A tell-tale, also known as a tell-tail, in a nautical or sailing context, is a piece of yarn or fabric attached to a stay, any of several wires which hold a mast in place.
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When the yarn streams straight back, it tells you that there is attached flow over the sail at that particular point.
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If a telltale stops streaming and hangs limp, there is no air flow and that side of the sail is stalled. If the telltale dances around, flow is turbulent. By concentrating further on interpreting the telltales, you can get even more information. If the telltales go from one extreme to the other after a two-degree course change, put a bit more tension on the luff.
The rounder entry angle will broaden the gap between stalled from sailing too high and stalled from sailing too low. Remember not to sail with the telltales in the pointing or pinching mode in light winds or in wavy conditions. The boat will lose too much speed.
Postcard from the Caribbean Kay Muir November Join Karinya and her crew to sail 3, nautical miles across the South Pacific to the Marquesas, the eastern-most island group in idyllic French Polynesia Postcard from Panama Kay Muir February Spinnaker Tales Julie Hartwig May Nothing is quite as spectacular as a fleet of yachts under spinnaker, but that's where the spectacle ends because on a yacht racing under spinnaker, chaos is always just around the corner Impressions of "Hammo" Julie Hartwig September As a tropical paradise, you have to look hard to find a better place, but add a couple of hundred racing yachts and you've got a combination that's hard to beat Bay to Bay Julie Hartwig May As a novice sailor, the opportunity to race in the Bay to Bay was one not to be missed Pam Graham July Ease the sail until the boat is upright and on her feet.
Who cares if the sail luffs? You want it to luff to shed excess power. Easing until there is flow over both sides works fine on a reach, but what happens when you want to go hard on the wind? Telltales still have a lot to tell you. First, sheeted in hard, the sail should now finally luff evenly from bottom to top.
UK Sailmakers' Encyclopedia of Sails
As you head up, the inside telltales at the bottom, middle, and top of the sail should lift at about the same time. If the top inside is lifting well before the bottom, the lead might need to go forward. Be careful with this rule. Generally it is always best to have the top of the sail luff just a little ahead of the bottom. When in doubt it is better to have the lead too far aft than too far forward.
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Letting the foot flatten out and the top twist off allows you to sheet the sail harder without stalling. The game upwind is to try to sheet the sail as hard as possible without killing all boat speed. Stable telltales mean a wider steering groove. The lighter the air, the more important this becomes. In very light air small changes in wind velocity mean big changes in apparent wind angle.
This makes it very hard for the helmsperson to keep up.
What are your Telltales Telling You | Sailing World
In this situation, the trimmer can help by active trimming through puffs and lulls. In a puff the outside telltale will stall and the sail will need to be eased to keep the flow. Ease and then trim gradually as the driver slowly comes back up to the new apparent wind angle. In a lull the apparent wind will go forward and the inside telltales will lift, showing luff.
Over trim for a moment to keep the sail full, then ease as the driver slides down to the new angle. This is what makes cruising boats difficult to steer upwind. The wheel is usually so far aft to maximize cockpit space that it takes a Houdini like act to see them. Sometimes the only way around this is to go to leeward to steer. This is okay in light air, but not recommended in windier conditions.
Once you can see the telltales, the game is pretty simple. For maximum power, the telltales need to stream straight aft. If the outside telltale spins or sags straight down head up. If the inside telltale lifts bear off. In general, it is better to ride the inside telltales, having them just on the verge of lifting.
In medium air with the boat going well, it is okay to have them lifting up so that the inside telltale is at a 45 degree angle, and the leeward telltale remains straight back. With good boat speed you want to stay on the high side of the groove. Press head down on the jib and make sure both telltales stream aft, perhaps even allowing the outside bottom telltale to stall part of the time.