Pacific Corinthian Youth Foundation Sailing Team

Avoid the Pitchpole

For those of you at practice last week we had a good experience with sailing downwind in LOTS of wind and with some waves. A subtle adjustment to keep your bow from burying, leading to the eventual (and dreaded) pitchpole, is to overtrim your mainsail briefly. This shifts the heeling force back some rather than forward and down over the bow, which is what drives your bow under. Obviously sitting back quickly helps as well. Try this little trim technique next time you start to turn into a submarine.

Downwind Fun

Try this... www.sail2fast.com/video/Downwind.mpg

And this... www.sail2fast.com/video/DownwindFun.wmv

Gybing When it's Windy

Light or heavy air the essentials are the same, the timing and intensity is subtly different. Let's talk windy jibes to start...  Begin by holding the mainsheet above the block as close to the boom as possible so when it comes time to pull the main across you have one-to-one "purchase" and the boom will travel a significant distance with your first pull. Make sure you're sailing with your board up as much as you are comfortable in the given wind. The more up the better, primarily because with little lateral resistance in the water the boat post-gybe will not trip (over the board in the water) as easily if you end up on a broad, or worse beam, reach. Initiating the gybe means a slow turn downwind or if you are already sailing dead downwind (ddw), then a slow and slight (very small) turn to leeward, mostly with bodyweight rather than with your rudder. Watch the main leach for fluttering, when you see the leach begin to collapse pull hard on the mainsheet pulling the main across. As the main swings into the boat and the wind has caught it and is pushing it to the new side, let the mainsheet slip through your hand so the main is eased out quickly onto the new side. Steer "ddw" and jump (literally leap) to the new windward side. These three motions will counteract any excessive healing force, in fact, the main will land well eased (out), the boat pointed nearly ddw, and with your weight on the windward side in the exact correct spot you'll roll the boat flat. These three forces combined will accelerate the boat forward dramatically.

Get the timing right and you will have a distinct advantage on the competition, easily gybing on windshifts and positioning yourself relative to your competitors.

Roll Tacking

The secret is patience.  Enter the tack by heeling slightly to leeward in lighter air or simply allowing the boat to turn into the wind in heavier winds; then as the boat gains momentum into the tack and just begins to point into the wind sit "hard" to windward rolling the boat. The trick is to save yourself from capsizing and get to the new side and snap the boat upright in heavier wind and gently upright the boat in lighter winds and come out sailing the boat nearly flat, a slight ease of the mainsheet just prior to flattening will provide perfect trim through the roll. Then trim for optimum speed upwind based on the conditions at hand.