Downwind strategies
Trimming the spinnaker
Beam and Close Reach
- Keep the sheet lead aft (flatten trailing edge of the sail like Genoa)
- Raise the pole a bit flatten the head and help with pointing
- Drop the pole if too much heel (similar to assymetric)
- Use the Twing if strong wind
- Main trim: less outhaul and cunningham. Keep top tell tale flying
Broad Reach
- On a borad reach or run move the sheet lead forward to help support and prevent ot from rolling back and forward.
- Lower the pole to control rolling. If to windy ease the pole to cover the spinnaker by the main
- Use the Twing to move sheet forward
Rounding the weather mark - decide strategy before entering the zone (3 boat lenghts)
Alt 1: Bear away set
- It is the most simple spinnaker setting
- if there are not many boats behind you that will create dirty air
- At the mark bear away making use of all the settings done when going upwind
- Set the turtle to leeward behind the Genoa and leave the pole on Windward side
- Close to the mark set the pole close to the forestay
- Put the guy close to the top of the pole before reaching the mark
- (Leeward Twing is all offand winward twing is all in)
- Once rounding, hoist the spinnaker and trim the spinnaker sheet
- Once the spinnaker is full, get the Genoa down
- Open the pole to the right position only then, specially in light air
Keeps right of way at the windward mark from boats going upwind on port
Best if the pack of boats will create wind shadows
Alt 2: Gybe set
- If the wind has shifted to the left during the windward leg
- Trailing boat is trying to achieve separation from a leading boat that has executed bear-away spinnaker set
- Don't work in fleets of 20+ boats!
- Gybe immediately upon rounding the windward mark.
- The gybe-set is a more difficult manoeuvre, and slower than a bear-away set.
- As the boat bears away around the mark, the helmsman continues turning through a gybe.
- The spinnaker is hoisted in the ‘gybed’ position as the boat bears away
- The spinnaker pole is raised as soon as the genoa gybed across the boat.
- The spinnaker is usually slower to fill, as it sheltered by the mainsail until the turn is complete and the pole is raised
Sailing downwind in zigzag
Dead downwind is slow! Reason. Main concern is speed and not distance sailed.
Need to generate enough apparent wind to travel faster
Sail in zigzag course to stay on broad reach due to apparent wind.
Tips:
6 knots TWS at 144˚ TWA = TV 4.41 knots
Until 8 knots, you need to be 36˚ higher than dead wind (= angle is as big as close up wind)
Follow the puffs & play the shifts
In contrast to a tack, a well executed jib results in little or no wind loss. Steer to stay with the puffs and take advantage of lift tacks
Transport Spi sheets and halyard from one side of the boat to the other by connecting all of them together
Hatch hoist
Leeward Rail Set forward of shrouds
Hoist from companionway