I am looking for the best way to sail upwind in a breeze. When you get a gust, do you have to wait before doing anything so the boat is able to accelerate? But when the boat comes too high I think this is no good. Is it the best way not to steer at all, so only give sheet? The boat will accelerate and the apparent wind will turn back to the old direction. Still I find other people steering up make the best VMG
I have the bad habit of always trying to point with everyone else who knows what they are doing. This gets me in trouble when I really just need to find my own groove.
Has anyone done this? Or am a lil coocoo in the coco.
Every time I sail upwind I sail by feeling the rudders. If the rudders push or pull something is not right. I let the boat sail its course and trim the sails accordingly. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
robizzle... so much of the rudder feel is weight distribution, boards down, rake, etc seems like it would be hard to set the sails to the rudder trim. I aim to have very neutral helm both up and downwind. My boat was set up good so I haven't had to mess with the rudder rake, but I played with that on the HT a decent amount. I think rudder trim is absolutely key to having a great time with a good sensitive feel to the helm. Wears you out a lot less if you don't have to always fight weather/lee helm.
I think you need a little weather helm and then sail by the telltales. They will tell you when to head up or fall. That is the way Rick White teaches and seems to make the boat go best, The Hobie 17 won't go much above 45 degrees. The Mystere 4.3 like 35-40 better.
given that you have set the trim correctly the best wisdom is not to pinch and not to give to much head. You will need to run against your opposition a few times before how far off pinching is fastest. Not pinching takes a while as you feel like you are not heading as high as you should or can. IT is about VMG though. There is a comfort that comes with pinching in that the boat remains under your control and feels safer to some people. I find there is a moment when the boat sudenly feels happier as I come off the pinch. IT settles, surges and feels powerful. In a gust that won't stay trim give a little sheet and bring it back in to pump as much of the power into the sail as you can before loss of trim. Get strong and pump the sheet until you have to let a little traveller out. Lazy is slow.
Get your head out the boat and be looking upwind where the pressure is coming from . Anticipate the gust before it hits and make a decision to feather up a little as it hits, crunch the downhaul before it hits, or sheet out a little and foot just before/just as it hits and when you get the acceleration crunch the main and get the lift.
Your choice depends on the puff, which side of the puff you are on, the weight of the boat, how powered up you will be when it hits, the wave state.
Pacing with an equivalent boat will reveal the most efficient technique. If the boat is popping up then sitting back down in puffs and you feel the rudders loading up you are probably over powered/oversheeted or are just not in that groove/zone where you are at one with the wind and the waves.
It seems like the less I focus on the telltales and the more I look out on the water and 'feel the force' the better I do to weather. If you have the crew running the main then good communication (what wind you see coming towards the boat and what to do once it hits) is vital.
Like Jake, I prefer a little feel in the helm so you get feedback when the boat is locked up and the main needs easing so you can foot to accelerate.
While pinching is slow, getting height seems very important in big fleets so you can climb out of a parade of boats on the same tack, or not foot down beneath other boats into dirty air. This groove is narrow on high performance boats like the F18 and A-Cat.
"I look out on the water and 'feel the force' the better I do to weather",
Yes, use the force Chris...
I agree with just about all that's been said. The conditions usually dictate much of it.
And, as been said, pinching is SLOW. You think you're going higher, when in reality, you are slipping leeward more. If you just bore off a bit, and got the net gain from the lift off your boat and boards, etc., you end up higher on the coarse than a boat that's pinching too much.
If your boat/rig has the system, the crew should be working the downhaul to flatten the sail in puffs, thus squirting you forward, instead of flying too high, of heading up too much.
So, my answer is, sheet the downhaul as the puff builds, easing in the lulls, etc.
Claus had the right question "What type of boat?" For the H20 pinching is death, got to keep it rolling. Probably true for 95% of cats. I/we've tried to use downhaul in the puffs to no avail, as we struggled madly with hull popping while learning this boat. A top sailor at last year's Nationals told me he sets downhaul, (for the conditions) at the windward and leeward marks and leaves it. I'm of this conviction, it's all personal preference, what works for you, to keep it rolling, is what works for you. We saw the main and steer gently.
Thanks for the great suggestions and we'll be experimenting. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Timing that gust arrival moment is always tricky, seems they happen later than what I expect.
IIRC, a Hobie 20 only has 8:1 downhaul (per class rules), which may be too little to effectively de-power the main. Going from 8:1 to 16:1 on my Nacra 5.8 made a world of difference. It's a much more delicate adjustment then feathering or dumping mainsheet. It also gives the crew something to play with on the upwind leg.
Use the Tornado DH as a gross adjustment...setting it to where you can easily control hull pops with just an arm's length of ease on the mainsheet. Anymore ease on main to stop hull pop means you need a touch more DH. Don't set any DH until both crew are double trapping constantly (ie until you're no longer looking for power). Have crew take mainsheet on the trap...they can sheet/ease much more effectively using both arms, legs & back than the one arm on the helmsman. This technique takes practise...getting the main sheeted in immediately after a puff hits, hull raises and before it starts dropping down again. Idea is to keep hull out without letting it go too high or low. Done properely you will feel the boat surge forward, not up in gusts. It is a very beautiful feeling when you get it right for the whole leg.
