Light air

Last night I was sailing in our weekly beer can race on my N20 and the winds were light....in the 4-6 knot range. When sailing downwind under spin in winds this light, is it fast to sail a higher course, or just suck it up and sail deep and slow. There were a couple of A cats on the course, and I can usually out run them down wind, but last night, I could not gain at all. They seemed to be sailing much deeper than I was. Also there were a couple of Melges 24's that actually overtook me down wind sailing much deeper than I was.

My instinct would be to keep 90 degrees apparent wind and gybe aggressively. But, I'm usually wrong! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Not sure. Never sailed in light air with Melges 24's but I know that it is not uncommon for them to beat a N20 around the bouys in that kind of stuff. I would say that you would probably want to try to really play the downwind angle alot , heading up when it feels to be decelerating and down when you have some speed. Just make sure you've got boards mostly up (windward board all the way up), downhaul off, keep your weight forward, trim the jim and make sure the chute stays full. That is assuming everything else on the boat is well setup (mast rake, diamond tension, ect..)

Did you have you spin halyard tight? If so, ease off 6" or so. If you have a tack line, try easing that as well or instead. You may want to check your main and put on more downhaul and maybe even less mainsheet. If your boards were up and you were sailing high you may have been crabbing sideways.

I don't know about the melges, that is a big spin and in 4-6 it was helping them. Not unusually with the A Classers.

I've always thought that you should go a bit deeper, but when last year's Grafham cat open turned into a drifter I found the opposite to be true. I was getting passed by everything until I started going high - about 70degrees to the apparent wind. At this point I was sailing similar angles to the F18s and going quicker. In this case, it was definitely quicker to go for boat speed.

Paul

Loosen the spin luff? That allows the kite to rotate to leeward which is not what you want if you are trying to go deep. Loosen the luff if you want to go high. It is contrary to intuition, but you should tighten the luff to bring the kite further to windward to keep it in the flow for deep downwind sailing.

I'm no expert, but here are a couple of other things to check - Out haul all the way off, forced mast rotator over as far as it will go (95 degrees) traveler eased a couple inches and we just started experimenting with easing the main sheet a bit (just pay attention to the mast to make sure it doesn't look to bad).

I'm still working on angles, but have found you need to sail hot. if everything else is set right, the boat will power up, accelerate and let you drive down. It's a fine line, but i've found (the hard way) low and slow is slow. Good luck and let us know if you see any improvements!!

Cheers,

That's pretty much the way I had set the boat up. Traveler eased a couple inches, main eased (not nearly enough wind to put the mast in peril), crew on main beam on leward hull, me on tramp at main beam holding the mast fully rotated with my foot, jib eased, and boards up about half way. To keep any speed in the boat, I was pointing so high that I seemed to be making very little progess towards the leward mark.

Mike Wilson taught me (at least, I learned from losing to him) that you have to know when to change gears to low-and-slow. It feels slow, it sounds slow (no reassuring burble from your transoms), but it works in light air. Make sure you know if there is current - if there is, and it is flowing toward your mark, keep those boards down! Ride the magic carpet! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It seems to me that you were sailing in less than 4 knots of wind. In very light conditions it pays to sail like a monohull.

Get your head out of the boat. Light air races are almost always won by the boat that goes the right way, not the one that is setup the best.

I agree with Dan.

Two points:
1. Head up in the lulls looking for the next puff. Ride the puff down deep and use it. Jibe on it if possible to ride it longer.

2. Keep your boards all the way down. This keeps flow and the boat going the right direction. I've been passed too many times by boats with boards down going downwind in light air (under 4 knots). This doesn't apply over 4 knots.

Mike Hill

My motto on non-air lake sailing: "If we're going to drift, might as well drift toward the mark".

Sounds like your thinking of 0-1 not 4-6.

Todd, Only ease the outhaul if you sure it will go back on upwind. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

you need to fix your outhaul....

In the superlight stuff, i've been tempted to try to just point the boat DDW and try to go wing on wing...

I've seen J-105's do this with some success and would be curious to see if it could work on an I20.

Very good points about getting your head out of the boat. Look for the pressure and go to it. I've been schooled many times by someone else on this board on this. huge gains can be made by finding a puff and "hooking" onto it.

T

It works just fine as long as THE CREW gets it back on prior to mainsheet being cranked on. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I agree with Jake...tensioning the spin halyard adds draft/shape to the luff of the spin....while easing flattens it. You can test this while ashore with the sail raised and sighting along the luff under different tensions. You can get more tension by putting more pre-bend in the pole end if needed.

Keep the spin loose-sheeted in the light...just enough to keep her inflated...luff should curl and re-fill periodically. Over sheeting is death!

Sail as high as needed to get moving, but don't go crazy trying for more speed or hull flying until true winds are beter (typically 6-8 kts TWS is the transition for the Tornado)

Keep all weight as forward as possible...keeps the transoms out and boat glides silently.

I've found it a big benefit for one person to steer & run the spinny at the same time. Makes coordinating moment by moment adjustments so much better...lees over-correcting on both the helm and sheeting with each wave/puff.
In the real drifters, consider popping a rudder and a board or boards up...but like others have said, take current affects into consideration.

Important to know when the boat goes faster strait off the wind. It is different for all boats.
My Hydra goes faster strait off the wind until 8 knotts of wind when ity starts to pay to tack.
This is with only main and jib so with a spinny the formula might be different but some timed runs in a steady breaze will let you know and after that you just have to define the critical wind speed when the change occurs.