Mullingar Sailing Club

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4.0 The First Beat

The First beat is the most important leg of the course. How many times if you were 4 or 5 boats lengths ahead of your position at the windward mark would this mean being a couple of places higher up the fleet, the chance of being that close to a large group of boats gets less and less on each subsequent leg of the course as the fleet becomes more spread. Therefore every boat length could mean a vital place at the windward mark.

After the start how soon can you tack? If you are coming out of the start on the favoured end, if that end is the pin you are probably on the headed tack. You must tack and clear the fleet to take full advantage of your start. If the favoured end is the committee boat you are on a lift and you are on the inside, now speed is more important then height (pointing)

Tacking:

The key to a good tack is Communication & Coordination between the Crew and the Helm.

When you want or need to tack what do you need to do ?

Finding a spot to tack.

On a rough day look for a flat patch of water.

Don’t tack into some else’s dirty wind.

Roll Tacks
When do you roll tack the boat ?

You roll tack the boat in light to medium wind.

What is roll tack a boat ?

Roll tacking is using your weight and position to exaggerate the roll of the boat while tacking.

How do you roll tack a boat ?

The boat should be healed to windward this will begin to steer the boat into the wind (by increasing the bow wave on the windward side). The boat will go through the eye of the wind, back wind the jib and you will stay on the leeward side ready to sheet the jib and your helm will move to the new windward side (the high side) and level the boat while the main and jib are sheeted together.

If spinnaker halyards or jib sheets are getting caught during a tack figure out why, there are solutions.

Wind Shifts:

Boat speed is only one factor in success, wind shifts also play a very important role and the better you get the more important they will become. There is no point in having excellent boat speed if you are going quicker in the wrong direction.

Note : If you sail on a 5 degree header for 1km (1000 metres) you will have sailed 130 metres further compared to a boat that sailed on the opposite tack. (31 boat lengths in the wrong direction in a GP14).

There are a number of different ways of spotting windshifts.

1. Watch the boat around you

2. Referencing a point on the shore.
(How is your angle changing?)

3. Use compass. (The most accurate way)

Using your Compass to spot Heads ands and Lifts :

After tacking once the boat is settled take a reading, call the number out to your helm, this is your starting point, your can compare this number to the readings you took before the race and see how they compare. Look at the compass at regular intervals, call the differences.

On Starboard	– Numbers mean a Header (Time to Tack)
	+ Numbers mean a Lift (Stay where you are) i.e. numbers get bigger
On Port	+ Numbers mean a Header (Time to Tack)
	- Numbers mean a Lift (Stay where you are)

The compass can only tell you what is happening now with your boat. By watching boats ahead of you on the course and boats on the opposite tack compare their pointing angle in relation to yours, are they being Lifted or Headed, how is this going to effect you ? This information should again be talked back to your Helm but just the relevant points.

It is easier for the Crew to do this, the Helm must be focussed on tell-tails and boat speed upwind. This information should be used to make a joint decision on what the best tack to sail on up the beat.

As with most things in life the people with the most information will make the best decision.

Kicker :

Rule of Thumb
Light Wind	No Kicker
Medium Wind	Kicker On
Heavy Wind	Plenty of Kicker

How much Kicker ?

Watch the top tell tail on the main sail it should be flowing off the back of the main sail 75 – 80 % of the time, occasionally just going to the leeward side of the main sail.

On a windy day the kicker must be let off at the windward mark.

Hiking :

Hiking Technique :
The most efficient hiking position is sitting out with straight legs. The further out your weight is the flatter the boat and faster the boat will go. Strength and stamina will determine how long you can hold this position. Unless you are very fit this duration will be fairly short. If you are unfit save your strength for crucial moments in the race such as starting, lee bow tacks and close crosses on port tacks. Try to take the weight of your upper body on the jib sheet, this may lengthen the duration.

Try adjusting your toe straps to find the most comfortable position that suit you. Too tight will prevent you from hiking. To loose will make it difficult to get back into the boat. Find a happy comfortable medium if possible.

Crew Position in different conditions.

A boats Crew (Crew & Helm) should be trying to sail the boat flat at all times.

In light wind you should be balancing the boat by sitting to leeward or in the middle your weight should be kept in the centre of the boat at all time (very light air your should be as far forward as possible with your back against the bulkhead)

In medium wind you should be sitting on the gunwale or hiked, if the wind is variable you may have to move from sitting to hiking continuously to keep the boat flat.

In heavy wind you will be hiking continuously.

In sea conditions where there is a swell the Crew will move their weight slightly further back (lean behind their Helm) to keep the bow slightly higher out of the water.

Being aware of what’s around :

Other Boats :
Waves :	Watch out for waves on the water. Talk to your Helm about the waves and sea condition. Do not block their view of the water. (This is especially important when about to tack.)
Gusts :	There is a gust approaching on the water. What do you do ? Tell your helm, Hike harder.

Bearing off behind another boat :
While on a port tack and you spot a starboard tack boat and you are on a collision course with each other.

What do you do ?

1. Tell your Helm at the earliest possible opportunity.

2. Figure out if you want to tack or bear off.

How do you do this? Are you on a head or a lift ?

If you are being headed you probably want to tack anyway.
If you are on a lift you want to bear off unless this will put you in dirty air.

If you are bearing off sail the boat through the manoeuvre. The Crew should watch the tell-tails on the jib as the boat bears way the Crew should be easing the jib and as the boat begins to come back onto the wind the jib should be hauled in. The tell-tails should be kept flowing during this time. The jib is to be eased and hauled in gradually, not a sudden release and pull.

Changing Gears :

It is very seldom that the wind is constant which means that as the wind reduces or strengthens the pressure on the sails decrease or increases. The sails must be trimmed to remain working if efficiently as possible.

What should be adjusted ?

Kicker

Jib Tension

Out Haul

Downhaul.

Adjusting jib :

As a loose rule the jib leach should be 1 inch from the shroud at the spreader.
So if you have this set correctly and the wind reduces what do you need to do?

The Jib will need to be released to maintain the gap between the sail and the shrouds. In very light air this gap may be up to 5 or 6 inches.
Remember the 1:5 rule! By releasing the jib 1 inch at the fair leads it will have the effect of easing the jib 5 inches away from the shrouds.

Approaching the windward mark.

Layline : Calling the Layline
How do you call a Layline? (the closer you are the easier it is)
(Practice, watch other boats)
Things to take into account :

Tide

Wind shifts. Have there been many wind shifts on the beat.

On Port Watch for a gap. Tell your helm where other boats are.
Can you go straight in and tack on the Layline?
Will you have to bear off behind other boats?
Have other boats over stood, can you tack beneath them and still make the mark?

Spot the gybe mark and give your Helm a reference.

i.e.     the mark is midway between the light house and the end of Coney island or
    if you have no landmark, the mark is positioned at 7 o’clock.
    Or better still a compass bearing.

This will allow your Helm to quickly bear away to roughly the correct bearing and they can then turn there attention back to getting the boat set up.

Try to get as much of the set-up done before the mark as possible.
If you are coming in on the port layline and you are sure you are going to make the mark rounding on that tack the pole can be in place with the uphaul / downhaul and sheet attached.
You can begin to pull on the twinning line.
If you have over stood the mark the kicker and outhaul can be let go.

Who does what?    Have the tasks assigned to get your boat set up?

Check list:	Twining line.
	Centre board
	Kicker (very important on a windy day)
	Outhaul.
	Downhaul
	Jibsheet
	Spinnaker Pole.

Does your spinnaker get caught on the corner of the jib when your helm is pulling it up ? Who normally clears this, you or your helm?

If you miss a task tell your Helm quickly.