversed after backing the main and mizzen and passing through the wind). I could have carried even more speed through the tack with a moderation in canvas in places where it opposes the motion and causes merely drag.

I'll have to try from a lower speed as well, this was from a fairly high speed initiation.

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So. Within the harbour scenario. Came off the anchorage to face south, under topsails jib and spanker. Tacked to the north gaining 4 lengths to windward, pivoting under sternway in under a ship length and gaining a course to the north with a net gain of roughly one length to windward. (Speed around 4 kts on entry). Wind on the beam.

When at 4 kts to the north, again tacked this time under reefed topsail, lost way after the turn backed the fore topsail, but continued after reversing rudder getting around to the south within around 1.5 lengths - lost more room 'gathering' under stronger leeway, but the net loss around  one length, and the recovery to the beam wind had the ship pointed to the upwind side harbour exit.

I'd describe this as comfortable tacking under light sail in "Fresh Breeze (Royals etc), though not nearly as sharp as under more sail and with more way on.

Trim on a beam wind or higher can be performed with reef on the mizzen and by trimming, easing and hauling the spanker and jib, with the rudder able to be kept neutral or a point or two to favour gathering way, or staying up on the wind. This gives a minimal leeway and less trim drag when accelerating.

In 17 kts of wind and good headway, I find the ship to maintain course with a neutral helm and all sail set except for the spanker and mizzen staysails. This strikes me as a very reasonable result. 

It may well be that at lower speeds the ship is unbalanced with this sailplan.