Why can't skiffs 2 sail reach ?

I sail an RS800 in a club handicap fleet if not doing an event. Events are great as they are windward leeward but club racing includes reaches which are a nightmare.

We all know skiff bearing off and getting downwind before a hoist requires sailing through "no mans land" where the boat is dificuilt to sail and unbalanced. This is the same for all other skiffs from what I have read.

Racing is designed around windward leeward courses so it is not a big issue but wind shifts occur etc. and it is a necessary skill.

My question is why are they not good at it ?

Taking 2 slower boats for comparison - a 505 sails beautifully on all points of sailing but the "skiff style" laser4000 does not, and suffers from the same problem as described above when sailing a 2 sail reach in comparison. Both boats are a similar speed/performance.

My 2nd question is how can you do it better ? I struggle against 505s in the RS800 when 2 sail reaching and have lost control and gone swimming a few times. I suspect practice is the key but are there pointers as regards boat flat, kicker setting etc.

Cheers

Mike

My 14 isn't too bad on 2 sail reaches (try to avoid it) as long as you totally commit and go for it. The first time I made the mistake of 'going easy' and single wiring... boat nosedived even in quite flat water

I remember sailing an RS800 on a really long 2 sail reach back to the beach. It was like balancing on a knife edge!

Mine (Cherub) is horrible, on account of being too short (bloody thing is not even 12', it's 11'9" for some reason!!) and having a huge roach on the main.

Makes it very easy to pitchpole as the CoE is very high and trying to drive forwards and down, and once the nose goes in it's goodnight vienna.  Also, don't forget that a symmetrical boat will raise the centreboard loads.  My Fireball is totally horrible if you try and reach in big breeze with the board down, it feels sticky, everything loads up and it just trips over the board.  By raising it you move the CLR right back which is what you need for a reach.

When you extend the pole on an assym you are in effect moving the CoE right forward in relation to the CLR so you don't need to actually lift the board up and back as you do in a conventional dinghy.

The 800 will be loads easier to get through the bear away than a Cherub...I'm no expert at sailing an 800, but for the bear away in my boat it's a case of BACK BACK BACK, kicker right off, jib eased a bit, and LOADS of windward feel with very little rudder input.  If she still feels like she's going down when you are completing the manoevre and the speed is coming on, just letting 18" of mainsheet run through my hand usually saves a swim.

 

Two sail reaches were always a great separator in my days in Cherubs: there were those who revelled in them and those who would be attempting to impale flatfish on the bottom with their bowsprit...

One of the reasons its one of the most difficult legs in skiff types is that you are probably travelling about wind speed, so it maximises the effect of gusts, lulls and changes in wind direction.

in a blow the 29er was great fun on a reach, and pretty easy too, just keep the bow out of the water and its all good (very easy to keep the bow out on a 29er, you have to be pretty much on the front before itll go in!). When its windy the crew (or helm) has to be very quick on the main to react to the gusts and lulls, it can also be helpfull if the helm steers for the wind (the ovious bear away in the gusts head up in the lulls applies)

In the more marginal stuff is where it tended to become easy to slow down, sometimes the crew will oversheet in an effort to stay on the wire which is very slow to say the least!

Obviously practise makes perfect so get out there and practice! Every boat will behave differently on a 2 sail reach, the key is to get to know your own boat.