What went wrong while sailing downwind?

[DrB]

Instead of Wing-N-Wing, drop the jib, as the OP did and just sail on the main. It's much easier to drop or furl a headsail than the main. If you want to leave it up, "block it" with main and sail deep but not DDW.

If it blowing, and we have both sails up and head down wind, we typically roll in the headsail and sail on the main. We almost always do this if there are just two of us as it is more work to steer and gybe two sails with two than if we have more crew, especially in a breeze.

DrB

[nolatom]

You've learned why dead-downwind is difficult, since you're constantly on the verge of a jibe if you get just a little too far "downwind" and too much by the lee.

I agree with the Laser comment above--I too prefer to keep the vang tighter downwind. easing it off allows the top of the main to get *too* loose, meaning there's too much twist and the top of the sail is so far out it's leveraging you to windward = 'death roll' once you get only slightly by the lee.

Easing the vang to depower the main works on a reach and above, but downwind makes the main a less stable force in terms of lateral stability.

Broad reaching and chicken-jibe will serve you well most of the time, save the sporty dead-runs til you're out of middle school.

That said, you "worked the problem", got in okay, asked the right questions, and learned from it.

[smurphny]

It's not difficult to set up a preventer to control the main when you're DDW. Makes life a lot easier when boat is changing heading from following sea. Friction devices are also good although more difficult and expensive to set up.