Roll to the left/ Roll tp the Right

We're not talking pole to headstay ease, more like 6-8" when u start rolling, maybe little more. This will help calm the boat down for the few seconds you need to get your shit together. If it is that puffy, why isn't someone looking back for the puffs? Realistically only the driver needs to be looking forward, and only so he doesn't hit anything. Homeboy trimming the guy sits backwards, goes OOO thats a big one, eases a foot waits for it to pass, brings it back. Also a hard pump on the main will also help the boat round up, heel to L and stop the roll. Watch any of the good college crews DW, an FJ DW is super shady, they are always looking back for 1 puffs, either comming or how to get to them, and having a hand on the vang to crank it just before that puff hits. Instead of playing the vang, play the guy a little more when the puffs hit. . . . You would be amazed how just putting the bow up 10 deg will put the boat back in a rock solid state. There are a number of reasons this is true, but primarily you reattach flow on both sails from the luff to the leach, ie reaching. When running ddw, wind will oscillate from one direction to the other to around both sides, top and bottom of the sails... very unstable. Moving the pole forward, up, down, in or out will not change the stall characteristics of sails DDW. As a matter of fact, when you ease the pole forward you accentuate the rolling ability of the chute!

General Up & Down tips

Upwind:

-Weight out of the ends, especially the back of the bus was critical. Light air I drove from in front of the wheel, reaching back to steer.
-Light air dramatic amounts of headstay sag was fast. In light, lump we sometimes carried 18" of sag.
-In ultra-light, we used the baby stay to open the main leach.
-Up wind in 25+, we let the top of main actually invert, vang sheeted and sailed on a nice flat #3. You may have to reinforce the deck around the partners to really vang sheet depending on how your vang is rigged. Well, we had to anyway.
-The rig was drum tight and we ultimately had to reinforce the deck beam.
-Hike bitches!

Downwind:

-We used flat headed kites and low pole to force an assymetrical shape in light and medium airs. Sailed at about 145 TWA, in medium airs, 135 TWA in light, (or 90-100 AWA).
-We carried the pole consistently about 2' lower than the clew and always went for speed over depth until the breeze was in the teens.
-We had incredibly light light air spin sheets, 3/32" kevlar core leech cord line. NO shackles. NO guys until solid 12 TWS.
-Breezy reaches we sometimes reefed, given helm from the oversized main.
-In a breeze, we had a bullet-proof 1.5 oz. stable runner that we could carry up to about 32TWS, but by then you were dialing for dollars on the helm.
-Low pole, never back more than 45?, twinged down. As SOON as the rig started to move to weather, BAM on the wheel to get the boat vertical. No hesitation.

Traveller Up, Sheet off

Some times have the traveler way to weather and slack the main sheet in a blow. This allows the head to twist off ad de-power the main without flogging as much and allows us to point higher.

more DeathRoll avoidance

The key is to develop a feel for how hard the boat can roll before you lose it. The usual roll pattern is a good roll to windward, a stronger roll to leeward, and then an even stronger roll to windward, which is when you will lose it. The key is to steer up hard on the third roll, which will stop the boat from rolling. It's even better if you steer off on the leeward roll, which will dampen the overall intensity, but it is absolutely essential to steer up hard as the boat begins to roll to windward, so the boat stays under the masthead.

The "training wheels" strategy of pole forward and low will dampen the roll, as will keeping the chute well trimmed. Ease the vang in a round-up, but not on a round-down, since a loose mainsail leach forces the masthead to weather and makes it nearly impossible to jibe back if you lose it.

In extremis, you can blow the sheet, but do it quickly, so the spinnaker luff doesn't increase the windward roll. Don't blow the afterguy. This will break the pole on the forestay and probably the tull-luff, too.

Chicken stays should go from the pole butt to the rail. The goal is to prevent the pole from pushing the mast out of column, but if the tip of the pole is well and truly buried, something will break. The cheapest candidate is the mast car, the most expensive is the mast. A foreguy to led to the middle of the foredeck will prevent the water force from rotating the pole aft and keep it away from the shrouds.

More Heavy Air Spin Tips - thx SA!

A couple of things that can help.

Pre Event (the way your boat is set up)
1) Chicken stays. These are stays that run from the track on the mast for the pole, roughly opposite to the gooseneck, down to the rail about 1/2 way between the shrouds and the bow. They keep the mast from being pushed aft as the pole jams into the water. They will allow you drag the pole through the water without dismasting - as often.
2) Fore guy that is actually a "fore" guy, as opposed to a spinnaker pole vang. My Moore-24 has a fore guy in the middle of the fore deck, it keeps the pole forward but loads the mast a LOT. See #1 above to fix that. A spinnaker pole vang, that goes to the base of the mast, is easier to use sometimes but way weaker in many ways.
3) Don't pull the pole so far aft in heavy conditions. Keep the pole about 1/2 way between the shrouds and the jib stay, right over the chicken stay.
4) Crank the sheet in a bunch on the chute in these conditions so the boat actually feels a bit pinned to leeward and choked - stable and over trimmed is faster than loose and on your side.
5) NEVER EVER EVER let the main vang off at all. Mainsails wrapping around the mast and pushing the mast head to windward are #1 cause of death rolls, IMHO.
6) Finally, set the pole up with the butt end BELOW the outboard tip and have the butt end track hoist line easy to blow. See what to do with this in the next section.

During the event (while things are going badly)
1) Pull the mainsheet in hard - really hard - and fast. Frequently you can do this faster than pulling in the chute sheet.
2) Pull the sheet in on the chute - really hard and fast.
3) If the crew can, pull hard on the vang.
4) If 1 through 3 aren't doing it, blow the butt-end hoist on the spin pole track. The pole will shoot down the mast (because of #6 above - remember you set it up with the tip high!) and the pole will look as though the fore guy has been blown. But, it's much safer and more in control. Now, the pole is pointed up at about 60 degrees and you won't have the chute up around the mast head - the chute can't go up any more because you didn't loosen the fore guy or after guy.

Blowing the butt end of the pole is my fav thing to do, but it can wreck everything if you don't have the butt below the tip prior to the "event" and if you don't have a good stopper knot or stop on the end of the track.

Enjoy, we all do it.

BV




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What the heck am I doing here? Why aren't I out sailing?


NoStrings

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Find Member's Posts Today, 01:28 AM Post #33


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I think that most often a Chinese gybe will occur in the middle of a gybe in a big breeze. Up to that point, you might have had the pole forward, blanketing half of the kite behind the main, and all is "well". then it comes time to run deep, pull the pole aft, and gybe. That's when things tend to go pear shaped for most.

1) talk through the damn maneuver first. Make sure everyone knows EXACTLY what it is they're supposed to do.
2) make sure that everyone is ready to execute their tasks
3) do it and don't hesitate for god's sake. It's when you have to drive a rolly boat ddw for a LONG period of time that you get fucked in the ass. Trust me... I know and suspect that Peter Lyons has pics that he's too kind to publish.

Once you know FOR CERTAIN that you're screwed, you have a couple of choices...

1) trim the kite hard to round the boat up

if that doesn't work

2) sky the fucking pole to keep the mast in one piece.

You're not thinking about racing at this point, you're thinking about keeping everything in one piece so that you can race in 5 minutes.

Some of you guys need to start thinking about these events from the standpoint of the people paying the fucking bills. And please, don't give me some song and dance about "if you can't afford to lose a mast, you can't afford to race". If you think that way, please wear a sign on your chest so we can keep you off of our boats.



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No Strings Attached

more DEATH ROLL avoidance

DO NOT reef the main this will move the center of pressure too far to windward, resulting in an even faster roll to weather.

When it is really blowing (above 25 kts) we always use the smaller, flatter spi without shoulders.
we keep it right in front and near the boat, sheeted to tight, almost touching the forestay
twings are your friend. set both about 12-18 inches off the deck.
PICK A SIDE, the wind "flows" around your sails consistently, if you're ddw, it swaps direction (leach to luff, luff to leach) all the time, helping generate that "rock and roll" you get going ddw
Its all a bout the driver. React early, hard and often. AS SOON AS the masthead just starts to move to weather, punch the boat quickly and firmly in that direction. Bang. Then let up. AS SOON AS the oscillation starts the masthead swinging to leeward, punch the bow quickly and firmly in that direction. Bang. Then let up. Repeat. Break a sweat.

The idea is to keep the bow directly below the masthead and stop the rolling on the first or second smallish oscillation with quick, quick short helm movements. Quick so the flow remains attached to the rudder.

When you are rolling to weather, NEVER let your trimmer ease the sheet. The kite will LOOK like its strapped, because you just rolled to weather. DO NOT EASE!

Main Full Hoist - no need to grind!

Main should hoist to the marks and that to add luff tension to depower you adjust the cunningham.

sail cutting tolerances

The old adage of "measure twice, cut once" was never truer than in sailmaking.

mainsail girths coming in at between 9mm and 1mm under the max. If it was 10mm under, it was too much.

douse options

If you can do the 3 basic douses, leeward, windward and stretch and blow you've got it 99.999% covered. If something wierd comes up don't hesitate to free fly the kite and work it out as you go.
dousing into the cabin hatch is your friend.

Reach Douse = Stretch & Blow or Ltr box

Stretch and blow - sheet on to stretch the foot, pole to forestay. Smoke the halyard. Grab sheet/lazy guy and gather.

the rig snapped....several things are working against it. First, the main is WAY eased. Second, there's not nearly enough vang. Both of these issues are allowing the main to leverage against the spreader (big main too) and the combination of twist and column distortion further exacerbated by stuffing the boat in to the chop has made a tough job for this poor tin rig.

Mutiple factors are in play including lower vs upper tension

it's distortion is centered 2' above the gooseneck and the main has the wrinkles of death
They determined that the backstay didn't prevent the out-of-column issue happening 2' aboave the gooseneck whereas the checkstays did (U20 big main)

Adding Dyform also helps as the 1x19 gets the shit stretched out of it when loaded and the dyform just holds it's length MUCH better.

Blowing the vang dead downwind with the main eased out like that is the exact opposite of what you want to do. Essentially it does nothing to depower the main, but instead shoots the center of effort up into the top 2/3rd of the rig. The leech of the main is your backstay!, so with the main eased all the way out and vang off, you basically just blew your backstay off.

You need traveler down and sheet on to keep at least some pressure on the leech of the main, otherwise, rigs gonna come down as well. Without the main, you only have the caps to save you and that creates huge compression loads in the rig.

Haylard tension - no dedicated haylard winch

By luffing you are de-powering both the main and the headsail, as opposed to just the main...
I see many people over tightening the luff on Kevlar mains also, different than with relatively stretchy Dacron.

Anchor safety

360 solid blue LED light for one of the boats. Solid blue has no official meaning in our waters, and it's not flashing, so I'm not impersonating a police officer. I tested it a few evenings last fall and the observations confirmed by belief: Drunk people on the water avoid blue lights.

How to drop a new haylard without a messenger

Once you're up there, the best way to run the new halyard down is stack about 20 1/4" nuts on a light line. Rolls right over the sheave and, if you've heeled the boat properly, right down the correct side of the mast. Bob's your uncle.

Measure and mark the line so you know when you should be at the exit port.

downwind reef

drop 3 ft haylard, winch in reef line, drop another three feet

or

When unexpectedly caught in a 50 knot squall when running with too much sail up, don't even think about trying to reef downwind. Simply release the halyard and turn upwind.

or

with main at 45 degrees release haylard and gybe - watchout for boom and the whole mess droping

of course keep main sheet snug so it does not lasso someone

More Reasons to go down Fwd

Down the hatch. Down the hatch. Down the hatch.

Make sure you have a good look your hatch and take care of anything that could snag the kite on its way back out. Put a whiffle ball on top of the stanchion that is going to be on the kite's path on its way out. If your hatch is big enough, have a laundry bag made for the hole.

If you are doing mainly w/l courses with port roundings, practice doing windward drops so you can get the kite down on the left side of the boat, ready for the bear away set. In any case, the brains at the back of the boat should know what side they will want the kite for the next set. The brains at the front should be able to execute whatever is necessary to get it there --windward, leeward, mexican, whatever. But if you want to do a windward takedown and it is blowing 20kts be sure that you can get the boat deep enough to execute.

Now you've got all the gear on the correct side of the boat. You may need to unclip the spin halyard if you can't put enough slack in it. Spin halyards are too short on a lot of boats. Close the hatch on the head of the kite so you can hook it back up at the appropriate time. Otherwise, leave the halyard hooked up with a lot of slack. A clip to the rail (a snap shackle with a trip line that is lead back to the mast) can be nice but may not be necessary.

What came down untangled should go back up just fine, so you won't have to repack and you can keep bodies on the rail. It won't take so many people to get the kite down because it travels a shorter distance. The bow and mastman should be able to handle on their own. You can throw one more body at it if necessary (ie. bow still needs to deal with pole). Start doing windward drops and the kite will practically put itself away.

Benefit of Foredeck Hatch Drop

We do it down the hatch. Our pointy end guys re-launch with little or no work or re-organization, as long as no one fucks with the gear or screws the takedown. If it's a straight leeward takedown and a bear away set. If you have other combinations sometimes the gear has to be moved, but the tapes don't generally need to be run unless something bad happens. (said from the perspective of the guy sitting in the back of the bus of course...but I did bow on my boat once!)

On a big boat the companionway can be pretty damned far from where the spinnaker is flying. It is less practical to douse to the companionway. You'd have to drag it around 2/3 of the boat, and there's stuff going on there.

LetterBox

Keep in mind that the "Letterbox" is for when you're a bit nervous about doing your regular drop.

Either you can't bear away (leeshore, you're not making the mark already, etc) or your not interested in having people forward.

I use it on Sweet Jane (J-90) when it's smoking and nobody what's to leave the cockpit, or when sailing short-handed. The cool thing is that you can gather the entire foot, inluding the tack, into the cockpit/hatch before you start the halyard down. You've got a lot of control over the sail. The bummer is that you've got to clean it up fast (after the mark) or else everything gets tangled up.

Leeward Windward LetterBox Mexican?

Letterboxing is a heavy air tactic, not really a quality drop for typical W/L's since it has a tendency to be slow. Try being conservative in your drops by calling them a bit earlier than you may be inclined until your crew is up to speed. Weather drops need the boat to turn down at the mark to help rotate the chute to weather and relieve the pressure. Leeward strips are the simplest solution but may not orient the chute to the port side where you typically need it but it's far better to have a clean drop than a clusterfuck. Try getting an extra crew up forward for the drop and a person down below the hatch to squirrel it into the boat. Also have your guys use a swim technique to gather more chute, more quickly. Oh yeah, stay away from Mexican drops until your crew has mastered leeward and weather strips. Your pit person also needs to be up to speed, he can make or break a drop.

The disadvantage I see with theis type of drop is that you have to unclip all the gear and repack the kite (or at least re-run the tapes if setting from the bow hatch later) and then clip up again. Lotsa activity down below in the bow... I so much more prefer setting /dousing into the forward hatch, leaving everything hooked up, and almost always dousing on the port side of the boat when possible, so that you're ready for the next set (assuming std port roundings).

Remind the homeys in frontierland that the kite is easier to pull under the genoa if they do it before the sail is trimmed to go upwind. Beat on the tactician with the winch handle until they understand that then whack them a few more times so they don't forget. The goal is to sail fastest around the course, not the fastest in the last ten seconds of the leg when it costs you more than you gained by not being ready to sail upwind or having to screw around alot getting ready for the next set.

Ways of taking a symmetrical spinnaker down:

To leeward.

a) The guy snap shackle is tripped, either by standing on the pulpit, or, on a larger boat climbing to the end of the spinnaker pole (see start of "Wind"). The kite flags away behind main, and is recovered using the sheet/lazy guy.

Let the guy run until the kite is flagging behind main, as above. Generally a bad idea to let the pole hit the forestay too hard. Keeps all the corners attached to respective lines, so that someone doesn't have to go to the bow to retrieve the old guy.

Variations on the above: letterbox it, and retrieve the kite between main and boom.

c) Ease guy to forestay, tighten sheet, and dump halyard. Lots of halyard. Kite flags horizontally between pole and sheet, and is recovered (quickly!!) before it drops into the sea.

Never heard of anybody letterboxing this one - probably too slow, and you would end up trawling.

d) To windward. Pole comes off, kite is retreived using guy/lazy sheet. Generally used on symetirical dinghies with bags (rather than a chute). Not really used on larger boats - especially in any breeze, as the kite isn't in the shadow of anything. I would hazard a guess that above Etchells/J24-ish sizes, it isn't commonly used. Also, I would hazard that it only really works on deep runs - otherwise you have to haul the whole kite around the forestay.

Drops involving gybes.

e) Dropping on the old leeward side. Generally used when coming into the mark at a higher angle. Pole removed, boat gybes and kite is dropped into jib. Generally more useful when coming into the mark at a higher angle.

f) Dropping on the old windward side. Pole is removed, boat gybed and then halyard blown. Kite must be recovered quickly as it flags away from old sheet on forestay and guy. Generally more useful when running deep into a mark, and the kite is rolled well out to weather.

The problems that can arise from all the above are numerous - not least because people have different names for them. Some call ? a float drop, while to others a float drop is (f). Drop (e) is generally referred to as a Mexican - apparently coined by Buddy Melges in the 92 San Diego AC, the boats would be pointing at Mexico during the manoever.

Basically, for a Mexican you do the following:

on starboard tack, raise the headsail
prepare to gibe but keep the spin on the port side (i.e., get the pole out of the way)
gibe and keep the headsail inside the starboard lifelines
blow the spin halyard - feed it into the foredeck hatch
Let the back of the boat know you are ready to tack!

Don't know why it is called a Mexican, but when done correctly the spin practically drops itself into the hatch and you are ready to pull it out when you get back to the windward mark.

gybe set

Mumm 30 Set-Gybe


Because so many of us hoist and douse our spinnakers from the forehatch, it has become a real challenge to execute a proper gybe set without sending the bowperson forward to get the gear and the pole around to the opposite sides. If a gybe is necessary at the weather mark, there are two ways to deal with the situation.

First, because we often race with offset marks at the top, if port tack is heavily favoured downwind, it probably means that the offset leg is pretty broad. Hoist as soon as possible so that the crew will be able to clean up and execute an immediate gybe at the spacer mark.

If there is no spacer mark, or the offset leg is too tight to hoist, execute what's called a "Set-Gybe." This manoeuvre is a matter of hoisting and rolling into a gybe immediately. The helmsperson and the trimmer must really be on the ball to nail it.

Keys to a good Set-Gybe:
Exactly same set up as a normal bear away, the crew stays hiking, pole on mast, normal height, etc.
Approaching the weather mark, the call must go forward so that the foredeck knows not to worry about getting the Jib down. This will enable he/she to be able to go straight for the lazy guy (make sure there is enough slack) and gybing the pole.
Helm steers the boat around the mark and calls hoist, concentrating on the luff of the spinnaker and bearing off as much as possible and still allowing the spinnaker to fill.
The guy person is ready to square the pole significantly and has asked for the foreguy to be pre-set.
Rounding, the jib sheet is eased about a foot and cleated. It will be okay for the jib to back on new gybe.
The spinnaker trimmer is concentrating on getting the chute full, but then immediately easing, as they know that helmsperson will roll into the gybe exactly when they see spinnaker fill.
When executed correctly this almost becomes one continuous turn, the helm steering based on the spinnaker fill and the crew knowing that they are immediately rolling into a gybe.

With practice, and depending upon conditions, you should be able to get onto port gybe about one boat-length away from the mark.

There is another method that can be used to execute the gybe set if you are set for a conventional hoist.

When sailing across the spreader leg the foredeck removes the pole from the weather spinnaker guy (if still attached)
He then puts the pole onto the leeward guy, make sure that the jib trimmer has left enough slack in the guy for this to happen. The pitman must then simultaneously raise the pole as the foredeck pushes the pole to leeward and attaches it to the mast. Failure to top the pole as it is pushed to leeward will result in the pole going into the water and probably snapping (remember to make an allowance for the pole at the mark or something similar may happen).
The foredeck then feeds the clew of the spinnaker around the headstay by about 500mm ready for the set. Whilst the foredeck crew is working the trimmer should be taking the slack on the starboard spinnaker sheet ready for the hoist.
The trimmer then eases the jib by a foot and cleats it off, it will then be backed when on the new gybe.
Hoist the spinnaker as you round the mark onto the new gybe. Communication between the trimmer and helmsman is paramount in ensuring the correct rate of turn is employed to prevent the spinnaker being blown into the foretriangle.
The foredeck hand then drops the jib as normal.

oops didn't hoist spin all the way - round down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whSHw4k2yLo&feature=related

End for End = step by step

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFUnV2BEwH4&feature=related

Rules - Made Simple

The rules of sailing are much clearer and generally very simple.
- Opposite tacks port/starboard
- Same tacks, windward/leeward
- Mark roundings within 2 boat lengths inside overlapped boat has rights.
- When acquiring rights, make sure give way boat has room to stay clear.
- Don't hit anyone even if you have rights.
- Can't force someone to hit someone/something/ground even if you have rights.

It starts getting complicated when you start talking about the transitions (tacking inside 2 boat lenghths, etc.) and definitions (what exactly is port/starboard, and as the above example shows, windward/leeward aren't always totally clear.)

Both Starboard, reciprocal course & who is windward when?

Q: I'm going downwind, by the lee on starboard gybe. Wind is about 5 knots. There is another boat which has already rounded the leeward mark, coming upwind towards me on starboard tack. We hold our courses, with him on a bearing to pass to my port side, and me to pass on his port side. We're on more or less reciprocal bearings. As we pass, my boom hits his mast. There is no damage. We both protest. Who is wrong?

A: This has always been a bit of a conundrum. If you take the situation a few boat lengths back, the running boat was probably on the windward side of the boat close-hauled, so the running boat is the keep-clear boat. When she crosses the line projecting ahead of the close-hauled boat she ceases being the keep-clear boat and so might possibly be said to ?acquire right-of-way?, requiring her to initially gives room to the other boat (rule 15).

But if you just take the situation you describe, and if both boats are sailing steady courses, then both boats are on starboard tack and both are on the other boat?s leeward side, so neither is windward boat, and rule 11 doesn?t apply. The only rule that can be applied is rule 14 requiring each to avoid contact with the other and if there is damage, both boats could be penalized.

Don't shove sails down the hatch, walk on etc

After all the years of doing bow, I never found shoving any upwind headsail down the foredeck hatch on anything but a custom race boat, a good idea. Unless it is a non-production, custom race boat, the foredeck hatch is never large enough for the #1 or #2 jib/gen and takes so much longer to do than a quick, loose folding luff when you drop the sail, bend it over upon itself once and set with a sail tie, or two on bigger boats. Once you are dealing with the #3 and up, the waves are breaking over the bow so much that opening that hatch is a good way to take on a couple hundred gallons of sea water in a hurry.

Oh yeah, it's bad for the sails too. A good bow and pit would know how to drop the sail and luff fold it on the way down, even on an outside peel, layer up when pulling underneath the newly hoisted sail. Always roll your old bag for the sail in reverse so that you can roll it towards the bow from the mast.

Tuning - Mast Base Position

Move the mast base forward so mast is 24.25 inches from bulkhead. Other than that, do what Ulman guide says.

Spray Baltoplate / Wet Sand / Polish - GO FAST!

How to on the Olson 30
Burnish a Vinylester Bottom, like Baltoplate or VC-17
Spray on 2 coats of Baltoplate and let dry.
Wet sand with 400 grit sandpaper (knock off the rough spots only).
Bronze wool polish the surface (I forget the wool grade recommended). [ed. Do not use steel wool, as any little flakes will end up rusting.]
Finish by burnishing with a piece of hardwood that has had the end ‘fired’ - ie you take a piece of maple flooring, cut an angled tip on it. Then stick that tip into live coals (or hit it with a blowtorch) until it gets a layer of charcoal on it. Rub away the charcoal by rubbing against a hard and smooth surface (like a piece of slate). Then use that on the BaltoPlate.
Notes:
The wool and the burnishing should only be done in Fore/Aft motion.
The idea that you only need to polish the first 6 feet of hull and forward 1/3 of the keel because of Reynolds numbers - is an old wives tale. It is based on drag models scaled up from hull testing in drag tanks. Turns out that Reynolds numbers don’t scale that way - especially in ‘surface boundary’ environments.
We found on the J-24, that going to 1600 grit (on a vinylester epoxy bottom) for the whole keel and rudder, and the forward 2/3 of the boat, made a noticeable difference.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/search_subCategory.do?categoryName=Longboards%20and%20Blocks&categoryId=3&refine=1&page=GRID

Antifoulings should only be wet sanded. Never dry sand or burn-off old antifoulings.

Keel fair?

Shape is important but not exactly specified for the class as all boats have slightly different shapes. This is hand-and-arm work, not computer-lathe work; the tolerances are inexact. A fair shape is extremely important. If it is not fair it will not work well, thick or thin. You can tell if it is fair by getting it wet and looking at the reflections for distortion.

Heavy Air Downwind

Aliens tends to leave the #3 up downwind in very heavy air. I think it helps stabilize the flow, and prevents wraps, and especially on short courses one doesn't have to deal with the weight forward to hoist it again. (We did take our #3 down this race, though.)
When the boat is way overpowered in big waves, the way I chicken out is to sail higher (maybe 160). The pole is overtrimmed when we sail high and undertrimmed when we sail low. The higher angle stabilizes the rolling from the waves. The chute is twinged down both sides to minimize oscillations (from waves and from the Karman vortex trails). Then when we get planing at the higher angle I can bear off into the wave faces ahead with apparent wind more forward for the compass course than if we were not planing. I will be faster when I learn to sail more DDW in these conditions. Slightly by the lee can be fast but is scary. Weight trim on the boat is key. We had constant lee helm problems this race which kept making me sail high when the pole tip headed for the water to keep the boat upright. We had one or two crew on the transom hiking the high corners but this was not enough; the helm improved only when we put another 200lber on the lee rail midships, plus trimmed in the main a bit for more mainsail power. For the lee helm, I should have powered up the main more. This race, I learned that pumping the main when the boom points skyward helps lever the boat back flat.
Driving the wave faces in front of the boat is also key; we did ok at this -- trying to head up just enough to bump over the wave ahead so we could go over it and surf it down. If you can get it planing, the waves are just obstacles.
The driver is at the mercy of the trimmers. At the first sign of a roundup crank the pole back, ease the sheet; at the first sign of a round-down, ease the pole quickly about 2 feet forward. This rotates the chute so the forces tend to flatten the boat. The rudder is not enough. Another easy rule we use: "wet side eases." The trimmer who is heading for the water eases.
Once again, we learned to foot upwind in heavy air. Crime Scene remembered this late in the final beat and powered over us, sheets well eased and sails well twisted. The slot opens, the main works, the boat levels, and it speeds. I saw their trim, I thought, "Duh!", imitated them and sped after them. Having the main flat and travelled down to the stopper is not enough, you have to ease the jib sheets or put the lead way back or put the lead outboard or some combination of these for the conditions.
John Rahn
Aliens Ate My Buick 005

Headsail Selection per Ulman - Note outboar lead

Head Sail Selection
0-10 knots true 155%
10-16 knots true 135%
14-25 knots true 98%
25-30 knots true 98% on outboard lead

Red Neck "Adjustable" cars

While you might not be able to justify the price of a harken adjustable jib car position for your B25, you may find it useful to use a strop attached to a car on the same track to hold the load while you pull the pin and shift the car on your current set up. Let me explain.....you take an old jib car or other piece of hardware that fits the track and place it behind the jib car. Then attach a strop to the additional car. You can put the strop on with a shackle on each end a splice on the car end...bowlines...however you want it. the idea is that you hook up the strop, let off on the sheet, adjust the car, and then re-sheet....sure its not as smooth or fast as the harken system, but its a hell of a lot cheaper...

More Headsail trim tips

Even though most genoas and jibs are smaller than the main?sails they team up with, your headsail should get at least as much careful trimming attention as your main. That's because a jib feels no disturbance from the mast and sails in an eternal lift created by flow around the main. As a result, your headsail provides more than its share of your boat's power.

For these reasons, it's impor?tant to work hard at finding the fast settings for your jib controls. Before every race, talk with the mainsail trimmer and helmsperson. Ask them to check out your jib trim and make suggestions. Talk with them about communication. Then follow the trim ideas here.

Trimming rules of thumb

Unless you are extremely confident about trimming the jib, stick with some proven trimming guidelines that can help you through almost any situation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Calibrate Always use reference marks to help measure and record fast trim settings. Number the jib track holes for your lead position;put marks near your spreader tips to help gauge leech position; add an easy-to-see reference mark on your jib sheet; calibrate halyard tension; and so on. These are key for being able to reproduce your settings when you have similar conditions again in the future.

Communicate Since the jib trimmer must adjust sheet ten?sion continually for changes in the wind. keep communicating with the helmsperson and main?sail trimmer about what you are doing. If you ease the jib slightly to power up. for example, tell the skipper something like, "I can trim in two inches when you're ready." Or if you need more or less headstay sag, negotiate with the mainsail trimmer about how much to adjust the backstay.

Steering Use your jib trim (in conjunction with mainsail trim) to help steer the boat. If you want the boat to turn toward the wind. ease the jib sheet. This reduces wind pressure on the jib and allows the bow of the boat to head up more easily. One example of this happens when the boat gets a lift. If the jib trimmer quickly eases the sheet, it will be easier for the helmsperson to head up into the lift. Conversely, trimming the jib sheet helps push the bow away from the wind.





The 'groove' If your skipper is having a hard time finding or stay?ing in the upwind groove (which is common in shifty winds or bumpy seas), make the groove wider with a fuller and more draft-forward head?sail. Even though this may sacrifice some pointing ability, it should improve overall performance by increasing the time you are able to sail fast in the groove.



Sheet trim In general, trim the genoa sheet until the curve (twist) in the leech matches the curve in the deepest part of the main. If your jib has battens, it's usually good to trim the sheet until the top batten is roughly parallel to the boat's centerline. It may help to put a piece of dark tape on each side of this bat?ten so you can see it more clearly.



Trim guides There are two other good references for jib trim. When it's hard to see the top of the jib while racing, use the position and shape of the sail's foot. The distance from your spreader to the sail is also a great reference for duplicating fast trim settings.





Luff tension Like the mainsail cunnlngham. the jib halyard is not intended primarily for removing wrinkles so the sail looks better. The main purpose of the halyard is to adjust luff tension and thereby control (lie position of draft in the sail. Pull the halyard tighter to move draft forward and make the sail flatter; ease it to move the draft aft and make the sail fuller.

Speed wrinkles Sometimes the presence (or absence) of wrin?kles along the luff of the sail is a helpful guide for getting the right halyard tension. In light air, it's good to see anywhere from a hint to a multitude of wrinkles (except for laminated sails where you usually tension the halyard just enough to remove wrinkles). In heavy air, you usually need enough luff tension to remove all of the wrinkles.

Fore-and-aft lead Set the fore-and-aft position of the jib lead so the telltales on the windward side lift (stall) more or less simulta?neously up and down the luff. In many cases, the top (windward) telltale will fly a little earlier than the others. This is OK, especially in light or heavy wind. However, if it breaks a lot earlier, then move the lead forward. If it breaks later, you should definitely move the lead aft.

In-and-out lead On many boats you also have the option to move your leads inboard or out?board. A rule of thumb here is to move the lead as far inboard as possible without hurting the main?sail or slowing the boat. You want the lead farthest inboard in flat water and moderate wind: it will usually have to go farther outboard in light air, heavy air and chop.

Headstay sag The primary way to fine-tune the amount of power in your headsail is by adjust ing headstay sag. Use your back?stay (or running backstay) to increase or decrease sag and the overall fullness of the jib. The harder you pull the backstay, the less headstay sag you'll have and the flatter your sail will be. A straighter headstay also move the draft aft in the headsail, just as bending the mast does in the main.

Barberhauling On some boats, the existing jib leads are too far outboard, so you need to "barberhaul" the clew inboard by using the windward jib sheet (on one-designs) or a jib in-hauler (bigger boats). If the boat gets overpowered and you have to ease the mainsheet or traveler a lot. you may need to barberhaul outboard to keep the slot between the mainsail and jib from getting too closed.

Asymmetries The jib should normally be trimmed the same on each tack, but watch out for times when you have wind sheer or waves that aren't aligned with the wind. In these conditions, you will probably have to vary lead position and sheet tension from tack to tack.

Shift gears Like the mainsail, the jib needs constant adjustment because wind and wave conditions are always changing. When the boat feels good, try sneaking the jib sheet in another inch. If you're slow or in doubt, let it out. Remember the jib should work closely in con?cert with the main in order to have the best performance.



Keep track If you have a little time, it's helpful to keep a written record of everything you learn about your jib or genoa. Here are two ways to do this: 1) If you use just one jib design, make notes after each day of sailing. Record the wind and sea conditions, the set?tings you used and a note about your performance; 2) If you use two or more jib designs, organize your notebook by sail. For each jib. keep track of its wind range, hours used and optimal settings (lead, halyard, etc.) in various conditions.

The primary way to adjust the amount of fullness in your headsail is by changing headstay sag using the backstay, the runner or the mainsheet. Make your headsail fuller (i.e. increase headstay sag) in light air and waves;make it flatter (decrease headstay sag) in medium to heavy air and smooth water. Move the draft position forward when you need good acceleration (e.g. a tacking duel or waves). Move the draft aft in ideal pointing conditions. It's much easier to see the shape of the sail when you have dark horizontal draft stripes like the ones shown above.

No matter what type of boat you sail, there are three important trimming rules of thumb for your jib. First, you must trim the jib so it works with the mainsail. Second, keep adjusting jib trim to match changes in the wind and water. And third, the only valid way to judge whether you are trimming the jib well is by comparing your performance to that of nearby boats.

Sail draft

Since the jib or genoa provides a relatively large share of the driving force for your boat. it's key to optimize this sail's shape. Unlike the mainsail, the jib is not attached to a rigid spar. so you can't fine-tune its shape nearly as much. That's whv the headsail should get priority when adjusting the backstay (which affects both main and jib). However, you must be sure to set up the jib so it works in concert with the main (e.g. it doesn't close the slot and cause backwind).

Jibs and genoas are typically a little fuller than mains and have their draft farther forward. I like to start by setting the lead position so the foot and the leech both reach their perfect trim at the same time. I want the upper leech (batten) roughly parallel to the boat's centerline, slight wrinkles along the luff, tell?tales that break evenly up and down the luff, and a luff sag (fullness) to match wind velocity (see chart).
Of course, waves are a big factor in jib trim. When waves are bigger than the wind, you need a fuller, more draft-forward shape to punch through the chop. And you need less sheet tension and more twist. A common misconception is that tighter jib trim makes pointing easier. But in order to point high you first need speed, which often comes from easing the sheet.


Light-air headsail trim

In light air upwind, you want a powerful headsail with a full shape, especially if you are punching into waves. Here the back?stay is very eased to allow the headstay to sag and push fullness into the sail.The jib luff is also eased enough so you can see 'speed wrinkles' along the luff. This adds fullness and keeps the draft from moving too far forward (which could happen with this much luff sag).

The jib sheet is not trimmed too tightly - you can see that the upper leech falls off (twists) slightly to leeward and the mid-leech is not too far in on the spreader. At the same time the jib lead is relatively forward to make the sail more powerful, keep twist under control when easing the sail, and make the tell?tales break more or less evenly up and down the luff.

Medium-air headsail trim

When the wind builds, the major changes you should make to the jib or genoa are more backstay tension, more halyard (luff) tension and a tighter sheet-You can see in this photo that there is less luff sag and the sail is flatter overall.Also, the halyard has been tensioned to remove the speed wrinkles, flatten the sail and pull the draft forward (to offset the effect of reducing headstay sag).

The exit of the sail is quite straight, and the sheet has been trimmed harder so that a) the top batten is roughly paral?lel to the centerline of the boat; and b) the mid-leech trims closer to the rig (see its position on the spreader). In addition, the lead is slightly farther aft so the sail can be trimmed tight for point mode without making the leech too tight.

In heavier air this sail would need more backstay, halyard, sheet tension and twist (if you are starting to depower).

Trim Tips

Leech telltales
In most wind conditions, trim your mainsheet until the telltale on the top batten just starts to curl. In optimum pointing conditions (i.e. flat water and moderate breeze), you can usually sail with the top telltale stalled most of the time. Don't trim so hard that the telltale on your second batten stalls more than occasionally.

Battens
It's important to have battens with good bend character?istics for your sail and the conditions. If the inboard ends of the battens are too stiff, you may see a hard spot, or vertical ridge at the inboard end of the batten. If they're too soft, you will see too much curvature in the aft part of the batten.

Backstay
Adjusting the backstay affects the shape of both the mainsail and jib. When you pull on the backstay you bend the mast, making the main flatter and moving its draft aft. At the same time, more backstay tension reduces headstay sag and has a simi?lar effect on the shape of your headsail. Don't adjust the backstay without considering the impact on your entire sail plan - usually you should use the backstay to get the right headstay sag and employ other mast controls to shape the main.


Backwind
If you backwind in the lower, forward part of the mainsail, it could be a sign that the slot between the sails is too closed. Possible solutions include moving the jib lead outboard and aft or flattening the lower part of the mainsail.


Luff Telltales
Instead of just one pair of telltales at each point on the luff, try using a row of 2 or 3.This gives you a more accurate reading and more warning about changes to come. Also, steer by the telltales that are half way up the sail since these give a better average reading than ones at the top or bottom.

Spreader marks
If you have a jib that trims in front of the shrouds, it can be very helpful to use guide marks on the spreaders.These give the trimmer a great reference for how tight the jib is being trimmed.

Lead position (in and out)
Move the jib lead inboard or outboard to control the shape of the slot-This control must work in concert with the fore-and-aft lead position to get the right twist. Make the slot wider in bumpy water; narrower in flat water.

Lead position (fore and aft)
The position of your jib car is critical for getting the right headsail shape. A good general guide is to set the lead so the luff telltales break evenly from top to bottom.

Top jib batten
It usually works well to trim the jib so the aft end of the top batten (or the upper area of the leech if you don't have a batten) is parallel to the boat's centerline.

Headstay sag
How much the headstay falls away from a straight line is a key factor in determining the overall power of your headsail. More sag means a fuller, more powerful sail with its draft farther forward.A straighter headstay means a flatter, draft-aft sail which is less powerful but better for pointing.

Luff tension
Use the jib halyard to adjust cloth tension along the luff of the sail. More halyard moves draft forward and flattens the sail. You want the deepest part of the sail to be about one-third of the way from luff to leech.

Main halyard
Hoist your halyard all the way up to the black band, and use the cunningham to adjust luff tension. If it's light air and hoisting the main all the way creates too much luff tension, then adjust your halyard like the cunningham.

Top batten
One rule of thumb that works most of the time is to trim your mainsheet so the aft part of the top batten is parallel to the boom. In light air and lump, ease your sheet for more twist so the batten angles slightly to leeward. In ideal pointing conditions, trim harder so the leech closes and the batten angles slightly to windward.

Cunningham
The primary purpose of this control is to adjust the fore-and-aft position of the sail's draft. Don't worry about cosmetic wrin?kles along the luff; these 'speed wrinkles' are fine as long as the sail shape is correct. Pull on the cunningham to move the draft forward; ease it to move draft aft. Usually it's good to keep the deepest part of the sail just forward of the middle. Don't forget that pulling on the cunningham also flattens the sail overall.

"Overbend" wrinkles
In heavy air, when you are depowering your sails, it's OK to see a hint of'overbend" wrinkles extending diagonally from the lower luff area toward the clew. These mean that the main has reached its flattest shape. But f the wrinkles are too pronounced or if they show up too early, ease the backstay a little or reduce pre?bend to keep the sail from inverting.

Boom vang
You don't usually need tension on the boom vang when sailing upwind in light or moderate air. As you get overpowered, however, you will need to ease the mainsheet. That's when, in most boats, you should pull the vang on harder to maintain leech tension and mast bend as you drop the boom to leeward of centerline.

Traveler
A good general trim, guide is to position the traveler so the end of your boom is on (or in some cases, slightly to windward of) the centerline of your boat. In lighter air, you . will have to pull the traveler well to windward to get the boom on centerline (with the right amount , of mainsheet tension).

Beer on tap

Beer needed now:

WIPEOUT

Great racing boat - requires good crew - lots of crew and they put on one hell of a show on the SF Bay. Many O30 owners will tell you - you haven't wiped out till you've wiped out on an O30. The O30 yard sale wipeouts on the SF Bay are great entertainment. Those that get it down and nailed are rewarded with a rippin ride and ear to ear grins.

I guess it all depends on your skill - your access to skilled crew and level of tolerance for very cool wipeouts.

http://www.redneckyachtclub.com/photos.html

RAKE, HELM AND HEADSTAY SAG

TUNING AND RAKE, HELM & HEADSTAY SAG

· The basics. the mast should be centered in the (measure. partners can be off) and chocked in the partners.

· Tighten the shrouds so that the mast stays straight.

· Adjust the headstay and backstay so that you have about zero rake with the head and headstay loose but not sagging excessively (Taut, but not tight).

· Use your backstay adjuster to get about 4-5 inches of rake.

· Go sailing in 10 knots or so of wind. The leeward shrouds when close hauled should not flop around.

· Adjust both port and stbd shrouds so that the mast is straight when close hauled and the leeward shrouds are slightly "soft" but not flopping around.

· Now evaluate weather helm, genoa draft and headstay sag. If there's excessive weather helm, draft is aft and headstay sagging, tighten the headstay to move the MH slightly forward and allow you to tighten the headstay (to reduce sag and move genoa draft forward) without generating excessive weather helm.

· If there's neutral helm and headstay sag, take more backstay tension with the adjuster and re-evaluate.

One tip for easily gauging forestay sag. If you put some vertical lines on the forward face of the mast at the lower spreader height, spaced out from the centerline every inch (using a permanent black marker) and then some more on the spreaders moving outboard, you have in essence given yourself a ruler to look at when sitting in the pulpit and looking at the sag under sail in relation to the marks. Once you have figured out what works best for your boat upwind in different windspeeds, you can easily repeat the setting. I've been on so many boats where someone in the cockpit will shout to the foredeck crew "how much sag is there" and there is always this seasoned, mystical look up at the rig and a hand signal between finger and thumb indicating "x" amount of sag.

Forestay - 15% for general sailing, up to 25% while racing.Uppers - 15%for double lowers (which I can't remember if the 305 has those)Forward lowers 10-12%Aft lowers 8 to 10%Single lowers 10-12%The artistic part of the equation is to be out in conditions where the boat is healing over 25 degrees and check how slack the leeward shrouds are. They should be just slack, not flopping around. You'll find that grinding in the backstay upwind will make the aft lowers slacker

Name of the Olson 30 prototype?

PACIFIC HIGH

Toilet Seat Trivia

Where did the saying "Just got beat by a toilet seat come from"?

First, lots of people in bigger boats were getting beat by this boat with a weird shaped "O" icon. The story is that the "O" was produced by tracing a TOILET SEAT. I always thought the reference had to do with how you had a similar sensation from sitting on a toilet seat for a long time as you do from sitting on the various rails of the O30.

Double Spreader Rig Tune - note the #'s

we've run an O30 with a variety of forestay lengths ranging from 37'-2" to 37'-10" based on conditions, mast butt position and sails we were using. in the lighter breeze we went with the longer forestay set-up using the #1. as breeze increased up to 11-13 knots we shorten the forestay length (approx. 1.5-2 inches) and tighten the lowers (2-3 half turns), still carrying the #1, length adjusted, again based on sea state and sail design as well as crew weight (we generally sailed with a crew weight of 980-1022 lbs.) with 13-15 knots and the #2 up we make minor increases in the adjustments. when we were in #3 conditions we began to lengthen the forestay to max. length and increase cap shroud tension and lowers 2-3 half turns again.we used 19 as a base on the cap shrouds and would dial down to 17 and up to 22 for our area and conditions. the lowers were in a range of 12-14 for our base setting and we would drop down to 10 and up to 15 but always focusing on keeping the mast straight with the lowers.we originally set up the boat with our full team hikinh, sailing upwind in 12 knots of breeze, with the backstay on 80%, making sure the uppers were snug and tensioning the lowers to keep the mast straight while giving the boat 3-4 degrees of weather helm by adjusting the forestay.this boat has an original single spreader rig with double spreader configuration. these numbers seemed to work in one design and phrf.

Rig Tune

War Dog,I tided up to you Sat night for a bit and the rig was real soft. We ran 19 on our Olson 30. Hoot is around 19 as well.Aperson
19 is the uppers we tune the middle and lowers so the mast is straight - dbl sprdr rig

If you are going to rebuild the mast step I would put a Jock Strap in and maybe a BOD. PM me and I will email you the instructions I wrote for the Olson 30 Website. I wrote them for both the Jock Strap and BOD. Also I have pictures of the new approved bulkhead stiffeners I can send you.

Mark K advice on the death roll

I agree with AG, keep the chute in front of the boat not to one side.

Pole to 45deg. and a bit low and leave it there. Don't square it up unless underpowered. Driver is at the mercy of the trimmers to a certain degree.

If your rounding down, blow the downhaul. But if you were prepared to blow the
downhaul, you were expecting to round down, and there is something wrong with
that. If on the border line I usually head up a bit to make sure I go the other way.

Easing or blowing sheet is effectively powering up the kite. If you are in a round down, you are probably by the lee, right? The apparent wind is "telling" the spinnaker that it is on the other gybe. When you ease sheet you are increasing the power in the spinnaker that is trying to pull you over to windward. Same with easing the vang, as others have stated. Try sailing a Laser DDW in breeze with the vang off. Look at the leech wrapping around forward, presenting all that area and leverage to the breeze that wants to push the mast to weather. When the boat starts oscillating, pop the guy forward 2-4 feet, depending on boat size. When things settle down (almost immediately if anyone has half a clue) square back and bear off again. Repeat as necessary. If you are oscillating beyond recovery, it is always better to bail high side than low. Never blow the afterguy (brace.) Ease it before easing pole downhaul. That may keep the pole off the sidestays. Twings down choke the kite well, effectively depowering it, but remember to free things up in the lulls.

We make damn sure there is not a stopper in the spin hal.

SHort and sweet - death roll advice

head up 5 and grind the shit out of the kite...

or grind the shit out of the kite and head up 5

either way it works, fuck everything else

Deathroll v gybe

First, be damn sure you know if you're dealing with a death roll or a broach! The responses are damn near opposite. For the death roll, you're trying to keep from rolling back to windward, for the broach, you're trying to keep from rolling over to leeward. For both, overchoking the twing helps, as it depowers the kite a bit. For the deathroll, the ease of the guy, really can help, as can the pump on the main. In both cases, you're adding net vector pushing the center of effort to leeward. In many cases, the death role includes the driver having gotten too far to ddw, and the center of the kite being over
rotated out to windward, Having the driver, head up, away from DDW (or, as per the usual advice, getting under the belly of the sail) helps, but you gotta watch that you don't just slam into a broach. On a fair number of boats, the driver needs to anticpate the next response. It's easy to start to deathroll, head up, start to broach, and then roll right back into the killer deathroll. As a driver if you pump up away from DDW, be careful as you end the turn up to not overdo it. Expect that the boat may load up and try and head back to leeward, and be ready to pump the helm to steady out on the desired course. Thsi also applies to trimmers and people playing the guy. Don't let the kite turn into a giant Yo Yo, this makes the driver's job really hard. Also talk as you do things, so people know. If you're going to dump three feet of guy, I want the guys two boats over to know about it!

Death roll is a capsize to windward. This happens when flow develops off of the top of the leach of the main either because the vang is too soft or the boom is out too far. When the boat starts rocking overtrim the main big time. This will pull the leach back and stop the flow. Also keep the pole back and drive the boat back under the sails. Once your under control start easing the main again until she starts to rock and then trim in again. It is fastest just before you loose control.

More heavy air downwind tips

Depower the chute:
- Twings on
- 1 or 2 crew to leeward
- clamp down on the chute - overtrim.
- pole forward some - maybe a foot on the J24 ?
- leave the vang on to drive the boat upwind. (think about it ...if you let it off to prevent a round up, wouldn't you want to do the oppsite for a round down ?)

If you're chasing the chute downwind, it's going to be a matter of time before you crash - don't let the clew of the chute near the headstay ... Stablize that puppy and come up slightly to keep the boat from rocking, then work down again until you start to feel uncomfortable -- then start the process again. If you keep the boat on a plane, the less likely you're gonna crash. Once the boat stops planing, come up, because the rig is loading up and you're gonna get more unstable.

Once your rudder hits the air, there isn't much you can do, except bend over and kiss you ass goodbye I'd do everything you can to get the pole out of the water (release the guy, downhaul). I've seen more than one rig come down from the pressure of the pole on the ring at the mast.

Death Roll cure

When going DW, unlike a reach, we'd keep the mast guy and anyone not busy in the middle of the boat, than with a puff hit, they'd move immediately to stabilize. The mast guy always had a hand on the vang and if he could was looking back for puffs talking to the trimmer who was talking to the helm- lots of communication and everyone needs to know what has to happen in a puff- vang off, pole forward, than sheet off...... than hold on.

REEFING - VARIOUS THOUGHTS:

We use 'two line reefing'. Our tacks have a line deadended on the mast near the goosenecks, which runs up to the tack reef grommets and back down the a check block on the mast to get the exact right reef line angle and then down to a winch (actually back to the cockpit winches but you would likely not do that on a race boat). The line is 10mm spectra single braid - slippery and does not chafe. This is virtually friction free and gives you a 2:1 purchase so you can easily pull in a reef even when reaching and the main is plastered on the spreaders and you don't have to drop the sail to far (and then rehoist) as you do with reef hooks. Works really well - harken and Dan Neri's (North Sail's 3dl) recommendation.The clew reef lines have the normal setup, also using the 10mm spectra single braid. You do need to put an 'internal sleeve' in the spectra to beef it up where it is in the clutches to give it something beefy to grip on.We have a flattening reef, but its primary purpose is to drop the sail just enough so the big roach clears the backstay. When tacking and gybing in under about 5kts that gives us better speed that having the roach hang on the backstay every manouver.
I don't really like the design of the boomkicker; if it is windy and you blow the vang the Boomkicker will fall out of the fitting unless you limit it and then you can't really blow the vang as much.

Don’t reef below spreaders – loads – crank on baby stay.

don't forget, as i always do, to blow the vang before winching away on the leech reef

Mastman pulls sail down to new tack point and hooks on, while pit takes in on reef line. Once made mast man helps halyard back up. Total time ~10-20 seconds.

Tack goes on hook. Line from end of boom goes through leech cringle, down and around boom. Tie a bowline around the standing part of the reefing line. That way it pulls out and down. If you are really clever, a timber hitch on the boom works if you know just where to tie it.

Frac 40'er. We haven't reefed...ever. In a true wind about 32 - 35 we're comfy with it all bladed out (see adjustments noted above) and a nice #4 up front. Higher gusts take a bit of feathering. Much more than that and you're not really racing. Reefed, you don't have the balance in the sail plan to keep the bow up and keep pointing and punching.We have taken the main off when it gets really breezy. But that's "arrive alive" time.You reef most true racing mains these days and you make the phone call for a new one at the same time.

On a modern rig, you first blade out the main with traveller down. if that still can't keep you on your feet (up to 30kn) then you dump the vang, max the cunningham, traveller UP and cenerline the boom. This lets the top of the main twist off (essentially like reefing), but without loss of shape and draft control.

Procedure is 1. Lower main to "drop" mark, taking slack out of reefline as sail drops, 2. Hook reefing tack onto hook, 3. Tension halyard to "reef" mark, 4. Tension reefing outhaul, 5. Put safety line on reefing outhaul (in case the reef line breaks), 6. Roll and tie up bunt of sail, 7. check halyard and outhaul and retension as necessary. The halyard should be marked, and the boom should also be premarked so you know where the reefline will be positioned. The reefing outhaul should come staight down, under the boom and then over between the boom and the foot of the sail, and deadend with a bowline or timber hitch around the standing part of the reef line. With everthing pre-positioned, you should be able to reef in less that a minute.That said, with a modern rig, you shouldn't reef until you have the #4 up, and are overpowered. I haven't reefed in a very long time, but last time was going to windward in 30+ on the Kau Coast on the Round the State Race, and by the time it hit 28, we already had the #4 up, and we REALLY needed to reef. On offshore races, you should have the reefline in the boom and a messenger from the clew through the reefing outhaul cringle, so when it hits the fan, you are ready to rig the reefline.

Also, it's not just a matter of keeping the boat on its feet - I've been in situations where the boat's upright fine (in say an F5 with full main and #4), but she just feels "funny".We diagnosed that the sail was so flat we were just getting no power out of it, and that every time we tried to power up, the COE moved too high and we went over. Solution? Whacked in two reefs and saw our speed jump by 2kts. Gave us the power to get through waves and got the flow over the foils again.
We use a flattening reef on a Schock 35. In anything over 15 knots the jib is driving the boat and the main just rags. If we trim the main until it looks good, we lose a few tenths. Weird, I know, but we've played with it plenty of times trying to figure out what works. The flattening reef allows the main to be trimmed correctly and speed picks up a tenth or two.

1) Have your sailmaker build you a sail that is MEANT to reef. As some one else pointed out, if you are reefing a true inshore racing main (ie one with IRC reef points) You'd better be on the phone with your sailmaker ordering a new one at the same time.2) Have a solid gooseneck. 2 years ago, we got hit by a front during a distance race. While taking the reef, the gooseneck exploded, driving the boom forward at exceptional speeds. As the clown standing in front of the mast to set the tack in the hooks, I was distinctly unimpressed. Fortunatly, I was slightly to windward and the boom chose to go to leeward, but if it had not been so, I think I would have a pretty good dent right now. Thanks for that brown boxer moment Fluffy.3) Single line reefing sucks.4) Those that tell you not to reef, have never been offshore. Reef when necesesary, flatten, spill etc first. Then reef. If the Figaro racers reef, so should you. They're the best in the business at pushing boats to the max for insane periods of time. Remember, you can still carry a kite and do easy double digits reefed, its hard to do this on your ear.

Duff Beer Racing

Wednesday Racing - schedule; competition; ratings; charts; RESULTS, etc MRSA

LOCAL: WEATHER * TIDES * WIND * RADAR * SSA LINKS * BAY BUOYS

TIPS: BASIC * DEATH ROLL * TACK * HEAVY AIR * MORE

Must do events:
SCREWPILE
Annapolis to Solomons (to get to Screwpile)

Want to do events:
Annapolis Race Week
Around Kent Island

Dreaming of:
Round DelMarva - Tuna Expedition
Key West Race Week

Cool boats thinking of getting:

Farrier F22

Corsair Dash

Rocket22

FT7.5

Olson 29

Dreamin of getting: