Pages 25 and 26, Catamaran Sailing for the 90s.

First you need a good bit of speed - when the wind is up, you need to decrease the differential between how fast you're moving once you've made the turn and how fast the wind is moving. Once you're going upwind pretty well, pick a flat spot (i.e., not a wave crest) to start the turn down - skipper and crew fully aft. Traveller and mainsheet are eased in the turn, but not dumped all at once, so that you preserve speed in the turn. Crew is easing jib through the turn slightly slower than the main to keep speed, but keeping the nose up. Make a smooth carve down. Picking your spot to bear off is kinda key, and honestly I think the faster the boat is moving, the better. Keep the boat flat and use the buoyancy of both hulls through the turn. It is a small jib, so at some point in the turn it will be blanketed by the main and you can ignore it, though you'll need to trim again once you're headed downhill with speed. Likewise, once the 'chute is up, your main will be traveled back up and sheeted on pretty hard to trim to the apparent wind. Make sure you've blown the cunningham off completely if you're flying the 'chute to keep the wingmast in column.

Exciting stuff, eh?


John Williams

- The harder you practice, the luckier you get -
Gary Player, pro golfer

After watching Lionel Messi play, I realize I need to sail harder.