Help!!!!! No Control!!

[NCC320]

Something to consider:

Your boat responds to forces by trying to pivot about some center point, for sake of this discussion, let's say about its middle or keel location. The main force trying to turn you is the wind. If you put up a head sail with no mainsail, the wind against the head sail is trying to push your bow down wind....the opposite of where you are trying to go in a tack. If you have only a mainsail up, the wind will be trying to push your stern down wind. If you have both sails up and adjust sizes on each end (smaller/larger headsail, full or reefed main, or adjust the forces on each sail by how hard it is sheeted in) you can achieve a balance. Typically, for good control, sailboats adjust sails so that in a normal configuration, there is a little weather helm....not too much or you will be fighting the weather helm with the rudder, which will then tend to act as a brake. So with one sail up, your boat is unbalanced. Put up both the mainsail and standard jib and your boat will respond better. They will sail with only one of these sails, but doing so affects how the boat handles and what it can do, as you have experienced.

The rudder has no control unless there is sufficient water flow past it such that the water pressure against the rudder, when you turn it, is enough to offset the single foresail's attempt to push the bow down wind. As you tack the boat, it will slow from the turn, creating a situation where the forces attempting to push the bow down wind, due to just a jib being used, are balanced with the rudder forces attempting to push your bow upwind. When that happens, you will have no rudder control. Balance your sails and get the boat moving, then you should have control.

At some low level of wind, any boat, regardless of number and size of sails will not have rudder control. Water flow past the rudder, i.e. control, occurs only when the boat is moving forward (or backward under motor). To create this water flow, you must make the boat move. The wind against the sails, with sails acting like a airplane wing, creates the forces necessary to move the boat forward, thus giving you flow over the rudder, and control. When the wind forces on the sail are so low that they cannot offset the water drag on the boat, the boat will not move forward, the rudder becomes useless and the boat will essentially stop in the water. When this happens, it's time to take the sails down and start the engine. 5 kts. is approaching that point....usually about 4kts. on my boat.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[Sublime]

Originally Posted by mrjd1981

The best way I can describe it is if we are sailing close hauled and our intention is to tack to opposite close hauled, we start to tack, tiller is maybe turned maybe 30deg from center.......tack gets close to complete, turn tiller 30deg from center other direction to even out............boat continues to build speed turning regardless of tiller position being hard over.....and the boat will not regain control until i let both sheets out and we are at the opposite tack broad reach. at which point I still have the tiller hard over and it slowly turns back towards the wind.

You will lose steerage if you don't have enough speed. A broad reach might be the only point of sail you could get where the boat could get enough speed for steerage to let you straighten the rudder and the boat gain enough speed so you can sail a little closer to the wind.

Are you leaving the jib alone until it luffs as you turn? I see a lot of people who let it go prior to starting the tack. I wasn't taught this way and as I see it, the jib helps push the bow through. I let it go when it starts to luff then tighten up after the bow is through. I've not had a problem (yet) getting the bow through the wind, even on a light air day.

Your turn can be too slow or too fast. Too slow and you lose momentum. Too fast and your rudder acts like more of a brake. That, I'm afraid, is something you just have to figure out. Get to the middle of the lake and see what your boat likes.

Keep it up. Light air sailing is the most difficult and where sailors really learn. It's all about sail trim on those days. Nearly anyone can get a sailboat moving in 15 knts of wind.

[junkrig]

If you throw the tiller out too far (and 30 degrees might be too far) it acts more as a brake than as a steering device. As Tempest says, keep your tiller motions smooth and gradual. And not so hard over perhaps.
The voice of experience speaking on this particular issue.

[mrjd1981]

Thanks again everyone for the input, I will put all of this to the test hopefully this weekend.

[MarkSF]

I've had this problem myself and it stems from imbalanced sail trim. If your jib is more powered up, or powers up sooner, than the main, you will have lee helm that your rudder is too weak to fight.

My guess is that for some reason your main is stalled at close reach.

Most likely it doesn't have enough shape for light winds, which is when the vang, halyard and outhaul should be slackened. After slackening the tension on the outhaul you could try shoving the main a few times above the centre of the boom to enhance the fullness.

It might be also be sheeted in too much. Sheeting it out lets it get a little fuller too.

I've seen some very complicated descriptions of how to vary the main sail shape controls with wind but it comes down to this - loosen them for light winds, tighten them for strong.

[Jeff_H]

One more thing, Make sure your centerboard is all the way down. Having it part way up can give you wicked lee helm.

[ccriders]

I have found that in very light airs (and when facing any head current at all) a tack is much easier and smoother if first you fall off the wind about 10 degrees, pick up a little more speed and then tack using as little helm as possible to initiate a smooth glide putting the bow through the wind. Keep the jib tight until it backwinds and then let it fly. The tiller should be close to neutral when the jib backwinds. I like to sheet the jib in on the new tack as quickly as possible so that it begins to draw about the same time as the main fills. You may find you do not need to grind the winches when you master the timing of this technique. My tacks are much better when I sail alone than with inexperienced crew when the air is light. Each of you should try it solo until you get the feel, then work it as a team.
A clean crisp tack really makes you feel good.
John

[capta]

a hard over rudder on any sailboat is like hanging a barn door over the stern. especially in light air, use only the amount of rudder necessary to perform the task at hand. center the helm after a tack & allow the boat to gain enough speed to be steered, then trim your sheets & come up to your desired course.
easy does it it light air.

[WDS123]

Light Air tacking requires deft and nuanced sail & rudder control.

Basically, you are going to want to be very, very light on the tiller plus try and use your sails to help you tack.


Use your jib to help you come about in ligh air - keep it drawing until it luffs.