Boat Set-Up
When you go down to rig an FJ, there are a few things to remember.
- Bowline - Tie the bowline to the mast, under the jib sheets. You want it tight enough so that the jib sheets can wrap around the halyard cleats during tacks. Just make sure that you don't put load on the line as it will then bend the mast.
- Hiking Straps - Tie the hiking straps up for the cleat. On a lot of new boats, there is bungee holding the straps up to the bale for the vang. On older boats, you can jury-rig this with the end of the jib halyard or take some bungee with you. If you do not tie the straps up, then there is no guarantee that the crew can find them.
To jury-rig with the jib halyard, (1) after you finish off your cleat, take a turn back around the horn. (2) Run the halyard through the eye on the port strap and make a knot - I use a bowline. (3) Go up through the bale of the vang and down to the eye on the starboard strap. (4) Tie it off to the starboard strap at the correct height - usually another bowline. Just make sure that you aren't loading up the bale on the vang with the strap. You want it still tied in to the bottom of the boat. - Jib Halyard Tension - Max it out in flat water. At the Mallory a few years ago, the California teams had their jib halyard cranked as tight as possible. The breeze was up and down, but the water really flat.
- Main Halyard Tension - Just get the sail all the way up. A few speed wrinkles aren't always bad if they are running vertically down the sail.
Jib Trim
In an FJ, whatever you do, do NOT over-trim the jib upwind.
- Light Air - You have to make sure that you keep checking the slot. As soon as it closes off, you will start going sideways. Also, skippers, you cannot steer with the puffs. If you need to head up into a puff, tell your crew to ease out a click (ratchet blocks make trimming easy). To bear the boat off, just give a tiny trim in. It is also extremely critical to NOT over-trim the jib off the line or out of tacks. Again, it's a big sail with a small board so you'll just go sideways.
In light air, that jib should never really stop moving. The whole way up-wind, the crew should be looking to see that all of the tell-tales are streaming evenly up the sail. As the pressure builds, the sail can come in. As it drops, you will have to ease. - Medium Air - An FJ wants the rails weighted early. This means that you want to bring the crew up on the rail as soon as possible (even if you are both just pressing your backs to the tank). Once you are at this point, the jib can start to come in all the way, but still be ready to ease in a big lull. Crews, make sure you have a good grip on the jib sheet. As you move in and out of the boat, the sail has to stay trimmed. You don't really want to strap the foot of the sail in moderate conditions, but you should be able to point.
- Heavy Air - Once the skipper is easy-hike-trimming, so should the crew. Timing is everything in pulling this off, so you have to talk. In big puffs, the crew is going to have to ease the jib off about an inch to an inch+ as the skipper eases and then bring it back in at the same time. Be careful not to have the jib over-trimmed, this will cause the main to back and you will slide sideways.
Downwind, when sailing on a reach, the crews really need to trim the jib more like a spinnaker. Make sure that you have pressure in the sail, and that you are holding it way out. Again, you don't want it over-trimmed. If it starts to blow, make sure to keep playing the jib through the ratchet blocks on the rail.
You can wing the jib in an FJ. The only exception is that when it nukes, the crew has to play the wing from the leeward rail. Get in time with the skipper and pump the jib as they pump the main. Skippers, remember that one good pump off the main can keep you from Death Rolling.
Jib Cars
It's hard to explain, but your jib cars need to be adjusted so that the leech of the sail hooks in evenly. Imagine that there was a batten at the top seam of the jib. (Much like the top batten of a main). You want the top seam to be parallel to the clew, much like the top batten should be parallel to the boom.
If you move your cars forward, then you start trimming the top of the sail first. In light air, you will move the cars forward.
If you move the cars back, then you trim the foot first, bringing the sail in tighter at the bottom. This will allow the top of the sail to twist off and flatten the bottom. This is the goal when it gets heavy.
Main Trim
Upwind, once your crew is on the rail, it's hard to over-trim the main. You almost want to hear the mast break back. (It makes a kuh-kunk sound.) If it's light, same rules as a 420 applies. Once it nukes, your focus is on keeping the boat flat by easing WITH your crew.
Boat Handling
Once the crew is on the rail, then tack backwards. That's something that you have to work out for your self. However, the biggest issue is upwind sailing. Whatever happens, DON'T LET THE MAST MOVE. In an FJ, this is critical. You have to anticipate both the puffs and the lulls to just keep the boat flat.
The other thing to remember is to be SMOOTH and GENTLE. Any massive movements - particularly downwind - and the boat will capsize. Do not over-roll your jibes. This has to be smooth. You won't get the big loopy jibe like in a 420, no matter what you do, because the board is so small.
3 comments:
Rig tension in an FJ is an interesting discussion. Growing up in FJ's we used to set the rig at max rake and then crank on the tension. In college the rigs could not be adjusted and our rule of thumb on tension was little to no dangle in drifting conditions but once the wind got up around 8 knts the leeward shroud would dangle with max main trim. The littler the combined weight of the boat the more dangle until it got too breezy and the boat was squirelly in the tacks then crank on the tension again.
The last time I sailed in Long Beach FJ's we used that same rig set up (leeward shroud dangle) and it work for us at the time.
The thought behind the leeward shroud dangle is this: When the main is at max trim and the jib is at max trim, skipper and crew on the rail an FJ wants to go bow down(big jib pull bow down). But keeping the tension to allow the rig to rake back(dangle the leeward shroud)helps to keep the bow up and going to weather.
Think of how a windsurfer goes upwind.
STARTING AN FJ from the stopped position:
1. Pop jib in then quickly ease (this will help get the bow down)
2. slight rock to leeward
3. Skipper and crew flatten
4. As boat flattens trim in main and SLOWLY trim in jib
Things that will slip you sideways.
-Triming is sails too quickly especially the jib coming in first
-flattening without trimming.
-Overflattening
Notes from Fasano:
1. Don't bring bungee to tie up the hiking straps, use the halyard. Adding your own equipment could bring unnecessary protests.
2. Cannot emphasize the coordination between crew and skipper doing the 'ease, hike, trim' in big breeze. In my boat, I set the rhythm and the crew follows my lead and we are talking the whole time about it.
3. Roy used to stress that the crew has to trim the jib very slowly compared to 420s because the jib is bigger. I haven't seen too many more of these whomper jibs anymore, so check the cut on the sails. But it is still important for the crews trim to more fluid because of the smaller foils.
4. FJs do not go much faster when you foot off a bit unlike 420s.
5. Riding quarter wake is ok downwind because of the displacement hull downwind but it is hard to power through once you are close to the next boats transom.
6. I am not sure SGs current tacking style but it is important in FJs for the crews to get back when flattening.
Here is another general thought. Kelley and I have started using more and more halyard tension. We were getting killed off the line because we were not able to point so we started erring on the too tight side instead of too loose. This helped us a lot getting a lane off the line. I am not sure what your technique is but just another thing to consider if you getting burned off the line.
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