Racing sailors usually spend a lot of time trimming and adjusting sails, but many of us cruising sailors get a little lazy and tend to just set our sails and relax. We know what to do when the wind really gets up - to reef or take action like heaving to - but before it's blowing that hard, we often don't make other, smaller sail adjustments to prevent too much heeling or weather helm. Quick quiz: can you think of three or four steps you can take to reduce heeling and improve your control when the wind is picking up but is not high enough yet to reef? Some answers here.
