capsize problem ...

Thanks again for all the tips, the response has been great, and gives me plenty to try out.

Re: the capsize photos - in boats that tippy looking I am impressed by anyone keeping them upright at all !

Claire

Stick with the Pico - far more fun than a Laser 4.7!

The kicking strap down wind needs experimentation to get it right. Too little and the boom skies, too much and you'll lack speed and the boat will feel very odd to sail. So get out there in a breeze in a non race situation and practice the bits you feel unhappy about - the water is warming up now for the inevitable capsizes!

MattK & AndyP speak words of truth - a pitchpole should be the aim of every keen pico sailor, but I know no-one who's ever managed it. 

What happens when you head down wind with the weight too far forward is that the nose goes down, the back goes up and water washes over the bows whilst the boat appears to sink .... BUT IT WON'T FLIP.  You can then put your weight right at the back, pop out the nose and set off like a ball from a cannon. Endless hours of fun.

Regarding effective hiking, the pico is WIDE and very bouyant.  As it heels it hoiks you, and that heavy hull, up in the air; which is how you can manage more sail area than a radial on it. But to go a reasonable speed and reasonably in the right direction you need to keep it flat - and at your weight in F4/5 that's going to be a fight.  There is no easy technique.  Basically lean out backwards until your shoulders nearly touch the water, if it heels despite that, shove hips down and chest up to thrutch it firmly back upright..   It will give you tummy muscles to die for!  No sitting up.

I weigh 76kg and am tall enough to hike out with my knees around those curved sides and my bum in free space.  And I only have the ordinary sail (plus a jib, sometimes).But I have most fun in F6+.   

The thing about heeling the boat to windward when reaching, is that it puts the centre of effort of the sail over the centre line of the boat, so you get less weather helm and less tendency for the boat to screw up wind.  The sail is higher in the sky and catches more wind.  So it's faster.  It's also wobblier.  This is really a laser technique which does work on a pico but to a lesser extent as the flat bottomed pico doesn't sail so well when heeled as a laser does.  Bit advanced really.  All but the best laser sailors only do it in light wind.

You don't mention up wind - a lot of people sit too far back (ie where they would be if they had a crew).  Don't.  Sit forward.  Fit a front footstrap and put one foot under it.  Otherwise it goes slowly .. and sideways.

As with other hiking boats: drink more beer, eat more pies, do many sit ups.

Edited by NickA

Originally posted by MattK i have tried to pitchpole a pico many times, and they simply will not do it, even when i ploughed it down the back of a wave in a force 4-5 sat at the front, with a mate running forward of the mast, they just go down a bit, screw up and capsize conventionally

Yeah it's fun playing submarines!

Sailing with my kids, lean forwards downwind, get the bow under and completely fill the boat, until it's completely underwater. ( but don't try it if it's too windy or things might break. )
I sail my ( I mean the kids ) pico if it's windy. The race sail works better in a breeze, it twists off better, and goes flatter so it's more controllable, and is more fun downwind.

Keeping flat is the main thing - ease the sheet a upwind in the puffs to keep the boat flat and moving - don't just sheet in and pinch, because then it goes very slowly and sideways.

Downwind in a breeze, sailing by the lee is faster, but more tricky. If you sail by the lee, heeled to winward slightly, the boat is balanced with no force required on the tiller. When a puff hits, the boat heels the wrong way ( to windward) , you need to sheet in a bit to keeo the top of the sail in the right place ( because the rig bends and stretches ), a small rudder correction to keep the boat under the rig, and it just whizzes away.  Which is better than the alternative of the boat heeling away from you to leeward, the rudder loading up and you are unable to bear away due to the rudder load, and the rudder coming out of the water.

I don't think you are likely to pitchpole a Pico unless you go out in some monster waves, so don't let that one bother you!