Trapping out UPWIND..

Ok, since I didn't do much of this when I was on my TheMightyHobie18, but with the F16, I will be doing plenty of it...But it's actually a dumb question, but I have to ask...

When Trapping out what do you do with the excess sheet? Put it over your leg, throw it back onto the boat or what??? If the wind is a little puffy, it's kind of hard to keep it from getting too much excess and it falling in the water and then trying to throw it back on to the boat...if that's what I have to do, that's what I have to do..I'm just wonderinf if there is something I'm missing or more efficient....


Mike

I have found the best way to manage it is to make sure I wrap it around both feet, feed it through my trapeze harness buckle and make sure the main sheet/traveller loop gets around my tiller extension.

This method does nto allow any of the sheet to drag in the water.

Pile it in your lap/across your legs and "flick" it back onto the tramp every once and a while.

Some people used to put a little velcro against the rear beam. you could snatch it free when needed, but it will catch slack when not under tension. I've never done this _ just "flick" back on every once and a while.

You're totally forgeting a the critical wrap or two around your neck. If possible have at least one going under an armpit as well.

Mike, that should me you feel at home.

LOL

I do pretty much the same exact thing as tshan's 2nd, (and hopefully more serious), post.

Hi Mike,

make the sheet as short as possible, knot the end to the traveller sheet (which should be as short as possible as well). If a bit sheet is in the water, don't care about it. Keep things simple.

Cheers,

Klaus

don't forget the obligatory wrap around the daggerboard too (the spin sheet that is already there needs company). And rudder too...

In truth, I hang it from the trap handle and balance the spare line over it.

Seen a few cats that would have a plastic ring tied to a bungee through a hole in the middle of the tramp. The combined traveller and mainsheet would go through the plastic ring pulling the sheet into the boat. Can still access as the ring is on the bungee. Only problem is can't dump the traveller easily from the wire, but that is something I have done in perhaps a handful of times during my sailing career, so not a show-stopper.

Most people have way too much sheet. You should be able to have trav at end of track and push boom out until its about 20cm from sidestay, at this point you should have less than 1m of sheet left over.

You also save a lot of traveller sheet if your trav cleat is on the car and not fixed to the beam.

Thanks. I have been wondering if i have to much sheet for a while now, but been to scared to cut anything, I'll test it out next time the boat is rigged. just cut 2 metres of the spinnaker halyard which has cleaned up the trap a lot too.

I haven't managed to find the complete list of results for Eurocat but congratulations for getting a bullet in one of the races.
How much was a beer this year?

Crossing the sheets is a good way to keep everything on the trampoline. You cross your main/traveller sheet with your jib sheet. Bothe will now stay on the trampoline.

If you don't have a jib, crossing with the spinnaker sheet is also possible.

Please provide proof for that because mathematics really do not agree with you here. The difference is about a foot of sheet at max, that way.

Wouter

I think he means, traveller is fixed at back of beam, then goes to traveller where there is cleat.

Longer rope is traveller goes from back of beam, to traveller car, then back to middle of beam where cleat is.

The latter provides more rope. A foot doesn't sound like much if you have calc'd mathematically, but still adds in redundant rope that doesn't get used too often in racing.

I think I now understand what he means.


It saves sheet line when you use the following as the main criterium for minimal sheet length :


"You should be able to have trav at end of track and push boom out until its about 20cm from sidestay, at this point you should have less than 1m of sheet left over"

I always set the length so I can still control the boat singlehandedly (when traveller centred) from the luff hull in 20 knots of wind and mavouring for position before the start. For that criterium the difference in length is negligigle between both setups. I typically have to sheet out alot that way. Trapping then requires a tighter sail and pulling the sheet in to achieve that seems to provide enough extra sheet to lead it outboard.

Interestingly enough, when I really have to dump the main while trapping I typically hold on the traveller line as the knot between it and the sheet has then passed through my hand. This knot is located just far enough that when I blow the traveller cleat (mid beam setup) that the traveller car just can't hit its end stop.

I didn't understand Macca's comments fully first time around.

Wouter

I reckon its that aussie accent mate!
Cheers.

Here's something else you can do to shorten up the amount of mainsheet you need; hang your top blocks from a longer tail or leash or strap or something, off the boom. Every inch you can lower the blocks saves 9" of sheet on a 9-1 main set up.

I have added a Dyneema rock climbing strap, about 12" long, to the top of my blocks, that I then pass through the clew, around the boom and back down to the S hook I have shackled to my top blocks. This lowers the top blocks about 4" total from the boom, and has the added benefit of being able to quickly unhook the blocks from the boom when I get to the beach. No tools required, I just slip the end of the loop off the S hook.

No good for me; I get my mainsheet block-to-block in moderate+ winds (of course you have to easy some when it gets silly windy!)

Interesting. I haven't seen anyone else getting block to block on a stealth. Heck, Nigel got a tail as described by Timbo on his boat, and doesn't seem to cause him any problem. Wayne has the same GP sail as you have, and doesn't get block to block either.

How much rake do you have on your mast?

I have a good chunk of rake, but my plates are longer(a LOT), and so I need more as I have my hulls showing a more aft centre off effort and so i have more mast rake.

This will cut down the amount of rope you buy but it will have no effect on the amount of sheet sitting on the tramp when sheeted on. The loose sheet is proportional to the max travel of the mainsheet blocks x 9 not the total seperation. If you set your length as per Macca's suggestion, both systems (with and without a strop) will have the same amount of loose sheet when the main is cranked on hard.

You are saying that the "extra" line would be up in the blocks rather than on the tramp, not using a teather, right?

Yeah, but it feels better and the main comes in much quicker as you are not pulling all that extra line through the blocks to trim it in. I was even thinking of extending the teather to make my blocks get to "block to block" just to get rid of more sheet. As it is now, when fully sheeted in, my blocks are maybe 1' apart.

I also just bought a new mainsheet, a single braid Robline soft fuzzy type, with a dyneema last 10 feet or so spliced in. (Thanks to Mike Krantz, at Layline, I called him on Weds. and had it at my house on Friday, was racing with it on Saturday)

It it is so much lighter and easier to flick the tail up onto the tramp after you sheet it in and it's dragging in the water. It also runs through the blocks faster, easier to pull in when loaded up and softer on the back of you hand when you have it wrapped up. $89.

I'm not saying don't use the teather, I always have, just don't expect it to solve the rope on the tramp issue.

How does it? I thought if if I sheet in 3 feet, 3 feet goes through the blocks, independent how long the teather is.

Saturday, good weather here, I will try the trapping out downwind today

Cheers and nice WE,

Klaus

Please take photos and post the story afterwards

one hand for the tiller, one for the camera and the spi sheet with the teeth... No, I recently bought a Gopro camera.

However the most beautiful of all girls joined me as crew. So there is no story to tell of traping out downwind single-handed. I have to read out the camera, maybe I can post some nice pictures. From sailing .

Cheers,

Klaus

Why don't you post pictures of the Most Beautiful Girl too!?

Yes please, don't bother with the sailing photographs unless of course the lady is scantily clad and in the majority of the shot.

Sorry mates, only chaste sailing videos for you.
[video:]
<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4578157&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4578157&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/4578157">9-5-2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1689270">Smiths Cat</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
[/video]

my vimeo videos

Cheers,

Klaus

I was joking Klaus, but this was a very pleasant surprise! Thanks!
Some very good editing in there Looks like it was a pleasant day to be on the water. If you do another video sometime, it would be fun to see your tacking and gybing technique.

I also have a goPro cam, but it refuses to shoot videos longer than a minute or two. I have no idea what the matter can be.



Eh, that kind of implies that there is more

Rolf: What type of batteries are you using?
The GoPro is very battery hungry.

Keep the mainsheet in your teeth.

When you sheet in, nibble away at the excess. When you sheet out just spit out what you need.

Haven't you noticed Bundy always nibbling away at the mainsheet

I have tried several types of batteries. Rechargeables and alkaline. Last try was with "Duracell" batteries. Perhaps it is an issue with the memory card, or I have a faulty camera..

I've had one for 3 years now and always take the batteries out when not in use as for some reason it uses power when turned off. Its been very reliable and proved to be waterproof. The Go pro has about 3 mins of memory without a camera card so it may not be reading your card, you should have 2 or 3 files when you download if you use all the memory and you can change the quality to get up to 4 hours recording.
regards Jeff

I have tried with fresh batteries just put into the camera, but no difference.
What you said about 3 mins of memory without a memory card was interesting! The data is stored on the memory card, I can remove the card from the camera and put it into my reader on the laptop, but each session never holds more than 2-3 minutes of data. Could it be a faulty memory card, hmmm!

Hi Rolf,

I cut all the gybes an tacks. We are too slow to show it! Espially after seeing those Spaniards on the T...
Actually, the GoPro is a very good training device too, it shows what you did - without mercy. So get it to work! I have the wide lens variant.

Cheers,

Klaus