CHAPTER 6
Unless there is an overpowering puff or you are close reaching, the jib is left alone. The skipper is steering their close hauled course based on the trim of the jib; if the jib is eased, the skipper may end up steering onto a close reach instead of staying on a close hauled course.
As you become more comfortable with identifying puffs, you will begin to use the Ease–Hike–Trim method. As you feel the puff begin to affect your boat, Ease the sail slightly as you feather the boat, Hike the boat flat for the duration of the puff, and Trim the sails back in to power up once you are in full control.
TIP
Follow these general rules for handling puffs and lulls :
EPuffs: Prepare for a puff by easing the mainsail and feathering, simultaneously combined with an anticipatory hike.
ELulls: Prepare for a lull with an anticipatory move inboard and to leeward, simultaneously easing the sails while footing.
FEATHERING: When a boat is initially hit by a puff, the boat will typically heel and round up toward the No-Go Zone; the net result is most frequently a slowing of the boat. When a sailor anticipates a puff, he or she assesses the impact of a puff and with a small tiller adjustment intentionally steers the boat toward the No-Go Zone, to the point where the sails luff slightly. This eases the impact of the puff. As the boat sails out of the puff, the skipper heads down to the groove. Repeating this cycle, scalloping slightly toward the No-Go Zone for each puff and returning to the groove as the puff abates, is known as feathering.
FOOTING: Footing powers up the boat when you are sailing a close hauled course. In situations such as going over a big wave or sailing in light wind conditions, more power is needed. Easing sails slightly and heading down to the lower side of the groove, perhaps even into a close reach, provides more power.
NO-G0 ZONE
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