As explained in the article How to: Use the Header/Lift Function, as many competitive classes do not allow the use of wind data, the MAX Header/Lift functionality gives a Header or Lift relative to Course Axis instead of Wind Axis. As such the Header/Lift function does not give information about sailing relative to Target Angles but relative to Course Angles. In the above mentioned article we explain how this can help sail quicker across the course. However if the boat is equipped with a wind sensor it is still possible to determine if the boat is hitting it’s Target Angles (TA) using True Wind Angle (TWA) directly. Below we will explain how to use MAX to do this and what to pay attention to.
The principle is to look at TWA directly to check if the boat is hitting it’s TA. With TA upwind and downwind set (Menu>Performance>) at 45° and 135° respectively, below are figures illustrating what TWA to look out for. Essentially you try to match TWA with TA. You will find that you develop a feel for whether there is a Header or Lift very quickly. Once familiar with this method, adjusting to TWA is as intuitive as adjusting to an Header or Lift indicater. Good luck!
