Why on your knees? When tacking from the wire I prefer to come in standing so I can do a quick step and be at the boom immediately.

I wouldn't have thought that you could practice that trapezing ashore, you need a bit of heel on the boat to do it.

Yes, coming in standing may be better, but it is more difficult to master...esp. when you've only come in onto your butt for that past 25+ years ;-)

Landing onto your butt means you first have to get to your knees prior to moving to opposite side. Landing onto knees eliminates that delay.

Certainly the boat heel can help the maneuver, but pracitsing on land goes along way to getting the basics down prior to wet training. Builds confidence as you know what to expect, at least without boat moving under you.

25 years, wow! All on tornados and the 'burner? Wish I had begun sailing earlier.
I had that "sliding on the tramp while kneeling" technique perfected before we had a critical look at our tacking. Sliding on the knees was really hard on the drysuit though and if sailing in shorts it was good for only one day at any event. Then it was back in the drysuit no matter what the weather was like.

Practicing on land is enormously benefiting for technique and timing. Especially with a crew. I have done single trapeze tacking mock-ups on the dry. With us two elephants on the wire, the boat would lift the other hull so we did not do that.

Rolf,

I've been sailing cats for 29 years!!!!

In reality I've sailed Tornado since I was around 6 or 7 race crewing with Dad (I'm 44 now). Gave it up for years at a time...lost interest until 16 or 17 when I discovered I could get chicks to sail

Then stopped once again just as I was getting into racing pretty heavy...moved away to University and was without boat or $$$. Started up again some 9 or 10 years later (yup...lots a schooling for this lad) but didn't get my own T until moving to Cali and a paying job. I'm still pretty much a hobbist when it comes to racing...but we're making progress...plan was never to get to the top...just to see what we could as weekend warriors.

wow, ive been sailing cats for five now and racing only for four. Damn I feel like such a newbert.

I used to come off the wire standing up too, but for some reason i tend to get more tangled on the F16 this way. I have never seen anyone get ON the wire from standing on a cat. Anyone know what the advantage might be?

LOL... you afraid some of this "zen-master" stuff will rub off on you, grasshopper?

I take pride in the fact that my exceptional skills have driven many to uni-sailing...

I tell everyone i am "the new kid" around here... only been sailing for 30 years, 10 on cats