Pointing

Just to add it is down to personal style.

In a breeze (we are talking Lasers here) I tend to go for the pointing and keeping the boat flat (don't be afraid to use cunningham in blow, I think it is the most under used sail control).

In the mid range it's a case of keeping the boat moving and flat (remember flat is fast, if you heel you tend to slip sideways).

In the light stuff (where I tend to lose out being a a porker at my club at 13st) I tend to sail with the sails fairly flat (to keep the wind flwoing) and sailing free. So although I may point 5 to 10 degrees lower I sail that much quicker it makes up for the extra distance.

Just my 2p.....it must work for me though having won 2 out of 3 series so far this year.

Regards,

Paul

That is a good point ... it takes for fitness and strength to be a good footer ... that's another reason why I prefer to sail high.

this is actually an excellent question for this forum, with some very well informed replies.

Here is my tuppence  worth

Firstly, in all boats it is important to get moving at a good pace below 'high' pointing with the wind anaywhere from abeam to just 'cracked off'

This will get the centre board creating lift- vital for VMG-  and it is  important as you now work the boat up to the higher pointing to keep the flow attached by driving in smooth movements. Sails are easier to adjust as you maneovre, but it is easy to stall out the dagger board in the thicker stuff under the hull!

Secondly we lack the instrumentation of keel boats ( thankfully! I think even tacktick should be banned but hey that's my opinion ;-) ) Many of them have a VMG display or use a table of target upwind speeds to wind stregnth stuck to the bulkhead. When boat speed is higher than optimal for a wind sttregnth, they point up using leech tension on the main and maybe trimming the job in and inward on barber hauler.  Conversley if too slow, they will have a good look around and check the wind is not lower now, all else being well set.

How in the name of Auld Nick do you achieve this VMG display on a dinghy?

Presuming pre-upwind planing conditions or, like the heavy RS4oo, a boat which is  displacement up wind. When we get the boat moving at a good lick for the conditions,it is important to get the crew weight out and optimised so the boat feels like it is falling over ontop of you! Then  it is flat!

Using leech tension and  rudder (or lee-heel and rudder) the boat is worked up onto the wind. The VMG indicator is simple- the bow and quarter waves should leave from the ends of the boat ie the flow of the max velocity displacement  is attached to the extremities of the  hull (ie correct wetted area).  

If there is a decent wind but the qaurter wave (back most wave of the two the boat makes, ) is leaving far forward from the stern then chances are you are sailing too high- bear off using only rudder and see if the top most tell tale begins to break more or less frequently- Sail to 50-60+% 'breaking' ie going behind the sail.

If converesely you are begining to escape your quarter wave and 'climb  the hill' of the bow wave ie moving towards planing, then you can point higher to attach the wave to your stern area again. On a fast boat it may be time to plane upwind and even bear away to pop it onto the plane!

In v.light airs you can assume that the quarter wave comes from a wetted area point far forward of the stern, given you are trimming the wieght correctly forward. This can also show good boat speed and when to go higher or lower as it increases in size or decreases.

Originally posted by Calum_Reid When we were out last sunday in big waves and big wind we were sailing cracked off a little and then a skwall came through and i let the jib out big style at this point it was set for reaching the boat just accelerated and didnt loose pointing at all! It was very very windy and the wind hadnt swung!!

 

yeah, the apparent wind will go well aft. Also any boat will plane give hurricane Katrina, but a tasar will go upwind on the plane in 9 knts of breeze and a 49er in around 5 or 6.

Originally posted by 49erGBR735HSC Tasar??? 9 knots???

The 'supernova NS14' as featured i 'High peformance sailing' is the pre-production tasar. It's polar diagram and drag curve are the first development path in the family towards the boat you sail, and probably the even slippier hull in the new 59er.

20 years of development reduced the 'bump' in the drag curve until now in tthe 9er boats it is almost linear between displacement and planing

With a light crew the tasar should be pointed up to 7knts wind speed and then planed at around 9 knts! This is it's design wind and thereafter it is being depowered.  It is a tricky boat to sail despite it's no trap' no spin' appearance. Bit like bass guitar.

 Once I sailed one at DBSC with a laser 4000 chap in a blow, 30 stone up. We walked all over the RS200s and he said it felt pretty much as fast up wind on the plane as the 4000. We could choose to duck or go high over the 200s  Off wind we had better downwind VMG by running.

I believe there is one doing quite well - at your home club HSC!