I have been confused ever since I read the post on cleating the main sheet. I feel like I need one more hand. I have raced with skippers who I know have no problems tugging on a line with two hands to bring it in quickly and powerfully when trapped out, but I never noticed how they do it.

I’ve tried:

Putting the tiller in-between my arm and side (I have found this challenging when traped way forward)
Passing each pull to my tiller hand (I find it hard to steer a strait course with this method)
I like the hand wrap method, but after reading the warnings of the dislocated shoulder I am not sure that is for me (though if I was really far out I would rather dislocate a shoulder than have my boat sail off without me).

They all work ok, but I need practice. What is the best way to pull in a line when trapped out? I would really like to not have to head up in gusts and be able to sail upwind uncleated puffy conditions.

The other problem I have is when tacking. Again, I feel like I have one too little arms getting out onto the trapeze.

When I tack I:
Let the main out a foot,
Come in off the trapeze,
Feed the jib around to keep the telltales streaming,
Pass to tiller around,
Cleat the jib,
Now here is the gross part: I hook into the trapeze with one hand,
Hold the tiller with the other,
And put the main sheet in my mouth as I kick out (which is pretty gross if you have ever been in lake Ontario),
But I really feel I need that hand to get out on the trapeze.
Then I pull in the main (hopefully using the technique you suggested)

How do you deal with our lack of arms??

Matt

when the sea state is rough enough that I need to use the trap handle, ill put the mainsheet (and traveller!) in the same hand as the tiller while I'm pushing out. Some guys have put velcro strips on their life jackets so theirÈ

I've never really had to think about it - I just do it, but I guess that I rest the tiller on my aftmost shoulder when I'm out on the wire if I have to use both hands. Virtually all the time I'm able to sheet block to block one-handed (pass the first pull to my tiller hand, second pull is all with my forward hand).

If I'm sat on the side I'll just let go the tiller if I need to use two hands.

As for getting out on the trapeze, I don't use a hand - I just clip on and push out.

If you are having to ease and sheet more than one arm pull then you are overpowered. Depower your rig with downhaul (main and jib), outhaul, and mast rotation so that you only have to ease a couple of feet (or less) on the main sheet.

I almost always have a wrap or two on my hand and have never had a problem getting out of them in a hurry. If it's windy enough to double trapeze, the crew on my boat usually handles the mainsheet.

For getting out on the trapeze, I hold the tiller and the mainsheet (with some slack) in one hand while I hook in and push out. I slide my hand up the tiller extension while pushing out and bring the sheet with me. Then I grab the sheet so I have tiller in one hand and sheet in the other. Meanwhile, I'm prepared to pinch up to depower while vulnerable in this position. However, if sailing with crew I usually hand the mainsheet to them over my shoulder and outside of my main bunji just before pushing out.

If you need more strength to sheet in hard while on the wire try using your legs. Squat in/bend your legs, grab the line, and use the power of your legs to push you out and sheet in. Your arm doesn't need to be fully extended when you squat in, even with your arm bent it will work as your legs are doing the work. They're stronger than your arms. A little practice and you can maintain your course with no problem.

I assume that you are sailing solo?

I assume they are talking solo too, and for that reason I find this thread very helpful. I have been meaning to post and ask people how they deal with the jib while soloing, but now I don't need to because the first post here answered all the timing questions I had. Thanks, and sorry I can't help with the other question!

You solo-sailors out there get my highest praise and admiration. I honestly cannot see how it can be done. I couldn't live without having my wife and son around while I'm setting up to handle all the things I feel I need 3 more hand/arms to accomplish. Holding up a brindle while pulling on the forestay and attempting to capture it in the extender by feeding the pin in while my wife leans on the mast and my son holds the split ring ready makes me shake my head that anyone does this alone. I have a knack of finding the perfect time to accidently fumble and drop any pin when my arms aren't quite long enough to hold onto whatever I'm putting the pin in and still reach the pin to pick it up. I completely sympathize with putting the main sheet in your teeth buddy. Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, whatever. Fingers, Toes, Teeth, armpits, whatever it takes to get 'er done. I think I could cut the set up time in half if someone could tell me a suitable replacement for split rings. I've never counted but there must be 50 of them on this craft (Nacra 5.5 SL).
Easy to see why it's overwhelming to alot of newbies like me to get involved in it. Unless you have an orderly mind and just do one thing at a time it can appear daunting. My wife thinks it's remarkable we always get to the same place at the end even though we do it differently each time. (still talking sailing here) Maybe it's a guy thing. I think that is why so many threads on this forum ask the same questions in different ways. But I am still amazed you guys can do it solo. Love to watch that sometime. My hats off to you all. And thanks for all your help. Greg

I think that placing the mainsheet in the tiller hand on when kicking out to the trapeze will work great. I can head up if I need too.

I will sheet in with my free hand into the tiller hand to if there is a lot of excess pull. I just have to work on steering a strait course when doing that.

It sounds like one of my problems is I have too much weather helm. Maybe I will toe in my rudders a little so I don’t have to hang on to the tiller so hard when I need both hands. I was trying to load up my rudders to point my asymmetrical hulled Prindle 18 better.

I do sail solo about half the time. The only difference in the tacking procedure I use is to backing the jib a little in light air.

I use “Quick Pins” instead of clevis pins (key ring) on all of the pins I have to remove regularly. They are a little expensive, but worth the cost (to me).

Thank you for your replys.

Matt

I lay the main sheet across my lap as I get out on the wire. I keep my knee up enough to ensure that the sheet feeds out and stays in my lap. Once I get out I can pick up the sheet and hold it. Make sure you slide out and don't try to stand and lean out - you might come unhooked. I leave the jib sheet cleated pretty tight and don't try to change it while out on the wire.

Howard

Matt,

It's a common misperception that loading up your rudders (through rudder rake) will help your pointing. If you are adjusting your helm through rudder rake - that's all you are adjusting - the helm (the amount of pressure on the tiller). You are not changing the pressure the rudders need to keep the boat straight - although it does feel like it. When you change the rudder rake, you are only moving the center of effort (the centered location of the force generated by the rudders) closer or further away from the axis of rotation (the pintles). If you have this force centered exactly on a line extended from the pintles down, you will have neutral helm. If the rudder side force is in front of a line drawn down the axis of the pintles (i.e. rudders raked forward) you will have lee helm. If the rudder side force is behind the line drawn down the axis of the pintles, you will have weather helm. Regardless of the relationship between the rudders center of effort and the pintle axis, the rudders still have to handle the same load to keep the boat going straight...that is, unless you change the rake of the mast and sailplan....but that's another story!

So set your rudders to give you a slight weather helm for safety and for ease of driving.

I've been sailing twin trap boats (or trap single handers) so long, I have had to thing very carefully about what I actually do !

Going out

1, Trim the sail in as hard as I can while still maintaining heading
2, Hook on (mainsheet transferred to Rear hand); and tiller under my arm
3, Butt over the side, lift my body weight with front hand (I trap fairly low as I sail on a lake) and in one movement get both feet on the side deck, grab mainsheet into front hand and start steering.

Going in

1, Helm over
2, Forward hand passes mainsheet to rear hand
3, Want till but is just getting wet
4, Take weight up using front hand and swing in, as but hits the tramp flick trap off and grab (now eased) mainsheet in front hand
5, Tiller around the back of the mainsheet and swap hands with the rope
6, Go out as above

Mmm, are we the only boat where the crew handles the mainsheet all the time if trapezeing?

We stay on the wire, crew trimming mainsail while skipper runs the downhaul. Tacking, we stay on the wire until the boat is well into the tack, then we move a bit back and in. We stay on the leeward side as long as is prudent, before skipper moves over and crew follows.
Crew is responsible for tightening mainsheet properly when going into the tack, and easing it when we are as good as head to wind.
On the other tack, skipper goes trapping almost as fast as crew, even if he have to bring the tiller behind the mainsheet.
We started doing this last year, and after some practice we have found it to be just great. Crew is responsible for trimming the sail (and speed), as he have boat hands free, and skipper concentrates on steering the boat. When going onto the trapeze again, skipper just need to bring the downhaul line and tiller (skipper can pick up the downhaul line later as well, as it's easy to reach). We never hold on to the trapeze handle when going out, just when going in.

All respect to you solo guys! Bringing mainsheet, downhaul and mainsheet-traveller out would have stressed me.. Soloing a sloop rigged boat without a self-tacking jib must be extra slow when tacking?

The Hobie 16 doesn't have an adjustable downhaul. When I am solo and out on the wire, I leave the jib tight and handle the tiller and main sheet. To come about, I slack off about a foot on the main sheet, cleat it and throw the sheet onto the tramp. I immediately start to come up into the wind and when enough force is off the sail I slide in, get unhooked, pass the tiller around to the other side, move over myself and hook up again. I then lay my foot or leg on the tiller to keep turning and wait for the backwinded jib to carry me around. When the main snaps over, I release and recleat the jib and get back out on the wire. It takes longer to describe than to actually do it. Tacking isn't much slower since you wait for the jib to carry you around anyway.

Howard

I tie the end of the mainsheet and traveller together !

Oh, Rolf, you forgot; we also have the kite down wind and the plates to deal with. Sometimes when it's windy I wish I had a crew !

I normally don’t adjust the downhaul except when I have crew. I normally have it loose for downwind and tighter for upwind. So it is one less thing to worry about when soloing.

I probably tack slowly by your standards (or anyone’s), but I can roll tack when the wind is up. I normally have to back the jib if the wind is light or we have large waves. Backing the jib does give me a second to organize everything and regain my composure if things are crazy. In my defense, I don’t have dagger boards (one more thing not to have to worry about when soloing). Also in my defense, I am new to sailing.

Thanks for the tips, can’t wait to try it out thrusday.

Matt

Scooby, if we had the same system for grading difficulties in sailing as they have in gymnastics, gybing solo would probably be a D manouver..
I dont sail our T solo, and since we almost never adjust the traveller, we stopped joining mainsheet and traveller line some years ago.

How do you depower downwind, just drive off and hope it's not to gusty?

Since some people reading this forum are new to sailing, or at least new to cat sailing, I think it bears stating that the primary way to adjust helm pressure is by the position of the traveler car. Many newer sailors leave the car centered or close to it most of the time, even when off the wind. They then 'trim' the sails by the mainsheet tension only, sheeting out farther when off the wind. This creates heavy windward helm due to a big mismatch in the Cl and Clr. You can't really adjust the Clr but you can adjust the Cl with the mainsail. The solution is to ease the traveler out and sheet in the main. Of course you want a little wind helm, but any more that a little and the boat is fighting the rudders and going slower.

Jimbo

Here's a short video showing an A-class boat making a tack.

http://www.webbo.dyndns.org/sailing/tack.wmv

I handle it the same way as many other posts has described, tiller and sheet in the rear hand and use the front hand to get in/out from trapeze.

/håkan

On a non-spin boat I would use traveller and main downwind to get the right twist going for speed. I would also drop it when first turning downwind to speed up the turn. I've never adjusted it for helm pressure.

So who on a 2 person spin boat out there drops the traveller at all other than as an emergency dump valve or last depowering move in big big wind?

We leave the traveller centered upwind and down wind on the Tiger - occasionally playing it a few inchs downwind in big puffs to avoid turning down too far and dropping the windward hull down. Upwind it's a rare day we travel down at all - there are so many other depowering moves to make first of all.

As far as helm pressure goes isn't mast and rudder rake a better adjustment? Well designed modern cats carrying their normal complement of sails and typical mast/rudder rake seem have have very little weather helm - compared to some Hobie 16's I've sailed

Chris.