2nd Solo Sail! Piece of cake!!!

NewportNewbie · #1 (**permalink**) 09-11-2011

Just got back from my 2nd solo sail...This was NICE! The first one was a bit un-nerving....I was nervous and super cautious. Today was much better. I was more calm, didn't do a few of the bonehead things I did and when I got into some trouble, I figured it out! Wind wasn't quite as strong as yesterday, so it was pretty easy and calm...although there were more boats...mostly powerboats and electrics so I had more to avoid. About half way through my sail I decided to play with the traveler...WOW. Made a huge difference! Move it leeward and the boat just powered up! I also got used to my tell tales and my wind vane and just how the boat generally responds to certain things! I was tacking and a guy in an electric duffy with his family was to my port side. I tacked near him, not close just nearby...he says, "wow look at that guy he is tacking all by himself!". I also ran into my private sailing instructor while he was giving a Harbor 20 lesson...lol...great day! The only thing that puzzled me and I THINK I have figured it out was the boat was getting pushed sideways by the wind and the steering was gone...I was trying to go from jibing downwind and turn around and start tacking upwind. I did a 270 and the jib filled, but started pushing the boat sideways...The tiller was unresponsive....I eased the jib and it was fine...I was puzzled so I did the same thing again and got the same result...then I did it a 3rd time and no issues the boat responded as I expected...I think I was 90 degrees to the wind and thats why? Instead of more like 45? I'll read up and figure it out....

DRFerron · #2 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewportNewbie

I also ran into my private sailing instructor

That must have hurt.

Congratulations on a successful sail. What type of keel do you have?

NewportNewbie · #3 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRFerron

That must have hurt.

Congratulations on a successful sail. What type of keel do you have?

3800 pound fin keel....

SHNOOL · #4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

I am no expert (wait for experts to weigh in)...

All sailboats natively SLIP sideways (it is the design of the keel, rudder, and sailplan that determines how much)... You need forward momentum, that causes lift on the keel/rudder, that pushes back towards windward. Staying away from close hauled until speed picks up is a natural way to accelerate the boat, so you can then point closer.

DRF asked because guys like me who have wing, or shoal keels sideslip more. Less below water surface area, means we have to power up quicker, to keep from sailing sideways! heheh.

Stearmandriver · #5 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Don't mean to hijack (and yeah, congrats on a great sail!), but for my own understanding, can I ask about one thing?

Wouldn't traveler to leeward in light winds DEpower the boat? It seems like I'm always swinging our traveler to windward in light evening winds...?

Sublime · #6 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stearmandriver

Don't mean to hijack (and yeah, congrats on a great sail!), but for my own understanding, can I ask about one thing?

Wouldn't traveler to leeward in light winds DEpower the boat? It seems like I'm always swinging our traveler to windward in light evening winds...?

If your sail is twisted too much, then part of it spills wind and makes it less efficient. Moving the traveler to leeward may take some of the twist out making the entire sail effective and give you more power.

imagine2frolic · #7 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

One step at a time, and congradulations on losing the jitters. I bet your instructor was bragging on you when you sailed past. You see there that's my student, and you could be doing the same......i2f

SHNOOL · #8 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Yes, it should... depends though, if he was close reaching, not close hauled, it could power him up a bit. They say dump the traveler when the wind pipes up rather than easing the mainsheet. The reasoning is, the main keeps it's shape, wind rolls off evenly off the main, if you dump the mainsheet, it allows the boom to raise, pocketing the main, and it effectively ruins shape. It will also actually cause the boat to heel more than necessary as you sheet back in once the puff is gone.

Newport has a masthead rig, so his main has less to do with the performance of his boat than his jib/genny. He may not get as much ease in heel from dumping the traveler as someone like me who is fractional (difference between masthead and fractional is how high up the mast the headstay attaches). On my boat if I ease the main as it pipes up, the boat slows to a crawl, and slow means tough to steer, sliding sideways. If I dump the traveler close hauled as it pipes up, the boat only slows a bit, heel flattens some, and cranking the traveler back up causes it to resume prior operation quickly.

I suspect Newport was off the wind a bit, and found the dumping the traveler gave him some speed. Also, depends on, where his traveler was (ie: above centerline toward windward).

I know I run my traveler car above the centerline to windward on light days, to ease tension on the boom and pocket the main some. This requires easing the mainsheet to keep the boom leward of the backstay (so it does not stall) while beating. As things pipe up, the mainsheet gets tightened, and the car goes towards centerline.

When things get really dicy (white caps staring - I have a light boat)... I have pressure on my cunningham tanking out the crinkle, vang on snug, outhaul tight, and flattening reef cranked on. You can't miss it, because my main looks like a different animal (flat, very little pocket). In light air it looks like a grocery bag, but it has enough pocket to lay a small dog on it to sleep. In heavy air, you'd be lucky to get a pencil to lay on it. This is when my mainsheet is cranked on, and the traveler is centered.

If I start to dip the rail (stantions hit water) in that setup with a puff, I will reef.

Hope all this helps. Also, anyone correct me if I misspeak.

NewportNewbie · #9 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

I may have gotten things backwards on the traveler thing....I meant move it towards the wind and the boat powers up and away from the wind and it depowers. I think the slipping thing was my speed the first few times I wasn't moving quickly at all in fact I was barely moving.

Sublime · #10 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewportNewbie

I may have gotten things backwards on the traveler thing....I meant move it towards the wind and the boat powers up and away from the wind and it depowers. I think the slipping thing was my speed the first few times I wasn't moving quickly at all in fact I was barely moving.

Moving the traveler leeward can either power you up or power you down. It depends on what point of sail you're on.