Beth's School of Boat Handling

FJ Questions - once again!

2010-04-29T06:48:00.002-04:00

1. I watched the how not to gybe an FJ video....it looks like they flipped because they put weight on the tank in order to flatten. Do you want to put less weight on the tanks both when rolling and flattening, or just flattening. Today when the wind picked up I felt like I wasn't rolling enough at all and I was just pressing on each tank.

An FJ is really tippy and doesn't need a lot of roll in the gybes - particularly when it gets windy! Most boats go over because the skipper and crew over-flatten. Your description of pressing is a good one. In breeze, you are just trying to keep the boat stable. The rudder on an FJ is tiny, so the skipper needs the crew in order to steer through the gybe. However, unless it is light, you don't have to really whale on the tanks.

2. Is there a specific way to organize the jib sheets while you're fully hiked and sailing upwind - I try to pull the windward sheet taught so its ready when I tack, but it also sometimes gets tangled and hard to get a hold of.

Yes! As soon as you are hiked, pull the slack out of the windward sheet and drape the sheet over your back leg. This way, when you go to tack, it's right there and you can get your hand on the sheet, by the ratchet, as you go to roll & cross.

3. How should you be set in the boat before a start?

Pre-Start is pretty much the same, just keep trimming that jib! If it is totally nuking, you may even cleat the board up half-way before the start to stay more in control.

4. I know when going upwind you play the jib with the skipper, so when they let out you let out, etc. but how should I be playing the jib downwind while on a reach?

Trimming the jib is pretty much the same. Just watch your tell-tales. The thing with an FJ jib is that it is MUCH bigger than a 420 jib. If it is light enough to trim outside the shrouds, then you really need to make sure that you pull down to keep the top of the sail trimmed, but also ease enough for the bottom to be powered up. As it gets windier, you'll trim through the block and just do your best with shape. If it's a really long down-wind leg - and you don't forget for the upwind - you can move your cars to get a better shape. However, the trade-off is minimal if you forget to reset them for the upwind.

5. Should I be "popping" the jib over in front of the block while gybing like in a 420? I know I probably won't be able to in tomorrow's breeze anyway, but what about when its lighter?

If it is light enough, then yes. An important thing about wing-on-wing gybes in big breeze: you want to pop it through the block and not bring your weight to windward to hand it to the skipper. Just pull up hard through the block so that it is slightly over-trimmed for a second and the skipper can then reach forward to take the sheet. However, it it is psycho nuking, then you actually trim the jib on the wing by pulling through the block from the leeward side. This lets the skipper sit in a bit and just trim the main (one pump on the main could be the difference between upright and up-side-down!)

Great Boat Handling Questions

2010-04-07T09:34:00.002-04:00

Some of you have asked me some great questions lately. I decided to post them all here. Keep asking!

When you're wiggling, should you bother trimming the jib when turning down or is it slower to let it rag?

Depends on the goal and the speed of the boat behind you. If you are wiggling to slow down, then rag. If you are wiggling to try to hook the guy behind, use the jib to control your speed.

When flattening in light air with the bunny hop (and you have to get back down to leeward), should you flatten more on the side and keep one leg raised to hop down or something else?

In light air, I tend to hop up on both feet and then drop back down into the boat with one foot on each side of the centerboard trunk. On a day like yesterday, it's a definite just hop up and drop down.

On the R-R jibes I remember you saying something about weighting the rail, popping the jib, then rolling. Where does that main crossing and skipper flattening come in? It seemed like the later we flattened (or today, when my skipper flattened) the higher we were pointing and more speed we had, is that okay in a race or should our jibes be faster but with less power?

That's good in light air. You'll have to adjust depending on the conditions. The main should come across with the roll. In light air, you can even stay down after it comes all the way across. If it's nuking, then you would obviously come across sooner with no roll.

I was watching the gybing video Roy posted and I noticed that the crew never actually "sat" on the windward tank to roll the boat, she just rolled off the shroud. Do you want crews to roll off the tank or off the shroud?

I usually had you come to the rail and sit because it got your weight to windward sooner to help carve the boat through the gybe. Personally, I grab the hiking strap and pull to roll. When that video was filmed, kinetics was not as big of an issue. I wonder about the legality of gybing off the shrouds like that now. They are definitely effective gybes, and you could certainly give it a shot. I'm only curious about the kinetics question.

Back to Basics

2010-03-28T08:01:00.005-04:00

It's a new season, and Polly told me that I hadn't written in a while. That said, here goes: time to get back to basics. As a team, we need to focus on boat-handling and boat speed. Skippers need to be better about locking into the boat and using less rudders. Crews need to start taking initiative: jib trim, weight placement, remembering that they are crucial to boat speed.

We also need to talk about tacking. Here are a few videos that may help you out. First, Patrick Rynne has a good camera angle from inside the boat. Skippers, watch the main trim, how little rudder he uses, and the exchange. My only comment would be that he could use more of an ease.

Sailing Videos on Sailgroove

As a credit to Clare, here is a great Technique Tuesday, from Hotchkiss, showing the hand exchange.

Watch more video of Technique Tuesdays on sailgroove.org

Crews, for great footage of roll tacking, go to Roy's site on Dragon and watch the footage of Garth/Sharky and Annika/crew. I know that it's on there. Make sure you drop someone a line if you have questions, or pose them as comments to this post.

Mark Roundings - by Brooke Thompson

2009-04-21T10:24:00.003-04:00

Here are a few pull-out's from Brooke's article on SailGroove.

Mark Roundings are about boat handling and not boat speed
The crew has to steer the boat around the mark. It's all about weight placement and jib trim.
Three critical things to remember: (A) watch the skipper's shoulders and move in the same direction, (B) Anytime the crew moves up and trims jib, the bow will turn down, (C) Anytime the crew moves down and eases jib, the bow will turn up.
The last 1/3rd of the windward leg, start thinking about rounding the mark. Look for are other boats, the lay line, and any major wind shifts that could change your angle to the mark.
Don't hit other boats. Luff to stop if you have to.
Make sure you can accelerate after the rounding. That's when the focus really shifts back to boat speed.
Be aware of the angles of the boats around you.

Getting Stable

2009-04-10T10:06:00.002-04:00

What did you learn from practice yesterday? Take a look at this video from SailGroove about converting to stable combinations. Thoughts on what they try?

Watch more video of Technique Tuesdays on sailgroove.org

Observations from the Week

2009-04-03T17:53:00.004-04:00

I think we've gotten quite a bit accomplished this week when on the water, but we still have a very long way to go. A few of you have sent me questions. Every one can benefit.

1. I'm having trouble with tacks. I think my biggest issue is getting across the boat.

Both skippers and crews are trying to roll too much on your backs. You need to think about shifting your hips back; or, as Hilary calls it, do the one-cheek-sneak.
There are some differences of opinion as to how crews should cross the boat. I prefer the bunny-hop, but not everyone can do this. For completely different, yet very effective styles, watch Anna and Julia. Either way is fine, as long as you can flatten well.

2. I can't get the jib in fast enough out of the tacks.

In breeze, as you hit the hiking straps on the windward side to flatten out the boat, punch your arm over your head to get the jib all the way in.
If you aren't strong enough to pull the jib all the way in once it is loaded up, you can use your legs, ask your skipper for help, or do the monkey-leg thing (I'll show you and Claire probably can too since it's a Tufts thing).

3. When you're heeling the boat through the wing-on-wing gybe, what should the crew hike off of, or is simply sitting on the rail enough of a heel?

You do not hike hard to roll a wing-to-wing gybe. Think of it more as a carve than a roll. The key is to weight the rail early. Your weight should drive the boat down through the gybe.
It's also just as important to maintain weather heel as you go into the gybe. A lot of our crews let the boats start to flatten, or even heel to leeward, when getting the board down and such. This causes the boat to head-up and the skipper to have to over-steer the gybe.
Make sure, too, that you are flying the jib all the way through the gybe.

4. When going from a wing to a reach does the crew pop the jib through the lead then hold it outside the shroud?

When going wing to reach, it depends on the wind conditions. If it's nuking, then everything stays through the lead. If you can trim outside of the shrouds, then just dive to leeward and immediately go for the windward sheet. Then, take the slack out of the leeward sheet.
Both skippers and crews need to work on these wing to reach transitions (and back). This is a whole conversation...

5. Transitions! We have noticed that all of you are not transitioning well. There are a few things that you can all be doing:

Skippers need to play the vang in puffy conditions. It was nuking at times and no one had reached into the boat.
Crews need to start telling skippers about puffs and lulls. It's just as important to prepare for a lull as for a puff.
Look before you tack! If you are tacking in a puff, don't over-roll the boat. Similarly, if you are tacking in a lull, make sure you are ready to accelerate out of the tack.

Any more??? Feel free to either comment on the post or send me your questions.

Pre-Start Homework

2009-03-31T05:38:00.002-04:00

As we discussed yesterday, you should always do your homework before the start. At the bare minimum, the skipper and crew need to:

Check all ring-dings
Check your hiking straps
Check your tiller extension and universal
Check your rudder bolt
Get a line sight
Get a lay-line to boat (critical if you are starting boat or middle)
Get a lay-line to pin (critical if you are starting pin)
Get the time down the line
Get the time around the boat
Look up the course

Here is a link to the full article that Roy mentioned on SailGroove about what crews should do before the start. (http://www.sailgroove.org/articles/view/877-for-starters)

Ducking - This Week's Technique Tuesday

2009-03-31T05:33:00.003-04:00

Soooo, what do you think?? I have my opinions. How do WE execute a good duck?

Watch more video of Technique Tuesdays on sailgroove.org

Here are some hints:

Which way do you heel the boat in order to bear away?
Which way do you heel the boat in order to head up?
What did we review yesterday about lateral distance?

Maybe we will work on this today or tomorrow and then add more notes.

New Season, New Things to Think About

2009-03-20T16:55:00.005-04:00

Well, we're back from another spring break trip to Stuart. The boats will get rigged next week, and we'll be on the water shortly. One thing that's new this year is the availability of good video for boat handling, thanks to SailGroove.

The first one to look at is about wing-to-wing gybes. Crews, take a look at the timing of the wing, the stability of the boat, and the flick around the mast. Some of you are ready to move to this level. Oh, just food for thought to get the season started.

Watch more video of Technique Tuesdays on sailgroove.org

Dean's Downwind Notes

2008-05-03T10:51:00.006-04:00

REMEMBER this is all very situational and the diagram and below words are for you to have in your head to use when the situation seems to fit.

As you approach the weather mark:

If you were Lifted on stbd tack, upwind, and in a puff, then just bear away and ride it out downwind.

If you were Knocked on stbd tack, upwind, in a puff, then consider jibing around the mark.

STEADY BREEZE

Always keep your downwind lane clear. The best way to do this is to make sure that no one is on your breeze. If you have tell-tales, look at the direction that they are flowing and then trace that behind you to see if the other boat is on your breeze. A quick luff of your jib can also tell you this.

Rule of thumb - I would keep the boat behind just off of my port corner if on stbd jibe, and the other corner if on port jibe.

As you approach the leeward mark, make sure that you are on the inside. This means that you need to work towards the inside, and think about over-laps the entire way down the course. Don't be afraid to hit the brakes at the 2-boat-length circle so that you don't get caught outside of boats. It's better to slow early and get a good rounding, than to sail around the outside of several boats.

NOTE: this strategy does not apply to busting mark traps.

PUFFS FROM THE LEFT

If you are already in the puff, then jibe onto port to ride it out, and then jibe back to connect with the next puff.

As you approach the leeward mark, stbd jibe is the faster jibe and gives you inside advantage. This is because the stbd jibe will be a reach with left puffs.

PUFFS FROM THE RIGHT

If in the puff, stay on stbd and ride it out then jibe to connect with the next puff.

As you approach the leeward mark, there are potential gains on port jibe because it is the faster jibe in the puff. This is because the others are sailing dead downwind on stbd into mark. However, this is a little more risky because as you move down the course you have to assess the line up (ladder rungs).

**The right puff is what you took advantage of on Monday practice near the leeward mark.

THE DIAGRAM
The black line shows the course in the different puffs. When the line bends, that is a jibe to connect back to the puff

Lots of Little Things

2008-04-22T21:47:00.002-04:00

There are lots of things that have been happening lately that really don't fall into any particular category or post. Here we go:

Sit forward - a lot of you are still too far back in the boat (skippers and crews), particularly when it gets light

Press - yesterday, I saw a lot of skippers with their bums on the rails while the crews were to leeward. Get your weight together and press the boat flat.

Talk - crews need to talk to skippers and vice versa. However, crews may need a little prompting. Skippers remember to ask: where's the wind, how's my height and speed, where's the mark, what combo are we in, etc.

Jib Trim - on reaches, crews are over-trimmed. Make sure you are playing the tell tales the entire time. If you are on a deep reach, and both tell tales are hanging straight down, then you need to talk about pressure. If there is no pressure in the jib and it's stalled, then the skipper needs to either head up or go to a wing.

Up-Wind Trim - most of you are not playing the main enough up wind. I see the rudders making adjustments that could be more effectively handled with weight and sails. Think about it before you move the tiller. Skippers, also don't forget to tell your crew what you're doing with the sails. They have to play the jib too.

Flat is Fast - boats are not flat. This is up and down wind. Crews and skippers aren't smooth enough with the press, and skippers need to talk to crews more on the reaches about keeping the boats flat. Remember, on a reach, even a little weather heel is good. This means that the boat goes to flat when the puff hits.

Break it Down and Make it Plane - we used to talk about this in college. You are all missing key planing opportunities down wind. If you could time a pump and shift your weight correctly on the waves, you would be planing. Remember, too, that the board needs to be up and you have to be trimmed as well.

Don't Get Caught on the Quarter Wake - this happened yesterday. When boats are reaching, you cannot pass the boat ahead if you are on their wake. You have to find a way to punch through it.

Is Your Boat Set-Up Properly?

2008-04-22T21:40:00.002-04:00

I'm noticing that most of you are not adjusting your rig tension on the water. My question is this: do you know what you're looking for?

With a 420, to know if the boat is set-up properly, you have to get the boat sailing up-wind and then let go of the tiller. The goal is to have a little bit of weather-helm. If the boat crash tacks, then you have too little jib halyard tension. If it falls off, then you have too much. The boat should just slightly edge up-wind when the boat has the correct rig tension.

There are a zillion myths about rig set up. People talk about twisting, pulling, whatever the fore stay. Others say that it has to do with the amount of sag in the leeward shroud. Basically, just get the boat upwind and check it.

Zen and the Art of Roll Tacking

2008-04-22T21:35:00.002-04:00

I know. It's plagiarism. Unless, that is, you haven't read the original. (You should all read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance).

Anyways, this is mostly for skippers. You should all try the Zen Tack. If your boat is set up properly, then it should tack itself. If you don't know how to know if your boat is set up properly, read the next post.

Here's how it works, just hold the tiller loosely cradled in your hand. Let the boat naturally move through the tack, while you just focus on trimming your main. One good hard roll, and you have a perfectly neutral-helmed tack. If you never move the tiller, then you can't over-steer. See what I mean?

To make this work, it takes patience. The boat moves up through the tack slowly (obviously, this is not a move to throw in a critical situation). Once you feel how the boat naturally wants to tack, you can start to add a little tiller to speed it up.

Are you being passed back?

2008-03-31T18:59:00.002-04:00

Another great question from earlier today:

How do I recognize a passback while its happening on the water?

This is a bit tricky, try asking yourself these questions:

Am I in a 2 on 1 situation? Or is my team-mate being double-teamed? Remember the "piggy in the middle"?

Are you, or your team-mate, tacking a ton, with someone to weather of you? This could be a sucker drill where someone is trying to get you to go slow by tacking frequently to draw you down the course.

Are you, or your team-mate, sailing the headed tack? Do you realize that you are sailing away from the mark and that someone is forcing you?

Those are three big signs that you, or your team-mate, are in a passback. Remember, too, that if you are not winning, or don't have pairs, then the other team is going to be trying something.

Puffy Conditions

2008-03-31T18:49:00.003-04:00

These questions were emailed to me earlier this morning. I thought you all may be interested. As always, feel free to comment.

When I'm calling puffs, should I be able to tell whether its a header or a lift, or does that just come with experience?

Start by just getting the timing down, You should be able to say that there is a puff in 5 seconds and then count it down. Once you get the timing, since you will have been paying attention, you will start to understand direction.

To keep it really simple, the axis of the header will be pointed such that it makes the boat want to bear away when the puff hits. The axis of a lift will allow the boat to head up to meet it,

In breezy conditions is it just as important to be playing the jib as in lighter conditions, or should I be more focused on keeping the boat flat?

It is just as important, just harder to do because of the load on the sheets. You still need to adjust with your skipper, regardless of the wind velocity. When it really nukes, that's when it pays to be able to ease with the skipper in the puffs.

When judging how to play the jib, is it based more on skipper communicating what they're doing with the main, or just anticipating the puffs?

Both. First off, your skipper should be talking to you about what they are doing with the main. Since you have your head out of the boat and are looking around, you should start to recognize what your skipper is doing when, and then start to anticipate

Rigging Checklist

2008-03-26T16:53:00.002-04:00

Once again, you should do this EVERY time before you hit the water and between races.

1. Drain your tanks
2. Do you have a bow line?
3. Check and tape forestay ring-ding
4. Check and tape jib tack pin ring-ding (this means you have tape on you)
5. Check and tape shroud pins
6. Check shrouds, forestay, and halyards for frays
7. Use pliers to tighten twist shackle(s) on vang
8. Check jib cleats
9. Check and tape ring-ding on vang shackle (if not a twist shackle)
10. Check and tape ring-dings on mainsheet blocks (2 on the boom + the ratchet block)
11. Check mainsheet for frays
12. Check jib sheets for frays
13. Make sure you have an outhaul and cunningham
14. Check centerboard up-haul and down-haul lines (do not leave the dock without them)
15. Check knots in the vang, mainsheet, and jibsheets (if you are rotating into a boat, check halyard cleats and main halyard at the head)
16. Check hiking straps to make sure they are tied up to the traveler bar
17. Check hiking strap tie-down line (check the knot and the condition of the line). Do you really want your weight on that piece of rope?
18. Check tiller universal for cracks
19. Check and tighten your rudder bolt
20. Do you have 2 bailers secured with tie-down line

HINT: Every person should have on them, at all times, a knife (preferably a multi-tool like a Leatherman or Gerber – ask Roy or Beth for opinions on these two) a foot of thin line, a few pins & ring-dings, and a roll of electrical tape.

Roll Tacks

2008-03-24T11:51:00.007-04:00

Roy and I just finished talking about Florida. The two best boat-handlers out there were the 2 most athletic, strong, and in-shape teams. (Hint: those of you who do NOT play a winter sport need to think about how to stay in shape next year...) Anyways, I just found a few videos that you should consider. Remember that a 420 is a physical boat - FJs are a different story.

Clip #1
The big issue here is timing. Notice how late the roll is - probably too late. Also watch how the skipper and crew are NOT together.

Clip #2
With this one, the timing is better but there is NO ROLL. The reason is that the skipper does not slide her hips back and roll out on the main sheet. The crew also does not get out far enough away from the boat. She's really vertical. On a positive note, the skipper does get a fairly big ease on the main.

Clip #3
The skipper and crew have great timing, but still not enough roll or flatten. What do you think they should do?

Clip #4
This is part of the Harken/North U boathandling videos. Roy has the full video on Dragon, but this is a decent over-view. There is some good info in here and a few decent tacks to watch. (Some not-so-decent ones as well)

Welcome to the 2008 Season

2008-03-22T18:43:00.005-04:00

Well, guys, it's time to get going again. We've already had a few days on the water in Newport, plus a week of practice in Florida. So far, what have you learned?

A few things from Florida and the first few practices that you should all keep in mind.

Boatspeed Kills - you have to be focused, 100% of the time, on going fast. This is for both the skippers and crews. With regard to boatspeed, you have to think about sail trim, weight, rudder, shifts, pressure, timing.... It's more than thinking that you are just going in a straight line.

Boat-handling - it has to be perfect 100% of the time. Every second that you are on the water, you should be working on your boathandling. Try new things. Remember that the flatten is twice as important than the roll. Timing is everything. Go back to Dragon and review Roy's videos. You all have a lot of work to do.

Intensity - If you think that everything will magically come together in a clutch moment, then you are fooling yourself. In order to achieve the level that we are all striving for, then you have to be focused, at the highest level, any time you are on the water or in a practice situation. In Florida, there was at least an hour of practice time that was not utilized because people were not working independently. If you want to be the best, you have to work for it.

Dean had some more concrete observations from his first day on the water:

Remember sailing is a very unique sport, the athlete has to be mentally
and physically prepared for the elements because as sailors you have to
adapt to the changing conditions (wind, water, and weather). Part of
this is to be properly geared up as well so that your mind focuses on
sailing and not how cold your hands are etc. So below I have listed
some things that might or might not help you in getting prepared to sail
from what I saw today.

Things to think about as the week rolls on:

Crews:

-foot work is very important. I strongly encourage all of
you crews to practice going from one side of the boat to the other in
your room. YES I said in your room. Visualize the centerboard trunk and
your feet on either side and stand on the balls of your feet. Practice
shifting your weight from one side to the other. One way to make it
more realistic is to take two chairs and space them apart from one
another so that you can sit on one, goto the balls of your feet
(straddling the centerboard trunk) then sit down on the other. Yes it
sounds corny but trust me it works!

-Jib trimming from one side to the other.. Don't forget to
uncleat the jib and in return once it is uncleated pull the other one in
as the boat tacks. This too can be practiced in your room, once all
your roommates think you are crazy jumping from one chair to another
imagine holding a jib sheet (now they will really think you have lost
it!). While sitting on the one chair pretend to pop the jib out of the
cleat move to the balls of your feet then as you sit down (on the other
chair) in one motion pull the other jib sheet in.

-Down wind you crews are the life support of the boat.
Standing up is important with your knees slightly bent. You control the
boat and its stability. One foot at the base of the mast and the other
angled back. (this position will get you ready for college when you can
add the ooch downwind)

Skippers:

-In todays conditions, remember to have your mains up all
the way, outhaul on, and the big thing I noticed was the skipper and
crew hop!

THE SKIPPER and CREW HOP was being preformed exceptionally well however
it will not win you any points come competition time. What I am talking
about is as puffs and lulls roll through both skipper and crew jump in
and out to keep the boat balanced. I would like to see this happen a
little more gracefully. One reason for the hop is because the vang is
too loose so when the puff comes and the main is eased too much sail
power is lost forcing the crew and skipper to jump in, as the skipper
trims the main back in both skipper and crew jump out (very unbalanced).
Pulling on a little more vang and easing the main in and out a little
less both skipper and crew can remain locked in a hiking position and
keeping the boat flat allowing the foils to really work and the boat
just jumps to weather.

-Let your new crews have the rush of hanging off the side of
the boat feeling nothing but their ankles holding them in. The reason I
say this in today most experienced skippers worked really hard at hiking
and keeping the boats flat while the crews did a half hike (because they
did not have to hike) I would like to see the crews hiking harder and
the skippers half hiking until their services are needed. This frees up
the skipper to concentrate a little more on boat speed and the
environment of which they are sailing.

So, what did you learn?

More FJ Notes

2007-05-10T06:17:00.001-04:00

These came from Matt Knowles:

1-the only time rig tension *needs* to be really tight is if you're
sailing in big waves. in big breeze and flat water people can be very
fast with either a medium or a very tight setting. in light air,
pretty much everything except super tight can work. i think the
deciding factors are these: 1) your sailing style; the groove is a
lot bigger with a loose rig, but you might loose a little in terms of
pointing. i think in team racing this is a good tradeoff. 2) mast
step position: look where the host has the mast step set; if it is
waaayyy back, then you really can't set the right that tight or
everything is going to be funky. MIT has their masts all the way
back, and consequently it seems like it is best to go very light on
the tension. If the step is in the middle or in the front, seems like
you've got a bit more freedom.

2-i would advocate having people try doing the wild thing when it is
windy (crew wings the jib, sitting on the windward rail, skipper sits
on the leeward rail and pumps the main.) i do this if either it is
marginal planning or surfing conditions, or if it is big breeze and I
am sailing with a less-experienced crew. the advantages are you can
get much bigger and better timed pumps on the main while winging, and
also (assuming the skipper is bigger, anyway) it is much easier to
prevent the death roll this way if you get pushed by the lee in a big
puff ( in FJs in huge breeze, i've had a few times (when sailing with
my heavy) that we've both found ourselves hiking to leeward for a
second or two in a huge puff to keep from death-rolling... and the
side effect is you go really fast.)

3-i agree with garth that bungee-ing up the straps is much less
important, since that huge thwart is great to roll off for both
skipper and crew (and the crew doesn't need to two foot the rolls in
FJs anyway. in FJs we tend to flatten on the thwart and pick up the
straps only once we're flat again.

Intro to FJs

2007-05-03T06:54:00.000-04:00

The biggest thing to remember about FJs is that they are NOT 420s. An FJ has smaller blades, a bigger jib, and a narrower hull. it does NOT want to plane in breeze, yet loses nothing on a good tack. That said, there are lots of things to think about.

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.

Heavy Air Sailing

2007-05-03T06:46:00.000-04:00

Just a review of things to do when it starts to blow.

Rig Tension - as it starts to build, check your jib halyard tension. Remember that as it builds, add more. To check your tension, get the boat sailing flat and upwind. Let go of the tiller. If you crash-tack, add more halyard. If you have lee-helm, let it off.

Outhaul, Cunningham, Vang - You want to pull on more in this order. Flatten out the foot first, then move the draft forward in the main with cunningham. Finally, crank down the vang. Remember, even in moderate breeze you need some vang - enough that when you ease the main in the puffs, the boom should go out parallel to the boat and not up.

Hiking Straps - As it builds, you are going to need to loosen these up so that you can hike farther. This is something that we usually ignore.

Center Board - This becomes critical on reaches. You can have more up than you think. If you are planing into a jibe, leave it up! Otherwise, the boat trips over the board and capsizes.

Boat Handling Questions

2007-04-13T07:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of things that a lot of crews should be asking about, but only one of you did.

I'm having trouble with executing my tacks and gybes well. I was wondering if you had any tips for improving upon a few things that I need to work the most on:

The "bunny hop" over the traveler bar

The correct form/how to hike when gybing

When exactly to trim in and let out the jib (on both tacks and gybes)

The Bunny Hop
You have to keep your feet together and under you. Also, you're trying to roll too much on your back and not enough on
your side - this helps with balance. Once your timing improves, the motion of the boat actually helps you pop right up. Kinda' like a see-saw.

Form/Hiking on Gybes
On the gybes, it depends on if you're going reach-to-reach or wing-to-wing. They are very different. Just remember, it's not a true roll. More of a carve. You can't roll too early in a gybe. Remember, as your weight comes to windward, the boat bears off. That's the goal.

Jib Trim on Tacks
The jib needs to go from full to full - no luffing. Personally, I release the jib as I roll, and then punch my arm through the boat to get it in on the other side. This gets all but the last inch or so. Then, as my skipper trims in the last bit out of the tack, I bring the jib in the rest of the way.

Jib Trim on Gybes
Jib Trim on the Gybes: Basically, think about flying the jib through the entire turn. You never want to force it at any point. This means that on a reach-to-reach gybe, you want to wing the jib just before the gybe and then be ready to have it flying on your new course as the skipper flattens. On wing-to-wing gybes, the trick is to NOT try to wing on the new side too early. This is why you have to have the sheet in two places before the gybe. If the skipper over rotates the boat, then you can fly the reach until the boat bears off and then wing it. With down-wind jib trim, it's all about the pressure that you feel in your hand. If the jib gets soft, then you need to either go to a wing or have the skipper head up.

Tactical Tip #4

2007-04-11T06:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the breeze was up-and-down, and swung about 30-degrees to the right during practice. Roy shifted the entire course around. That said, here are 3 observations:

DO NOT LET BOATS GET TO THE RIGHT OF YOU ON THE LAST LEG!

In the 2-3-6 drill, the team had converted to a 2-3-4. However, the 2 boat sailed out to the left of the course while the entire fleet went right. At the top, 2 had gone to 6. The 2-3-4 needed to have been balanced to the right of the fleet in order to stay in control.

DO NOT SAIL DOWN THE COURSE

Off the line, a number of you sailed a parallel course, away from the mark, to the left. While this seemed to be the lifted tack, you were actually on the wrong side of the shift. As soon as the boats on the right tacked (yes, they were headed a bit off the line), they all had you. Crews, this is why you have to watch the boats on your weather hip. As soon as the pack to the right tacked, you had to try to get over as many as you could.

Also, crews let skippers sail well past lay-lines yesterday. You need to literally point at the mark with your up-wind hand and make sure that you are still sailing at it.

LIGHT AIR SAILING ISSUES

Top reasons why some of you were dog-slow:

Skippers were trying to sail too high. Foot off a bit for speed and then come back up when you have power in the sails.

Crews, do NOT strap the jibs. You should have never had the jibs cleated yesterday. When your skipper says that they need power, you should have been able to ease about 1/4". When they feel up to speed, bring it back in a hair.

Stop the rudder from moving. Skippers, press the tillers to the deck. If you need to head up, have the crew ease to you and then gradually bring the boat up. If you need to bear off, just slide your shoulders to weather a bit and ease the main about 1/2".

Timing! You are all rushing your boat-handling and trying to throw the boat around. It's counter-productive. If your timing is off (and it is for almost all of you), all the roll in the world won't do anything. Don't roll your tacks until the jib backs. Crews, you should NOT flatten the jibes out (except for maybe when sailing with Norfleet). Skippers, you're not going to be able to jam the rudder over and have the boat do anything but stop. Just relax!

The second that you get on the water in light air, you are racing. One bad tack could leave you dead in the water and cause you to miss a start. One bad jibe and you're out the back. Every motion counts. On a light air day, every move needs to be perfect - even if the start has not yet counted down to zero.

Loose Footed Mains

2007-04-09T07:30:00.000-04:00

Matt Knowles - Jeff's brother - and I have been talking about how to trim the loose footed mains. Here are bits of the conversation:

On the Class-Legal, 420 mains we go pretty tight with the outhaul pretty much all the time - not boned, but definitly tight enough so there is never any horizontal space between the foot and the boom. if it is nuking we'll max them, but since you're in vang sheeting mode by then it doesn't make much a of a difference. if i'm sailing in waves or chop i go a tiny bit looser to try to cary a bit more power, but really never that loose - it seems slow as soon as you've got a big horizontal gap at the foot spilling breeze.

we don't bother to let the outhaul off downwind, have done some speed testing and it doesn't seem to make any difference, better off just getting the vang set perfectly. one thing that does seem to help a lot is always running the cunningham over the slug rather than through the grommit (sp?) until it is so windy that you can't get it down far enough for that - this lets you get some luff tension without messing up the whole foot of the sail / making a deep pocket.

the other sail we use is the Vanguard/north "intercollegiate" cut main that is used on both FJs and 420s. we have it on our FJs, and BC has them on their 420s, so i've played with it on both. with this cut (which sucks, btw, they made a lot of compromises so it'll work on both boats) we go *max* outhaul all the time on the FJs except very light air when the wrinkles look nasty, in which case we ease a little bit. in 420s, i think the same holds, except probably want to trend a little looser since the AOA is different than an FJ. with this cut, the luff tends to be pretty short on 420s, so you actually need to have a bit of cunningham on even in light air so the foot doesn't get pulled up from the boom near the tack.

one other thing about the new Intercollegiate cut mains is that with the big stiff headboard it is pretty easy to put the main up too high in light air, in which vase you get the head twisted to windward in a funky way. in breeze it doesn't seem to matter.

Tactical Tip #3

2007-04-09T07:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday, it was really shifty. A few things to note.

DO YOUR PRE-START ROUTINE - Ellie and I kept count of every time someone took a line-sight, a lay-line, or a time around the boat. It was not all of you.

Do not let 2 boats get off to one side unprotected. There were at least 2 races where 2 Opponent boats got out to the right and were not covered. Yes, the shift did come from the left, but what if it hadn't.

Make your Opponent sail through you to get to the finish. In the super light race against MV, we were hipped up on the fleet, but not in front of them. What if a massive header had come through? What if the breeze had gone all the way around and from the right?

Last note, do NOT forget your boat-handling as soon as you start team racing. A lot of you were painful to watch. It is especially critical in light air. We lost boat-lengths on poor reach-to-wing transitions (remember, this is all crew). Our tacks were mediocre, and we almost stopped at times trying to gybe for position. As soon as you get on the water, the entire time that you are on the water, you should be working on this.

Questions from the week

2007-04-06T06:34:00.000-04:00

Here's the list of questions - and answers - from the week:

So today in our meet, I was having some trouble with my flattening off
the tacks in the big wind. We weren't rolling much at all, and we just
couldn't seem to snap the tack flat.

EASE!!!! That whole, "bring your hand to your ear thing" is critical
in big breeze. As you cross the boat, you should get about a 2 foot
ease. Also, you may be over-steering. Make sure you keep the boat on a close-hauled course (or even higher for a second in big breeze) as you come out of the tacks.

When I was spinning yesterday, I would come out of the tack and ease the
main all the way as I was bearing off. When We rolled the boom would hit
the water, and I couldn't flatten and steer up at the same time. When I
didn't let the main out all the way, it solved both problems, but it felt
slower. Which is better?

Sounds like you're spinning too tight in both circles. Don't just blow the main,
ease the main. Remember to sail the boat through the circles - don't spin it.

I still don't know what to do about windward sheeting

Remember, a 420 has a lousy setup where the jib leads are actually in the wrong place. That said, you use windward sheeting to get a better angle on the sail. It's a bit hard to explain in an email, but here's what you're looking for... If you get down in the boat and look straight up towards the top of the mast, you will see the leech of the main and the leech of the jib. They should be parrallel to each other as they go towards the top - this is called the Slot. The best way to get the feel of this is to rig a boat on shore and then play with sail trim. If you strap the leeward sheet and have no weather sheet, you'll see that the foot of the jib is closed off in that slot. If you have less leeward sheet and lots of weather sheet, you'll see that the top of the sail gets closed and that the foot is out.

How much jib halyard should I have?

When you apply halyard tension, you are pulling the entire mast forward. As you let it off, you are letting the entire mast go aft. The best way to judge is to get the boat sailing upwind, and then have the skipper let go of the tiller. You want to have a little bit of weather helm (the boat should want to head up on its own). Just remember that during the course of a few hours, you may need to adjust your rig tension if the breeze builds or lightens.

Notes from Yesterday (3/31)

2007-04-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Observations from yesterday:

Skippers - get the main in tight before the tacks

Crews - keep your feet together at all times; the only time you straddle the centerboard trunk is when sailing wing-on-wing

Skippers - drive with your main and not your tiller. You have to make sure to have an over-hand grip on the mainsheet (Will, this is you) so that you can easily ease and trim

TIMING - especially on the tacks, skippers do not roll until the crews roll

Wing-to-Wing Jibes - Remember, especially with our boats at school, crews always have a jib sheet in each hand and do NOT let go

Board down

Feet back

Reverse the Tiller

Crews take the jib sheet from the skipper's hand, grab the vang, and SIT

Skippers reach up and grab all 4 parts of the main sheet

Pull the main over and do NOT let go

Skippers flatten and pump

Skippers exchange and reach for the jib

Crews, as soon as the boat is flat, stand straight up in the middle of the boat, put your weight on your windward foot, and wing the jib by pulling straight up through the lead

Board up

Re-set the vang

With reach to reach jibes, crews keep their feet together

Skippers flatten the jibes and stay forward

To find the lay-line to the boat, try ducking the boat and then sailing on a close-hauled course. You know that you are on the lay-line when you just barely clear the stern corner of the boat when sailing up-wind

When sailing up-wind, make sure that you are always "pointing at the weather mark." Crews, it is your job to make sure that you are sailing the lifted tack.

To slow your boat down-wind, put the board down, slide your weight back, over-trim your main, and center the jib

Tactical Tip #2

2007-03-29T07:07:00.000-04:00

Hannah sent these questions from yesterday, so here are the Tip(s) of the Day.

First, downwind, you do want a little bit of vang, right? so that the top batten is parallel with the boom, which would be more vang that in lighter conditions.

Vang gets tricky. You want enough on so that the top batten is parallel, but not so much that it actually makes you capsize. To bear off huge, you want to be able to ease the vang. This means that at the windward mark, you want the vang off. You can then re-set it for down wind. You will see a happy sailing around with absolutely no vang when it is nuking and they will stay up for a while. This is because with no vang on, the sail is totally de-powered. However, with no vang on, it also means that you don't accelerate in the puffs. That said, have the vang on to keep you in control. This means that if you are wing-on-wing, have enough vang so that the boat isn't rocking like mad. On the reaches, when you pump, the whole sail (top & bottom) should come in together. Basically, you are going to have to adjust as you sail. You can't just set it and forget it.

Also, is it better to sail hotter angles and gybe a few times downwind than to sail low or wing on wing?

If you are good, you will be able to hold the wing. Cookie passed 5 boats in the last 50 yards to the leeward mark yesterday because he had the guts to blow the vang and sail low. You can plane a 420 while on a wing. It's scary, but it's fast. An FJ, however, in major breeze is a different beast. You sail angles more in light air than when it blows.

And, when sailing angles how do you know you are sailing too high an angle and losing?

Think about it this way: you always want to feel like you can bear off to the mark. Which gybe will give you the best angle on the breeze and to the mark? If you were sailing up-wind, you'd know that you can't point directly at the mark until you are on the lay-line. It's the same thing down-wind. Yesterday, a group of you all reached on starboard way to the right (down-wind right) of the mark, and then gybed back at a hot angle. If you cannot bear off and point at the mark, then you need to gybe.

Sail Trim

2007-03-28T21:16:00.000-04:00

Now that we have new sails, we are going to have to think about how to trim them.

Yesterday, we noticed that these sails are really bladed.

Today, List commented "After messing around with windward sheeting on the jibs in Florida, what should we do differently with the windward sheeting on our boats?"

Thoughts? Add your comments to this post.

Tactical Tip #1

2007-03-28T18:48:00.000-04:00

Today, we knew that a front was going to come in from the NW. However, at first, the sea breeze was trying to fill from the SE. For the first few minutes on the water, the breeze was oscillating back and forth between those two directions from a westerly direction. As the breeze died down, you may have noticed that it pulled left. The stronger puffs came from the right - the direction of the front.

When you know that a new system is coming in, look for the stronger pressure to come from that direction. Similarly, when the sea breeze is trying to fill, and you are in the Northern Hemisphere, look for the breeze to go right as it builds and then back left as it fades.

There is a decent article by Ed Adams about sailing in a sea breeze in Newport on the Sailing World website. Henry HIll also did some decent illustrations.

Rigging Check List

2007-03-28T18:26:00.000-04:00

Now that we are on the water, just a reminder of what you should check every time you rig your boat. You should also check things in bold before every start.

1. Drain tanks
2. Make sure to have a bow line
3. Check and tape forestay ring-ding
4. Check and tape jib tack pin ring-ding
5. Check and tape shroud pins
6. Check shrouds, forestay, and halyards for frays
7. Use pliers to tighten twist shackle(s) on vang
8. Check jib cleats
9. Check and tape ring-ding on vang shackle (if not a twist shackle)
10. Check and tape ring-dings on mainsheet blocks (2 on the boom + the ratchet block)
11. Check mainsheet for frays
12. Check jib sheets for frays
13. Make sure you have an outhaul and cunningham
14. Check centerboard up-haul and down-haul lines (do not leave the dock without them)
15. Check knots in the vang, mainsheet, and jibsheets (if you are rotating into a boat, check halyard cleats and main halyard head)
16. Check hiking straps to make sure they are tied up to the traveler bar
17. Check hiking strap tie-down line (check the knot and the condition of the line)
18. Check tiller universal for cracks
19. Check rudder pintle
20. Check and tighten rudder bolt

Questions from PJ

2007-03-25T17:52:00.000-04:00

Over break, Pete emailed me some questions. Below, I've pasted in most of the discussion. Anyone else have thoughts?

Pete's questions

First question: to reduce weather helm, should you move your weight forward or back?

Second Question: At the start, if you have to come back around the boat from right on its stern (i.e. the same position
as if you were timing it), is it better to foot off, accelerate, and then begin to come up and go around it, or should you take the shorter route and just get the main in and go (or is it more situation dependant than anything)?

Third Question: can we talk about downwind shifts and playing the angles next week?

Fourth Question: When you are sailing in the summer, how do you do you time shifts? I can't seem to figure out the best way to do it... and I don't have a compass... solution?

Beth's Answers

1. Weight and weather-helm: I would ask first, what are the conditions? To be honest, I think that weather helm is more a function of rig tune that weight placement. In light air, weather helm is ok. Moving your weight forward - which is also good - will reduce some of it (think about how the crew hikes forward to bear the boat off). However, if it's choppy, moving your weight forward too far will just fill you with water. I also wonder, if you have too much weather helm, and you think your rig is tuned correctly, are you flat? That could be another factor.

2. Coming around the boat: again, what is the situation? Is it light? Do you want to go right? Where's the fleet? Where is your pair? What are the conditions? This is why it is critical to know the time around the boat! I sailed a J24 race one time where we were over early and came around the boat. The skipper footed off a bit for speed - it was light and lumpy - but then sailed us directly under the fleet. We ended up footing out to the wrong side and got stuck on the wrong side of the shift. However, had he rounded the boat tight, like a mark rounding, and then tacked right away - what I had wanted to do - then we would have been footing out to the correct side of the shift and would have been golden at the top of the course. See, lots of things
to consider.

3. Down-wind shifts - yes! Most important thing is that some one has to be looking backwards the entire time downwind. I've gotten to a point where I ask three questions the whole way to the leeward mark: where's the pressure, where's the fleet, where's the mark. As long as I am sailing DOWN to the mark, in pressure, and in position, we usually do fine. It's not as hard as some people seem to think.

4. First off, if you are sailing long courses in open water - not on a lake - then invest in a compass. We get numbers before every start when we are sailing in places like Long Island Sound, Niantic Bay, etc. Basically, we sail for about 3 minutes on each tack and just watch the compass. We come up with a high, a low, and a median number. Then during the course of the day, we start to watch how long it takes for each shift to move in. However, if we are sailing on a lake - which we do a lot - it just has to do with looking up the course. This could actually mean watching the clouds move in over the land. In one regatta, we realized that when they started to shift, we could anticipate the next shift to come from under the clouds.

To be honest, the only time when I can really say something like "It pulls back to the left after 5 minutes and 43 seconds" is when I'm coaching. You have to be able to watch for a long time to really be able to time it. Usually, it's when you have a gradient and a sea breeze - or a gradient and an incoming front - when this really happens. Usually, you have a persistent shift (like when it pulls right as the sea breeze fills) on top of small oscillations. This means that you can work to stay in phase while also working to the right side of the course. We see this a ton.

Things I learned in Florida

2007-03-23T13:13:00.000-04:00

We had a great few days of practice down in Stuart. I know that I learned a few things. How about the rest of you?

1. Crews have to flatten tacks on their BACK foot

2. Crews keep the water out of the boat when doing multiple reach-to-reach jibes

3. The improved "Bermuda Fitted Dinghy" Drill

4. For small skippers, it is all about control and very little about boat-handling

5. Skippers, on reach-to-reach jibes, make sure you go from trimmed to trimmed. In other words, the "Pedrick Jibe."

First Day of Practice

2007-03-02T06:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it's blowing 30 and raining - must be time for spring sailing. Today, we will start right in with rules and team racing. I will try to get my Team Racing Combos book to you after spring break.