Who was out this weekend?.....

Originally posted by jeffers Get in a Blaze and try it, I found that almost impossible when i had mine so I went back to the tested technique of swapping behind my back as I went across. I worked pretty well!. I would not want to be worrying about getting out on the wing then having to change hands if I can be done before then.

My most successful tacks happened when I did this. Passing both hands
behind my back and swapping as I went over seemed to do it, but I haven't
got it 100% yet, I'm sure it'll come.

O.K. It's not quite as simple as that..

You have to imagine you're in this reclining armchair thing, first you have
to get out of it to even be into a position to wave to any fishes..

Then you have the added complication, someone who previously owned
the said craft deemed it necessary to chuck away that handy turret and
cleat spinning doo dah thingy essential for smooth grumpf style tacks as
a short term depository for the bit of rope attached to the swinging bit
that makes the whole thing go..

So, the sun goes the wrong side of the sail or you spill the hot coffee in
your lap whatever it's time to turn.

You have to shuffle several inches to get your short stubby legs back in
contact with said hull, then push up out of the armchair, stand up a bit do
the super man thing, then come back extract the waggle stick from where
it has passed between the rope and the swinging bit, and try again, by
which time the pointy bit is pointing at where the wind is coming from..

Nothing is now happening..

Water is coming up the blunt bit to get you, it's the bit where you look
into Kate Winslets eyes and assure her everything's going to be alright..
Then somehow the rudder reversed the pointy bit falls away and you
clamber into the other armchair, by now the rope is wrapped around the
wiggly thing as well as both your legs, never mind waving at the fishes
tonight you'll be sleeping with them..

Originally posted by G.R.F. guring what to do with my hands during the rope wigglestick handover..

Don't change hand till you're sat down, steering with your hand behind your back. Bring sheet hand onto the tiller, hold both tiller and sheet in that hand, bring other hand in front of your body to take the sheet, then bring the tiller in front of your body. Practice, repeat, until it becomes a smooth operation that complete as you sit down.

Unless anyone else has bright advice on this?

Well, I finished my first 'dry' race in not entirely easy conditions, bit of a
southerly onshore dodgy launch followed by a swing to the SW and a three
topping four but with the steeper and more confused than usual waves a
southerly brings.

My watch blanked so missed the start and I chickened the gybes in the
early phases, the damn twisty wiggle thing keeps untwisting itself and
altering how long it becomes at the wrong moment, the bottom bit of the
sail decided to somehow become all flappy there not being a footstrop to
secure it to the mast and despite how much downhaul I applied it still
flapped about.

The Two contenders poured away followed by the 470's, I did manage to
overtake one down the reach but then lost it on the next leg which was a
tightish fetch so pretty much spent the rest of the procession alone and
trying to tack without going into irons figuring what to do with my hands
during the rope wigglestick handover..

She does get up and go on the waves, especially when you pull the 'go
even faster' chord and sheath the plate a bit, found myself dog legging the
runs, initially because of the wave direction, then from a windshift, even
managed a highish speed gybe which initiated unintentionally as I was
experimenting with that running by the lee business and ran into a bit of a
wave induced header.

I'm rambling again, whatever it was better than a poke in the eye with a
sharp stick and I'm made up with the Blaze, just getting it off the beach
was more than some of the lasers managed thanks to the kick up plate..

 

I know, trouble is they still look a bit like Moths and I think I've been mentally scarred. Not keen on this hiking malarkey either!