The big bear away....

When we had a 600 coach come and help us out, he (james sainsbury) said that he can regurally sail the whole course with full kicker on and its it isn't that bad bearing away and jybing etc with it on?!

Also commitment is a huge part, just like in windsurfing aswell. If your thinking i must not capsize, 8/10 times you will because your to concentrated on that rather than sailing the boat. Never worry/think about it and take it as it comes !

This is best performed at pace and with a moderately slow turn initially.

1. before the top mark drop your vang about an inch - this will keep some control on your leech but will allow twist, and will take the pressure offthe gooseneck (you should be sailing upwind with a lot of vantension, but not vang sheeting). If yiou are vang sheeting let off a couple of inches (thiough the side cleat not on the vang itself) ease the luff a little too, if you can

2. spring the mainsheet so you are holding it in your hand and you are in control as you approach the mark.

3. move aft a foot or so, ease the mai about 12-18inches and start the turn down.

4. keep the boat sailing fast and under control as you turn your boat slowly.

5. get the back foot off the gunnel and into the boat if you are unable to keep trapezing (remeber the boat at all times should be heeled slightly to leeward. If you are not heeled to leeward you have eased the main too much, and if yiour rudder has started aerating and you are very heeld ease the main some more (6 inches)

Control and pace are the two things to remember

RG

We had the 18 out yesterday in quite simply the most amazing conditions we've sailed it in yet...and we were really getting to grips with triple wire bearaways.  The power and and acceleration of the 18 was just awesome (and that was only in a F3 ish).

We did stay dry which was a bonus, but there were a couple of times that we did not get it quite right and come out with too much leeward heel on...giving you a good case of vertigo as you suddenly seem to be trapezing about 10 foot above water!!!

You need a little leeward heel to ensure that you have gravity working to help get you body back inboard, rather than working to get it out of the boat, if you are heeled to windward.

If you do a quick release of the mainsheet, and ease a small chunk (6-8") quickly as you turn that will take the pressure of the rudder. The degree of heel is slight coming into an upright position as the boat turns.

If you start with windward heel the boat will come event further back on you as you turn - which can get very messy. Also it is not a good idea to be relying on footloop pressure to pull you back into the boat in the first instance. OK as a Plan B - but not Plan A.

RG

im geussing vang sheeting is when if the kicker does not go exactly to the mast base (like the 600), then if you pull lots and lots of kicker on the boom wont go out as the kicker is acting as a mainsheet, this does happen very slightly on the 600 in light winds.

vang tension is just how much grunt you use to get the kicker on.

thats just a geuss but it would seem the logical thing.