Setup & Tuning

Below are some guidelines for setting up your Blaze.  We have also made some extracts from the 'Blaze Forum' which are mostly of Mike Lyons responding to questions put by members of the forum; these extracts are available via the additional navigation links on the left.
Download Blaze Setup 2006 by Mike Lyons

Battens

The Blaze (version 2 & 3) is equipped with a 10.0 metre semi-soft  sail.  This has 2 full length battens in the top of the sail and 2 shorter ones  lower down.  It is important that the battens are tapered as it is not possible  to set the sail up as intended without them.  The most critical one is the lower  of the full length ones.

Rake

Attach a tape  measure to your halyard and pull to the top of the mast. Now measure the  distance to the bottom of the hull at one side or other of the rudder-post.  A  good starting point is to adjust the forestay to 7100mm (7 metres and 10  cm).  If you have an adjustable forestay this can be your 'central setting'.   Make sure that at the extremes of adjustment you cannot rake your mast beyond  7050mm - it may simply fall down when you least expect it.   Put knots etc in  any rope system used to prevent you exceeding the limits of 7050mm and about  7170mm.
You will not need to  play with this control much for most of your sailing.  If it's becoming survival  for you then slackening the forestay will help and if you are near the heavy  weight end of the spectrum you may want to make your mast more upright  off-wind.  If new to the class simply set in the middle and LEAVE ALONE!