There has been just sooo much general discussion and so little about actually improving your own game lately..


It's still winter over here, and I am reading up on races and regattas, trying to find new ideas and information for the coming season. I see that many positions are lost in the start and after tacking/gybeing. Most of these descriptions of these situations claim that failure to accelerate was their downfall.

So, what do you do to accelerate after a tack, a jibe and in the start?

I've recently lost a little performance in my tacking recently - but I've been sailing the boat with less crew weight than usual too which could make the boat a bit more sensitive. I think I do two things poorly in conjunction with each other that occasionally leads to boat feeling stuffed and sluggish coming out of a tack. I think the first factor is not quite turning the boat enough to get it breathing on the new tack. This then compounded when I sheet in hard before the boat has managed to regain enough speed. Since I've raked my rudders more to give myself more helm feel, I can litterally feel this condition in the rudders and resolve it by easing the sheet until the boat gets back up to speed. Next time out, I plan on working to be sure to steer deep enough after the tack and to try and get a sense for the boat acceleration before I start sheeting in the main.

twist to promote flow
main and jib

from a stop trim the jib first (before the main)

Well, sailing with Wick Smith, he told me 2 things: After tacking, let off the mainsheet just a little (less than a foot!), and then slowly pull it back in. In gybing, even with the spin up, let off the mainsheet again just a little (less that a foot!), and then pull it back in as the boat accelerates. Nigel Pitt taught Wick these tricks, and we all know Nigel knows what he is doing.

Well, I pop my mainsheet (slacking it somewhat less than a foot) while I'm tacking. That is, I do it when I'm back at the block, crossing the boat, just before I pass the tiller around. I do it then so there will be less weather helm after the eye of the tack. It helps me get the boat down to a close-hauled course quicker. After completing the tack, and once the jib is sheeted in and drawing, I then retrim the main. That's probably old hat to most of you guys though. The area's I think I need to work on are (1) not oversteering, and (2) tacking more smoothly. One of the best sailors I compete against has beautiful smooth tacks that preserve a lot of speed. I suspect I'm losing speed by steering too hard and jumping around the boat too much while tacking.

Regards,
Eric

Guys:

As Rick white preaches over and over again. You must get boat speed BEFORE you head up. UNI guys must let out even MORE sheet as you go head to wind. On my 17 I will go into irons instantly if I DON'T !

Sheet in SLOWLY as you get speed are you will blow the tack, That was hardest for me to learn coming from a sloop rig.

Doug snell
Hobie 17
www.tcdyc.com

I guess I'll break from the pack a little bit here. On tacking I've found that one of the ways to kill acceleration is by trimming the jib hard before the main. Being too agressive on the jib while the main is still slacked can affect the flow on the back of the main - slow, slow, slow. The jib needs to trimmed for sure to keep the boat from roundng up after the tack, but it should initially be trimmed to less than its final upwind trim. The main is the bigger sail, keeping it breathing gets you moving (but there also needs to be balance). As the boat accelerates, trim the main and then get the final trim on the jib, or trim them together. Going heavy on the jib first will close things off. Every time I've had a tack that we were slow coming out of either I didn't steer far enough through the tack, or the crew did final trim on the jib before we were up to speed.

Is anyone out there trimming a self tacking jib out of a tack?

I dont touch my self tacker.

I have also learned that releasing the main a tad, helps alot. Also, I try NOT to jam the rudders. They can slow me down really bad if I jam them. So I make a nice and slow turn. Not to slow, but not to fast either.

Ok, we reset the jib after each tack to free it from the spreaders. That is, crew sheets it out a tad just after coming across, and in again.

When going into the tack, we tighten the mainsheet, and release it as we point straight into the wind before we begin to cross over. I would say we release about 60cm on a 9:1 purchase system. We also accentuate our weight to help our wide T over by going from the trapeeze, back, and in over the aft beam. Once we get over, the boat has tacked and we sheet main and jib in. Crew is responsible for both, as I have enough to do concentrating on steering. I try to come out of the tack about 5 degrees lower than when in 'pointing' mode to accelerate back to top speed. Are there any other tricks?

Before starts, we set up the jib for windward going, sheet in the main and play the traveller. at -15sec we fall off, at about -8sec we are pointing about 15 degrees lower than pointing mode and bring in the main traveller to accelerate. This all depends on the fleet and distance to the line of course. Any other techniques to accelerate out of the starting line? Not being over early or late is too obvious, and no "drag" from the aussies please (you seem obsessed with "drag", Pricillas curse perhaps?)

I'll probably get flamed for this but here's a light air trick that I use. Ever notice that as you start a tack in light air your telltails (especially on the jib) scream lift. The reason for that is that a boats rotation through the air effects the apparant wind causing it to shift aft, more so at the bow. To take advantage of this shift the sails need to be eased through the first half of the tack. Some people do the opposite, and trim as they turn but that will just kill your speed in light air. I find if I ease in the first half of a light air tack I come out of the tack with more speed. OK...flame on.

Real Aussie men are extremely masculine we just don't do drag, although we do like wearing pink whenever possible! Now where is my LBD.

Dan --

Does this work on a Hobie 16? I have known about this for big boats (though I don't have my crew doing it....yet!). But what about the H-16? Any measurable difference?

Also, do you have the crew sheet in behind the ease as the boat "lifts" into the tack, or is it too late by then and you just blow the sheet? On big boats I believe the technique is to ease and blow, with no sheeting including, but I could be wrong.

Thanks. (and flame on, bro!)

I don't know about the H16 but we used to do it when I sailed P18's. I do it on my H17 which has the sailplan much further aft. It works when the wind is so light that the rotational componant of the apparent wind is significant. Watch your telltails as you turn. If the back side telltails start to fly it will be faster to ease a bit.

I hate self tacking jibs, they are only any use when gybing downwind in a breeze. Too many people set them when they round the leeward mark and don't touch it again until after they have hoisted the kite at the top some 5-10 minutes later!
Both sails need triming every time the wind fluctuates and every time boatspeed fluctuates - like out of a tack

Another thing, when there is bit of breeze, get the crew to ease a bit of downhaul as he/she comes in for the tack, to give a bit more power out of it.

I would say yes it does work. We were out in very light winds yesterday on my new to me h16. I do not remember if I had read to tack this way or just got lucky, it seemed to work great. Ease the Jib, smooth arc, after you are well past half way through the tack, move the jib all the way across pop the main and off you go. I am only going out in very light winds due to the cold water. I can't wait for it to warm up enough to not have to worry about higher winds. Lakes in NM are still realllllll cold.

Sam

Self Tacking Jibs do not have to be used that way. You can still sheet out a bit to open the slot. Another thing that we sometimes do in big wind and swells is to hold it backwinded for a second or two. You can put as much work into a self tacking jib as you put into any other. The other side of the coin is the convenience when you are taking someone completey new on the boat. When you are only out for a pleasure sail and not practicing your tacking skills it can be quite refreshing.

Work as hard as you think you need to.
Later,
Dan

When things are really honking we don't bother but in virtually everything else - heeps! I think it is a mistake that many make - they mistake an auto tacker for an auto trimmer! We also dump downhaul in everything but a blow to let us really power up out of the tack.

Michael