Just looked up techniques... i think i figured out what i'm doing wrong. i loosen the mainsail as i tack but before i tacked i was bringing in the jib. the techniques i saw say leave it as is until the tack is complete then loosen it so it changes sides (and goes to the proper side of the boom).
Once you are committed to the doing the tack, call "tacking!" release a couple of feet of mainsheet, push the tiller over to no more than a 45 degree angle and hold it there while you move to to the other side, passing the tiller behind the sheets. (That part just takes practice, passing the tiller without changing the angle of the rudders.)
A "couple of feet" of ease might be a little too much - experiment with it some.
Get through the eye of the wind before you release any mainsheet...
1) make sure you are sheeted in tightly on the main sail before starting the turn. Tight.
2) start to move your weight to the back corner of the boat. moving your weight back lifts the bows and lets them turn to the side and plow less water (less drag).
3) start your turn with a smooth, but commanding, motion on the rudders. Wiggle the rudders as LITTLE as possible throughout the entire turn. Wiggling rudders slow the boat dramatically. Get your rudders to a nice good turn and try to leave them there until you start backing back out of the turning motion. As I perform steps 4 and 5, I try to park a forearm on the rear beam and the rudder crossbar to keep those rudders from wiggling.
4) start to cross the boat as the boat enters head to wind.
5) while you are in the middle of the boat, ease 6 to 12" of mainsheet and keep the sheet with you.
6) make your way up to a normal, forward, sailing position on the boat
7) as you settle in to your position, start to bring the mainsheet back.
Easing the mainsheet a little puts twist in the main sail to allow it to be a little more powered up to re-accelerate out of the turn. The twist also ensures a better chance that at least some portion of the main is properly trimmed to the changing wind angle as the boat rotates through the last bit of that turn.
A boat with a deep-v hull like that is going to be even more difficult to tack with speed. If you find that the above process just isn't getting it done, leave the jib cleated on the wrong side as you are tacking - it will serve as a wind vane and push the bow down to the new tack once you get to about head to wind. Once the boat is getting close to the correct angle, let the jib across and set in an upwind setting.
