Irons.. WTF is the physics of it?

It's weight in the wrong place, get forward on most single handers and go into the tack with speed and it will be fine

I've been having a similar discussion with a mate who bought a Musto last year and is still 'learning' to sail it. He's been advised to get out on the wire faster to prevent irons (a major problem for him). I guess the FB sail is the main culprit for the MPS's dodgy behaviour (added to sailor incompetence). I haven't sailed his MPS yet (but I will give it a go when the conditions are right) but had similar issues single handing the Spice last weekend (we have a very informal attitude to handicapping and few serious racers so I was allowed). Saturday's race, 1-6 knots, I won by nearly a minute (corrected time) from the very competent young Radial sailor (I was always known as a light wind specialist on the NWWA Raceboard series, nice to know I still have it on occasion), Sunday, F4 ish, it all went 'Pete Tong' with irons and a capsize on the first tack and another on the second beat. I know it was because I was being tentative (long weekend with a late night playing in the 'Band on the Beach' on Saturday) and, had I not been unfit and pre-knackered I might have done ok in that one too but I doubt 'Radial Boy' would have succumbed.....

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 05 Sep 16 at 12:19pm

The test tick, goofy/regular, stand with your legs slightly apart, start leaning back until there is an automatic response from one leg to support you, if it's your right leg (the one that went back) you are regular (left foot forward) The other test, imagine the old ice slides we used to make in the playground as kids, before global warming moved them all north beyond the ice wall at Watford.
Run at it then, there! which leg went first?

Or just get on a skateboard and scoot, it'll come naturally one way more than the other.

Edited by iGRF - 09 Jun 16 at 4:06pm

It doesn't always follow, that lefties are goofy, I've met a couple who ride regular, the way the brain works the body through motor skills is quite weird and is greatly affected by practise and regularity of method I've come to realise.

In windsurfing my home beach in the prevailing wind is starboard jumping and that's what I first learned so lucky for me I can jump well on both tacks, but it wasn't until I wanted to push things beyond my comfort envelope into stuff like back loops and the like that it became obvious that my port side was stronger, this all happened before i took up snowboarding where the goofy regular thing became much more apparent since the right-left bit of the top half of my body was less in play.

Sailing boats, up and running I'd have thought, if you asked me, that I was more comfortable on starboard, sheet hand in my stronger right hand (I don't cleat off and favour strong sheet loads) right foot leading and supporting it and in truth I don't really feel imbalanced, but it's during the transitions that things don't flow so well, I haven't considered it until now but I bet gybes from port to starboard more often go wrong for me than the other way round and as I write this I'm remembering my last port to starboard screw up on sunday last and the resulting swim. Maybe it's best not to think about it at all, I spend too much time thinking about stuff like this I'm sure that's half my problem.


Edited by iGRF - 09 Jun 16 at 10:13am

It's no surprise, and it's been shown that lefties deal with it better, having generally been forced into trying to do things right handed as kids. Lefties tend to be more ambidextrous than righties and you'll find a good deal of top sailors are left handed, is it a coincidence?