Close Hauled and Upwind Sailing
STEERING: It is necessary to steer with the tiller to go in the desired direction. However, overusing the tiller results in slowing your boat down. Every time the tiller is moved to one side of the boat or the other, it causes drag or turbulence. Drag is increased friction of the boat moving through the water. This is created by unequal pressure from water flowing past the rudder. A neutral helm, usually when the tiller is in the middle of the boat, is when there is the least amount of drag on the rudder. Minimizing tiller movement to essential steering needs helps to keep a boat moving quickly.
1
Developing a feel for how much helm is needed takes practice. Actively heading up a little in a puff (feathering), eases the effect of the increased wind velocity; heading down in a lull (footing) increases pressure in the sails to keep the boat moving fast. Once the puff or lull passes, the skipper steers the boat into the groove again to keep the boat moving efficiently through puffs and lulls. Correct use of body placement and sail trim can minimize the amount of tiller movement required to keep the boat sailing close hauled efficiently and quickly.
Roll Tacking The transition from one tack to another is inherently slow as the sails luff through the No-Go Zone and the boat turns a roughly 90° arc. Quickening the pace at which a boat turns through the No-Go Zone will reduce the time needed to pass through the 90° arc and improve acceleration once the boat has tacked. Most of the steps to roll tack are identical to a regular tack, with the following additions:
1 The sailors prepare to tack as normal, making sure they have speed and are sailing a close hauled course.
2 The boat is tacked while the sailors remain on the same side of the boat. The crew backwinds the jib until the bow had crossed through head-to-wind. When the jib is able to fill on the new tack, the crew trims in the new jib sheet without letting the jib luff.
3a
In one smooth motion, the skipper makes the first move to quickly cross the boat by leading with the aft-most foot first, performing a behind-the-back hand pass of the tiller and mainsheet, and then sitting down on the rail and getting their feet under the hiking straps.
3b
Just after the skipper starts to cross the boat and the rail has touched the water, the crew launches across the boat to the opposite side to assist the skipper in flattening the boat. The skipper and crew should both sit on the other side of the boat at the same time.
4 Skipper and crew hike to promptly flatten the boat until the mast is vertical again. In light wind conditions, the crew might only need to lean over the rail, and prepare to sit on the seat as the skipper flattens the boat from the rail.
Table of Contents 33
3a 3b
2
4
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65
