Puff Response Upwind
At some point these hot days may bring in the dinner winds and with it some gusty conditions. Here's a video from Bill Gladstone of North U on the right way to respond to a heavy gust, trim don't feather.
Heaving-to in a Gale
More great writing from Karen Sullivan. Sockdolager hove-to under storm trysail, 100 miles off the Oregon coastat the beginning of the gale. Because a lot of people have asked us about the traditional way of “parking” your boat on the ocean, called heaving-to, and because so many have also asked, "Are you going to write a book about the voyage", (and because I am writing one,) here is a compilation of story and technical information about heaving-to, from a couple of draft chapters and an appendix. We've also posted three videos. They are: 1. Sockdolager hove-to off the [...]
Win a LIFESLING!
Win a Lifesling by practicing two MOB drills Boating safety is a concern to all sailors and in an effort to promote safety; the PTSA is encouraging the entire fleet to practice man-over-board drills. During the spring and summer race series all boats which complete the man-over-board drills and watch the LIFESLING video will be eligible to win a new LIFESLING (value $150, compliments of PTSA and West Marine) Of the two drills, the skipper can be at the helm during one of the retrievals. The second drill should be run by a member of the crew. It [...]
Keep Calm and Put the Bow Down
A reminder that pinching doesn't pay ... “Keep your head out of the boat!” That’s a phrase we’ve all heard from coaches in sailboat racing. It’s an important concept. In fact it will be one of our Rules to Sail By this year, but it is just as important to keep your head in the boat if it means keeping the boat going full speed. Without consistent driving, tactics cannot reach their full potential. Last weekend, I sailed the stars with my dad who had very little tiller time in the class. The vast majority of his sailing experience has [...]
How To Start
It’s make or break time out on the racecourse, MARK RUSHALL explains how to get a flying start and what to do when things don’t go quite to plan. When the race officer sounds the starting signal for the Sunday race at Daydreamers YC, he can already see which boats are going to compete in the leading pack, which will be fighting with the mid fleet masses, and which crews will consider a recovery to the mid fleet a success. For most racers, the first five minutes set the agenda for the entire race. Yet, unlike sprinters [...]
BOATHANDLING: Secrets of a Sensuous Sailor
Lifted from WaveTrain, Charles Donne's very literate sailing/boating blog. It wasn't until I first sailed on a boat with an engine that I understood precisely what is most seductive about sailing. Any who have cursed the din of a motor while afloat will know exactly what I mean. We feel it the very instant we switch our engines off, as the awful over-riding sound of internal combustion dies away. I call it the orgasm of silence, that moment in which it seems all of our senses have suddenly been turned on. Considered purely on an aesthetic basis the [...]
Three Simple Go-Fast Rules
From Sailing World for the last scheduled PTSA race of 2011. by Steve Hunt It’s easy to overcomplicate sailing, because it can be a pretty complex sport if you want it to be. That’s why, come race day, I stick to a few simple rules that keep me focused on the things that really matter. I have three rules that have never failed me, and I continually drill them into the young minds of the Point Loma High School sailing team. And if the rules can work for a bunch of fast-sailing teenagers, then they ought to work for you, [...]
Getting a Handle on Mainsail Twist
Lifted from mysailing.com.au written by Dave Flynn of Quantum Sails. Technically, twist is “the change in the angle of attack from the bottom of the sail to the top.” Twist is necessitated by the changing speed of the wind, hence changing angle relative to the boat, as you move away from the water. The drag induced by the water slows the wind near the surface, shifting it relatively further forward by comparison with the faster flowing wind further aloft. This effect is exaggerated at lower wind speeds. In the real world, it means that the leech of a [...]
Audi MedCup – On board Luna Rossa – Barcellona
One of the fun things that's been happening with sailing is the improvement in the video presentation of our sport. Here's a great one, on board the Italian TP52 Luna Rossa at the Med Cup in Barcelona. Lots of great stuff to see and enjoy, or as we say on the Bay, "L'ultima regata della tappa catalana dell'Audi MedCup, vista da bordo di Luna..." Thanks to Zerogradinord.it. who put it on YouTube here.
When the Going Gets Light…
Last night the forecast strong “dinner winds” never appeared. Instead, the southerly stayed for awhile, wandered away for a bit as the westerly paid a visit, then came back, then left again. It was one of those nights. Through it all the flood roared. If you were going into it, you were parked while 100 feet away a boat was happily being swept along in a small counter current river. Sometimes an idea worked, sometimes it didn’t. One minute the goat, the next the wisest of old salts. What did pay off in the end was staying with it. Vivace [...]
Best Crew Practices
Good article from the May 2010 issue of Sailing World by Dan Rabin on the best crew practices. It's a team sport... One evening a few years ago I had the opportunity to drive a J/24. I had logged countless hours as a tactician and bowman on the boat, but I’d never helmed it. I finally appreciated why J/24 skippers are so batty: they can’t see anything. We did well in that race, though it wasn’t because of my driving skills. I had confidence in each person doing their job, and focused on trying to keep my act [...]
Tacking Tip Part 2: The Acceleration
Second part of an article from Bill Gladstone of North U on the US Sailing site. A proper turn is just the first part of a tack. Part II – The Acceleration will complete the tack. As noted before, all the losses from tacking accrue during this critical second phase. Typically, (on keelboats) losses are between one and two boat lengths. Our goal is to minimize losses. Coming out of the tack directly to a close hauled course with full trim will leave us with a long slow acceleration and result in losses of two boat lengths or more. Coming [...]
Tacking Tip Part I: The Turn
An article from Bill Gladstone of North U on the US Sailing site. As mundane as they may seem, good tacks are essential to good racing. Make each tack a little better and you’ll save a few boat lengths every race. Tacks can be divided into two parts: The Turn, and The Acceleration. Surprisingly, after The Turn you are ahead in VMG of where you would have been had you not tacked. All the losses due to tacking accrue during the critical second part – The Acceleration. We’ll look at “The Turn” this week… We are always ready to tack. [...]
Fast Sails Come From Port Angeles
In fact, in 2005 Port Angeles' Dan Kaseler of Raptor/Gaastra/Vandal Sails made the world's fastest sail as Finian Maynard on a windsurfer set the record of 48.7 knots using a sail Dan designed. In 2009, Dan won the Pacific Coast Championship in his Melges 24, and he's currently developing his Raptor sails for one of the most interesting boats around, the foiling Moth. In February, his sails took 1, 2 & 3 at the U.S. Moth Nationals, but in the notably light wind at the Worlds in Dubai, they are having a tougher time. You can learn more about Raptor [...]
Dave Perry Racing Tips: Location… Location… Location
Some ideas on where to start on the line from Dave Perry from the US Sailing site. Just like buying a new home, the key to getting a good start is location, location, location. I divide the starting line into three regions. I call the quarter of the line nearest the pin end of the line – The Pin, the quarter of the line nearest the race committee boat – The Boat, and the section in between – The Middle. Before every start I decide which region, and what part of each region I am going to start [...]
Racing Seminar Presented to Full House at the Northwest Maritime Center
The title "Racing on the Bay: the Insiders Advantage" drew over one hundred sailboat skippers and crew wanting to learn the secrets of sailboat racing on Port Townsend Bay. Lifetime Port Townsend sailors Daubie Daubenberger and Joe Daubenberger shared their expert knowledge gathered from decades of sailing and racing, with additional input from ace sailors Piper Dunlap and Stig Osterberg. All speakers agreed that to be competitive it is essential to do basic boat preparation, crew practice in tacking, jibing and all assorted maneuvers. Daubie presented and elaborated on three racing principles: Technique, Tactics and Strategy. Piper complemented this [...]
When to split tacks
[singlepic id=81 w=320 h=240 float=right]Bill Gladstone, the author of the North U series of racing books, has a posting on US Sailing site on when to split tacks with the leaders when you are behind. You know the old adage: “Can’t catch ‘em if we follow ‘em.” So, when you are behind you’ve got to split tacks to catch the leaders. In fact, splitting tacks is often a gamble with poor odds of success. To understand why, first answer this question: Which way are the leaders going, the right way or the wrong way? (Hint: they are in the lead.) [...]
Goals for the coming season
I bet there's more than one boat that has a goal for the coming season of doing a better job handling their spinnaker. Here's an interesting video of Philippe Kahn's crew practicing jibes in a Mumm 30. Lots of things to learn watching this clip.
Pegasus Goes Round the County
A Beginner’s guide to the Round the County race, by Dan Newland Close to Thanksgiving, many boaters love to sail “South of the Border”, however that generally assumes the US border, not the Canadian. But for 21 years, sailboats in the Puget Sound area have participated in a two day event that is more akin to an ocean race than an inland sail at a time of year that often brings storms, snow and freezing rain. Being new to the area, we had not sailed on any of the larger, well attended and competitive races in the area. [...]