I have my rig down for new rigging and will have hanked on sails instead of the head sail furler.

With this, and Second Wind being a fin keeler and having quite a slippery hull profile, I am expecting she will point quite high.

I am setting up the mast head with new LED tri-light/anchor light which I am hoping will throw light high enough to strike the reflective tabs of the wind bird. The wind bird is the same as this one:-
www.whitworths.com.au/

It is old and I had to effect some repairs to it but it is working quite well. Two questions.

1. What reflective tape or paint will be the best to put on the underside of the indicator tabs, ie, that won't fall off after a month??

2. More importantly, the angle between the indicator arms is currently 30 degrees which seems rather silly. The boat is never going to sail at 15 degrees off the wind. I am thinking the angle to set the arms at should be either 60 or 90 degrees.

If anybody can get a boat to sail 30 degrees off the wind, the boat and the sailor are pretty damned good.

For a performance sloop 45 degrees is regarded as being the best possible angle is it not??

What think Ye merry men??

Just remember that the 90 degrees you are talking about is from the true wind, there is an apparent wind component. If you're only sailing 45 degrees to the apparent wind then you're not making much ground to windward. I'd go for the 60 degree option, that will still be tacking through about 90 degrees. 45 would be for a true performance boat (we will do 19 - 25 AWA depending on wind in a Farr 40).

My preference is to not have any wind indicators at all. I prefer to always ask the sails what they need rather than be directed by a part of the boat that doesn't know what the sails want.

Upwind, you winch the genoa in and sail to the luff, full and bye in light winds and higher as the wind comes in. Let the boat tell you what it wants through the luff quiver, telltales, helm and heel.

I wouldn't mind electronic wind instruments sailing upwind at night in the rain, but that is it.

cheers

Phil

Raymarine ! My adams 42 sailed at 0r just away from 30 degrees to windward and 35 degrees I achieve a extra knot or so. I really don't enjoy looking up to the top of the mast all the time gives me a stiff neck! 3m retrective tape is most properly the best.