| Swim Prevention #210345 05/06/10 07:59 AM 05/06/10 07:59 AM |
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA TEH OP
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Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA | Last year was my first season on a spinnaker boat and I looked back at all my capsizes and as expected, the majority were downwind rounding the mark in higher winds. I’ve heard a few suggestions on how to keep the tiller stable during a chute takedown, but wanted to see if there were other tips out there from uni sailors.
This is a part of my 6 point plan to emerge from the bottom of the fleet.
Blade F16 USA 725
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[Re: TEH]
#210350 05/06/10 08:46 AM 05/06/10 08:46 AM |
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 976 France pepin
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Posts: 976 France | My technique to take down the chute is to kneel on the back of the trampoline, facing forward, with one leg slightly extended to put a foot on the tiller bar. The foot does the steering while I use my two hands to pull the spi in the bag. I also throw the tiller extension over the back of the boat on the downwind leg, so it's not in the way when I snuff the spi, and this also helps keeping the rudders stable. But looking back at last season my most spectacular capsize was at the UK nationals in Mumbles where I bought it snuffing the spi right as a wave lifted the back of the boat around sending me into an uncontrolled surf session which ended rather badly So it's not like it's a foolproof solution either... | | | Re: Swim Prevention
[Re: TEH]
#210351 05/06/10 08:50 AM 05/06/10 08:50 AM |
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 439 Memphis, TN mikeborden
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Posts: 439 Memphis, TN | Were you stuffing?
Do you have one foot on the tiller to steer boat?
All my capsized have been going downwind also, but when jibing. Not going around the bottom mark, I'm a little consevative though.
Are you still sheeted in hard? When you round the mark?
Viper USA 132
1984 Hobie 18
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[Re: TEH]
#210355 05/06/10 09:01 AM 05/06/10 09:01 AM |
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 5,525 pgp
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 5,525 | Coaching clinic, particularly one with a focus on spinnakers. Best money you'll ever spend.
Pete Pollard Blade 702
'When you have a lot of things to do, it's best to get your nap out of the way first.
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[Re: mikeborden]
#210356 05/06/10 09:02 AM 05/06/10 09:02 AM |
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA TEH OP
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Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA | I only capsized once on a jibe last year. Most were take downs just before the mark where I didn't get the chute down fast enough and the boat began to round up.
Some were due to angle of attack on the mark. We sail gates a lot and with an extreme angle to the gate, I wouldn't get as downwind as needed which hindered take downs as well.
One of the suggestions I picked up at GC was to pin the tiller between thigh and calf as I kneel to take down the spin.
This seems better than the foot method just because I want to be careful not to break the crossbar. However, the idea of tossing the tiller out the back is appealing.
Blade F16 USA 725
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[Re: pgp]
#210357 05/06/10 09:04 AM 05/06/10 09:04 AM |
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA TEH OP
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Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA | Yeah, I hear ya on the clinics. I'm 0 for 3 on the clinics for this season. One thing or another has come up.
Blade F16 USA 725
| | | Re: Swim Prevention
[Re: TEH]
#210360 05/06/10 09:16 AM 05/06/10 09:16 AM |
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 5,525 pgp
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 5,525 | Gotta do it.
For some the sport is intuitive and they can get by without training (though I imagine the very top train the most), for us tail-enders, training is the only way.
Pete Pollard Blade 702
'When you have a lot of things to do, it's best to get your nap out of the way first.
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[Re: pdwarren]
#210367 05/06/10 10:18 AM 05/06/10 10:18 AM |
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA TEH OP
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Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA | Thanks Paul,
How far do you let out the traveller/main?
Any concerns in higher winds about putting too much pressure on the spin with the main eased?
Blade F16 USA 725
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[Re: TEH]
#210376 05/06/10 11:34 AM 05/06/10 11:34 AM |
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 439 Memphis, TN mikeborden
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Posts: 439 Memphis, TN | Thanks Paul,
How far do you let out the traveller/main?
Any concerns in higher winds about putting too much pressure on the spin with the main eased? Just as long as you don't ease 10 feet of it you can let out enough to not round up and not hurt your mast. I also let out the traveler, but it depends on the wind of how much I let out. I'm not good yet, so in higher winds, I let out on the traveler almost as much as when I'm setting the spin...which means all the way down. Again, I'm probably being to conservative in doing this, so that means you'll be a little slow. I think the biggest trick is to find the groove where you can let out on both enough and the boat won't round up and as you do turn up into the wind to go, that you aren't sheeted in too much, that's where you'll usually loose it and capsize. At least from what I have seen.... I do steer with my foot...here's how I do it.... One knee on the tramp, the other knee with the foot on the tramp. Put the tiller on the top of the boat, put your foot that is with the knee in the tramp on top of the tiller. Your steering isn't precise, but it's better than not having any steering at all. And, you have enough steering so you can control where you want the boat to go. This works snuffing and setting.... Is that clear as mud? One thing that I have been told time and time again, always have the tiller in one hand and the sheet in the other or at least the two of them together in one hand. Us singlehanders, that's kind of hard to do. So, the next best thing to do is sticking the tiller under butt or something while you are cleaning up the tramp for example.
Viper USA 132
1984 Hobie 18
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[Re: mikeborden]
#210377 05/06/10 11:35 AM 05/06/10 11:35 AM |
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 439 Memphis, TN mikeborden
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Posts: 439 Memphis, TN | BTW, those are some tricks I learned from doing Clinics... So I think you owe me 150!
Viper USA 132
1984 Hobie 18
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[Re: Gilo]
#210381 05/06/10 11:56 AM 05/06/10 11:56 AM |
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA TEH OP
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Posts: 329 Chicago, Illinois USA | Thanks. I think easing is the key because I had been doing my own version of the tiller pin and still having issues.
What's the sequence? I'm using a single line with a spin lock on the front beam.
Blade F16 USA 725
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[Re: TEH]
#210385 05/06/10 12:13 PM 05/06/10 12:13 PM |
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 439 Memphis, TN mikeborden
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Posts: 439 Memphis, TN | Here's what I do... Just before I think it's time for me to start snuffing, I fall off just a bit, ease the traveler and the main, set the tiller on the boat(over the side), do the kneeling thing that I was talking about, put you foot on the tiller, pop the cleat, and then start snuffing. By the time you get to the mark, you should be almost done snuffing. If that's the case, you can use your foot on the tiller to start rounding up. Again, thats only doable if you have enough sheet and traveler out, cause if you have it sheeted too much and you start rounding, OVER you go. It sounds complicated, but it's doable. You have to be creative on the third hand.
Viper USA 132
1984 Hobie 18
| | | Re: Swim Prevention
[Re: mikeborden]
#210402 05/06/10 03:13 PM 05/06/10 03:13 PM |
Joined: Oct 2002 Posts: 606 Maryland Kris Hathaway
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Posts: 606 Maryland | Here's what I do... Just before I think it's time for me to start snuffing, I fall off just a bit, ease the traveler and the main, set the tiller on the boat(over the side), do the kneeling thing that I was talking about, put you foot on the tiller, pop the cleat, and then start snuffing. By the time you get to the mark, you should be almost done snuffing. If that's the case, you can use your foot on the tiller to start rounding up. Again, thats only doable if you have enough sheet and traveler out, cause if you have it sheeted too much and you start rounding, OVER you go. It sounds complicated, but it's doable. You have to be creative on the third hand. You've got it all figured out. LOL, No wonder the SCHRS rating is lower for the Uni
Kris Hathaway | | |
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