Quote:
Originally Posted by Valiente
I fully agree, and in a crewed situation I prefer that. But as a cruiser I sometimes have my hands full making sure the gear is preserved and secured before I can concentrate on returning to my intended heading.
I will say that in lighter, but steady winds, I sometimes cleat off BEFORE I've completely tacked over, and rely on boat speed to finish the tack and to fill the sail. This is possible because on the boat I usually sail solo, there's a very large J measurement and I point pretty high. Part of the foresail will be filled while the other part is "on the edge" and I have a pretty good sense of how hard to trim. I should also point out that my old boat doesn't have self-tailing winches, so it's necessary to cleat off quickly or to physically hold the sheet until you've figured out sail set and course.
And you're correct in pointing out that a "tiny" tack frequently means you don't need to use the winch handle at all.
|
Try that on a catamaran and you'll be running back and forth forever. Thankfully they make autopilots that can tack the boat at precisely 90 degrees. I just punch the buttons and walk over to the lee side; flip the wind ward sheet off the winch with a snap and hand over hand the new working sheet.
It works except for when it doesn't, then I get caught in irons and sail backwards for a bit.