Heavy Air Sailing - Tips and Techniques
By Glenn Dawson (From the November 1998 issue of the
Australian Radio Yachting Association Newsletter)
Sailing in very strong winds presents its own set of difficulties and challenges. Some of the techniques encountered in the discussion on light air sailing apply to heavy air as well. Often, boats are traveling at vastly different speeds in heavy air, but for different reasons than in light airs.
One of the main problems encountered particularly in the smaller sized radio yachts is their tendency to nosedive going downwind, as well as sail into irons when trying to tack sailing upwind. Once a boat stops, it can take quite some time to get it on track again. Consequently, avoiding these disasters is important. The main control we have in achieving this is the selection of rig. We all are guilty of hanging onto our larger rigs even when the wind strength would dictate a smaller sail.
The payoff is that whilst competitors who hold onto the larger rig may well take off from the start., get to the first mark ten or twenty boat lengths ahead of you, they are likely to lose that distance and more each time a gust buries the bow on the downwind legs.
Maintaining control over the boat is really important. Control means the ability to tack the boat efficiently when you want to, without ending up in irons. It means being able to steer the boat downwind making the best use of gusts. That is, sailing higher than the straight line course in the lulls, and bearing away in the puffs. Mark rounding are also much easier to control if the boat isn't gyrating wildly. The sail shape and sheeting con- figuration is not vastly different to that which was discussed in earlier columns. It does mean that you will have to tighten rig tension, vang pressure, backstay pressure as well as flattening the sails to achieve the desired shape. Remember that the wind wants to blow the sail into a much fuller shape as well as the mast bend loosening the leeches of the sails. It is important to control the mast bend as far as practical by the use of rig tension, mast rams and the like.
The sheeting position of the main boom in particular will need to be wider than in moderate wind strengths. It is important to exhaust the main, as sheeting it too close is a sure-fire method of making the boat travel very slowly and round up into irons. The boat will heel over excessively and develop massive weather helm. You will find yourself fighting the heat the whole way round the course.
Reactions to gusts and puffs need to be much quicker. The good skippers anticipate the onset of the gust by having the sheets slacken off as the gust is hitting. This allows the boat to accelerate rather than heeling, The steering needs to be adjusted as well, especially sailing directly down wind, to avoid the dreaded nose-dive. Running downwind certainly is the most difficult angle of sailing.
Sometimes it pays to travel further by sailing downwind on a series of broad reaches rather than sailing a straight course. Similarly, when sailing up wind, it is wise to minimize the number of tacks made. Try to select the moment to tack, rather than trying to crash your way round and ending up stopped. The art of strong wind sailing needs practice, but can be exhilarating once mastered.
Sailing in very strong winds presents its own set of difficulties and challenges. Some of the techniques encountered in the discussion on light air sailing apply to heavy air as well. Often, boats are traveling at vastly different speeds in heavy air, but for different reasons than in light airs.
One of the main problems encountered particularly in the smaller sized radio yachts is their tendency to nosedive going downwind, as well as sail into irons when trying to tack sailing upwind. Once a boat stops, it can take quite some time to get it on track again. Consequently, avoiding these disasters is important. The main control we have in achieving this is the selection of rig. We all are guilty of hanging onto our larger rigs even when the wind strength would dictate a smaller sail.
The payoff is that whilst competitors who hold onto the larger rig may well take off from the start., get to the first mark ten or twenty boat lengths ahead of you, they are likely to lose that distance and more each time a gust buries the bow on the downwind legs.
Maintaining control over the boat is really important. Control means the ability to tack the boat efficiently when you want to, without ending up in irons. It means being able to steer the boat downwind making the best use of gusts. That is, sailing higher than the straight line course in the lulls, and bearing away in the puffs. Mark rounding are also much easier to control if the boat isn't gyrating wildly. The sail shape and sheeting con- figuration is not vastly different to that which was discussed in earlier columns. It does mean that you will have to tighten rig tension, vang pressure, backstay pressure as well as flattening the sails to achieve the desired shape. Remember that the wind wants to blow the sail into a much fuller shape as well as the mast bend loosening the leeches of the sails. It is important to control the mast bend as far as practical by the use of rig tension, mast rams and the like.
The sheeting position of the main boom in particular will need to be wider than in moderate wind strengths. It is important to exhaust the main, as sheeting it too close is a sure-fire method of making the boat travel very slowly and round up into irons. The boat will heel over excessively and develop massive weather helm. You will find yourself fighting the heat the whole way round the course.
Reactions to gusts and puffs need to be much quicker. The good skippers anticipate the onset of the gust by having the sheets slacken off as the gust is hitting. This allows the boat to accelerate rather than heeling, The steering needs to be adjusted as well, especially sailing directly down wind, to avoid the dreaded nose-dive. Running downwind certainly is the most difficult angle of sailing.
Sometimes it pays to travel further by sailing downwind on a series of broad reaches rather than sailing a straight course. Similarly, when sailing up wind, it is wise to minimize the number of tacks made. Try to select the moment to tack, rather than trying to crash your way round and ending up stopped. The art of strong wind sailing needs practice, but can be exhilarating once mastered.