Building and maintaining speed requires careful sail trim and steering. Optimally, your air foils (sails) and water foils (keel and rudder) are working in concert with each other, and the boat is sailing at the optimal angle of heel for the conditions. Sailors refer to this as the boat being "balanced." One good sign that the boat is balanced is the boat sailing straight when the rudder (tiller) is centered. Looking over the transom of the boat for any disturbance in the wake from the rudder can help drivers become more aware of how balanced the helm is. When the rudder is centered, there is minimal water distrubance. When the rudder is off centerline, there will be churning, disturbed water off the transom. This is drag that slows the boat. To achieve a balanced boat with the rudder in the center, sails have to be trimmed correctly, and body weight positioned correctly. The pages to follow will go over the details of sail trim and steering in order to create a balanced, efficient boat.