Hello, I am Mike & I am new to this forum.

I am sailing a Prindle 16 & I am having a problem solo tacking. I read "Cat Racing for the 90's" and I am able to successful roll tack with a crew (It may or may not be pretty but it turns the boat).

However solo tacking is not working. I wonder if there is something different about solo tacking that I didn't pick up yet.

Thanks,

Mike

Hi, Mike,

Welcome to the fun-est sport going.



My boat's about 16ft, but the hulls are symetrical, unlike yours, which have curved inner surfaces. This may help my boat 'coast' easier when tacking, I dunno, but for what it's worth, here's my solo roll tack with a sloop. Two tips in advance: don't oversteer. Never let the rudder straighten out during the tack.



1. Point as high as possible whithout "pinching" - - i.e. don't go so high you lose boatspeed. Sit at the shroud for more speed.

2. Sheet hard, with 2 hands if necessary. If your boat's tuned right, it'll want to head up - - let it, even help it a little - don't push the stick too hard, that puts on the brakes. Move aft while heading up. Get on the aft corner, and fight the urge to be ready to cross.

3. When the jib starts to luff, I uncleat it, then grab the mainsheet, and uncleat it when the main luffs, a heartbeat after the jib. Let out a couple feet of sheet and cleat it again. (When you have crew, they're 'sailing' the jib through the eye of the wind; I find I don't have enough hands, so I let it flap for a few moments)

4. Keep sitting where you are! Start hauling in on the jib, on the new side. KEEP the tiller over, pass the stick to the other side of the sheet, hold the crossbar to keep the tiller over. During this time, the boat will begin to heel towards you... but the mainsheet is loose, so it won't really hot up and go over unless you turn too far or wait too long in the next step.

5. Cross the boat when the now-hard jib has filled up on the new side and begun to drive the boat off. Grab the stick you put over here in step 4, and GO FORWARD right away on the new windward side, taking the mainsheet with you.

6. As the boat gets around to pointing below the highest possible course on the new side, straighten out, and gradually start hardening the main. Don't harden it too early or you'll weathervane up into irons. When you feel the rudders 'come alive' then head up to your 'best VMG' course.

7. In a stiff breeze with good chop, I blow the occasional (OK not precisely 'occasional') solo tack, for two reasons:

a. I can't get max boatspeed from the tramp, and don't trust myself to 'fly in' off the wire right into a tack, but I plan to work on this.

b. I'm too busy playing it safe, dumping main and even traveler, to also maintain perfect focus on steady rudders with gradually increasing steering. Another skill I'm gonna be developing.



Good luck!



Ed Norris

I've sailed my P16 many times solo and what I found was that the culprit of not tacking well was the wrong handling of the mainsheet. That is when you don;t have a jib on the boat when solo sailing.



I agree with mr.Norris on all point but want to underline that you need to tighten the mainsheet in the turn to weather and as soon as you pass throught the wind uncleat it and ease it a foot or so. The boat should now continue to turn on its won momentum and NOT weather vane back. After easing the mainsheet you go to the new luff side of the boat (roll tacking)



When you have headed some 45 degrees of the wind tighten the mainsheet again. Not in one jank but gratually. The boat will weather vane up a bit but when you have turned away enough you should pick up speed soon enough to use your rudders to back on course again.



Not handling the mainsheet in this way causes the boat to weather vane with it's bows straigh upwind and only sailing backwards can get you out of irons as they say.



When you master the technic of mainsheet handling during tacks on the P16 you be able to tack pretty fast and in a clean way. When applying the same technic on boarded cats you

'll out tack everyone.



Wouter

What wouter said, release the main when you go head to wind. and leave the jib cleated until you are around.

I wouldn't release the jib sheet so soon.



Sail close to the wind,



Let the jib backwind first, ease the main, then reverse the rudders, so the boat pivots around, almost backing up. This will get you thru the tack even in heavy seas and air. When it's thru the tack, cross the jib, and start hardening up on the main.



This will get you thru the tack EVERY time.

Yeah, but you wont win any races like that. The roll tack method actually works well once you get the hang of it, and you don't have to stop dead in your tracks.

Ed had it just about perfectly spelled out. Those that want to backwind the jib will actually stop the boat and make it back up -- while you are really trying to keep speed and momentum through the turn.

If you would error it would be in letting the jib flutter a bit, but backwinding has proven to be fatal for fast tacks. That is how we can get folks that come to the seminars to tack from high speed to high speed in less than 4 seconds, rather than 30 seconds. And that computes out to about a boat length per second.

Again, Ed has the latest and greatest info.., it just takes some practice, confidence, and getting over the fear of capsizing in your trial and errors.

Good luck,

Rick

.... since I'm just rehasshing your book. Thanks for everything, Rick!

Allow me to underline that I wasn't commenting on the jib as I assume that you solo sail the P16 with just the main. In that case working the mainsheet like I described is definately the route to take to fast tacks.



I agree with Rick that backwinding the jib is a speed killer and unnecessary. I it however a good "i'm in irons anyway how do I get out"



Put learn to tack without the jib backwinding and working the mainsheet (Tight all the way went pointing straight into the wind and realease immediately after that)





Wouter

Well guys, he didn't say anything about his tacks in a race. I was givng him a surefire way to get thru the tack, even in heavy seas. He also mentioned somebody's book he'd read.

Just trying to answer his orig. question. We should now talk about the fairing on his rudders, mast rake, bottom condition, tramp tension, jig lead adjustment, the list goes on. Most likely, he's not racing if he's soloing, hope not anyway. I think he said he had it down with two people on the boat. ;-)

Hi,



Do you think a roll-tack would work in the narrow confines of Dresden's main street? Or would you have to get help from a passing half-submerged BMW?



Seriously, Wouter, sorry to hear you and your neighbors have such awfull disaster. There's already talk over here of supplies, food, tents, meds., etc.



Regardless of your honestly held views on geopolitics, it's never in question that you're all people we care about, and on the "American street" we get all sniffly over other's misfortunes rather easily. So little local charitable organizations and big ones like Red Cross will hold canned-food drives, and contributions will flow in for medical supplies etc.



Nothing can bring your dead neighbors back to life; nothing will undo damage to 500 yr old buildings.



But we do what we can, y'know...







Maybe the next "Kyoto treaty" shouldn't exempt the nations contributing to that 5km thick "brown cloud", eh?



Ed Norris

Thanks to all who replied. I was overwhelmed with the number of good suggestions I received.

Too clarify one point, I am sailing solo with jib.

I think my problems are stemming from;

a) not being sheeted in enough. This is to keep maximum speed I think?

I will tell you it was ~18-25 mph winds and I weigh 160 lbs so I was a little bit on/over the edge of my skill level, especially by my self. In fact it was my first time sailing the boat solo.

The truth is it was a rush. But I am not quite ready to jump from the harness straight into the tack.



b) I think I was a bit too far aft too soon into the tack.

c) About coming over to soon, the boat never got far enough into the wind to come over so that is not part of the problem. However I think the point about adjusting the jib before going over to the new side should help.

Again thank you.

Mike

Ed,



>>Do you think a roll-tack would work in the narrow confines of Dresden's main street? Or would you have to get help from a passing half-submerged BMW?





Ed, you know the Netherlands have been right in the eye of the storm until now. We are one of the rare countries in the EU that have notnhad any major problems with water and rains yet. It is unbelievable. And it is also unbelievable sad with regards to all that architectual heritage, however bare in mind that these have been around for several 100 years and have probably seens this before and were repaired time and time again.





>>Seriously, Wouter, sorry to hear you and your neighbors have such awfull disaster.



THanks !



>>There's already talk over here of supplies, food, tents, meds., etc.



THanks again, that will be much appreciated as a mental support. For now however most floods are just a nuissance and a discomfort; our own supplies are sufficient. The financial damage in lost revenue and such is much higher, but these people will get back on their feet again with a few well directed support programs.





>>Regardless of your honestly held views on geopolitics, it's never in question that you're all people we care about, and on the "American street" we get all sniffly over other's misfortunes rather easily. So little local charitable organizations and big ones like Red Cross will hold canned-food drives, and contributions will flow in for medical supplies etc.





You know, I have never found American people in the streets to be uncaring or even unkind. Like always it is not the people that can't make compromises or build bridges but rather the powers higher up.



And I'm also very aware that my personal take on federal policies with regard to the US isn't tranposable to the individual US citizen.



You may witness me frown on the speeches daclaring in a warlike manner "to get rid of Wapons of Mass destruction" when knowning that the same administration "nuked" a convention aimed at doing just that a few months before.



But I'm totally convinced that every individual American and European or world citizen sees eye to eye on this matter.



It is the system that is the object of grievences and not the individual citizen. So this "negative image" is a more complex thing than is apparent from the first glance but more importantly it is certainly not something that can't be done away with by simple means and in a short time. However : "educating (improved public communciation) the rest of the world that the US is right" is not it.



I mean (in a joking manner), I'm pretty anxious to see the administration "communicate" the rights and benefits of the "Lets invade The Hague act" to me a (international) law biding citizen of the county around The Hague.



I mean; it is not really that surprising that relations have degraded a bit.



Anyways, I would welcome you in my home, just to show you the small differences.





>>Nothing can bring your dead neighbors back to life; nothing will undo damage to 500 yr old buildings.





Hey, my dead neighbour if I have one was taken from us by nature and nature will take more of us in the times to come. This is not good nor wrong it just is. It has been the way of world since the beginning of time. We celebrate the good times he had during his life and wish him the best in the afterlife at which he is arriving before us. Acceptance without complacentcy (apathacy?) is the key. It is the struggle without hate and the disagreements without emotions.



This have been the way all along and will remain to be just that for centuries to come.



You love nature in her good moments and fight her with honour and respect her when she's upset.



You show your resiliance by rebuilding lost structures and by not losing faith. And faith encloses all human rights like democracy, fair and accountable justice for everyone (no eceptions) and a safe childhood with eduation and free of fair. About last comment; each child must learn to respect nature and the waters but not learn to fear it. The only true thing we must fear is losing our faith in faith itself. And that is not just a pretty phrase.





>>But we do what we can, y'know...



Yes, I'm sure that I can say that "we are very aware of that. " and that that is very appreciated.





>>>Maybe the next "Kyoto treaty" shouldn't exempt the nations contributing to that 5km thick "brown cloud", eh?





Well, you know the stance of the other parties on that. Let me reply to this with the following quote that seems very applicable as advice to the current times :



"All for One ! and One for all !"



Wouter







Ed Norris

Thanks to all who replied. I was overwhelmed with the number of good suggestions I received.

Too clarify one point, I am sailing solo with jib.

I think my problems are stemming from;

a) not being sheeted in enough. This is to keep maximum speed I think?

I will tell you it was ~18-25 mph winds and I weigh 160 lbs so I was a little bit on/over the edge of my skill level, especially by my self. In fact it was my first time sailing the boat solo.

The truth is it was a rush. But I am not quite ready to jump from the harness straight into the tack.



b) I think I was a bit too far aft too soon into the tack.

c) About coming over to soon, the boat never got far enough into the wind to come over so that is not part of the problem. However I think the point about adjusting the jib before going over to the new side should help.

Again thank you.

Mike

Mike,



According to the 'iwindsurf" wind sensor, it was blowing 10-15 mph, avging 11-12 this afternoon.



So I went out and had a tacking session, solo, with another sailor solo on his boat. With jibs.



Weighing in at 155, plus gear, there was barely enough air to trap, perfect conditions to try launching a roll tack from the wire.



In light air, it's anticlimactic - I was making more out of it than called for.



UP feet, whoosh in, pushing the stick, butt hits the hull, pull on trap handle, snap the jib out with forward hand, then the main, then grab and pull in an armload of new working jibsheet, cleat the main, sheet the jib in, straighten ruders, cross the boat. Did get tangled in the sheets once or twice ( or was it thrice? Anyway....) Had fun. Will probably scare myself trying this in heavier air soon.



Sail fast,



Ed