Sailing in Windshifts

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Edited by Rupert - 20 Oct 11 at 9:19am

A technique that I use when it gets really light when sailing to windward, and I can't tell if the sails are properly set ( tell tales wet or just limp) is to ease the jib off until it luffs. It is easy to detect when it luffs and it will then tell you how far off the correct course you are. Then heel the boat a boat to leeward and let it slowly come up to the correct course as you squeeze both sails in. This is a winner as no rudder is used as thus speed is retained in conditions when speed is critical ( I also ease the main out as soon as I can see the jib needs easing). This technique may seem obvious, but most people achieve the same by steering the boat around, to check the set of the sails, which is slow as in most cases the sails are stalled out anyway and boat speed has dropped.

I really try to use as little rudder as I can. Especially in the light as it just slows you down. Many sailors like feel from the rudder and thus sail the boat too heeled in the light, this means that the boat will want to head up into the wind and the rudder will be used to correct this. This is just wasting energy that should be used to make the boat go faster through the water.  I only heel the boat when it is really light, as soon as I get enough wind for the tell tales to flow I flatten if off. I am paranoid about not using the rudder. I think it is a bit like  driving a car and not using the brakes. If your car has one of those MPG read outs you can really get the MPG numbers up by not braking. This is how I feel when I sail in the light without using the rudder. Everytime that I can do a manouver with minimal rudder I know that I have gained over the others that are wanging the helm back and forward. Give it a try!

In anything over 8 knots most good laser sailors are looking at the sea ahead and steering completely by feel anyway, the tell tales are just there for the reaches 

I grew up sailing on a lake, I always use the tell tales, I am totally lost when it is raining and they are stuck to the jib. I dont use a compass. As long as you always keep the telltales streaming you can tell if you have been lifted by looking at a transit on the shore. On a lake I have a good idea if the next gust I see on the water will head or lift me, it is because a gust not only travels downwind but it also fans out a bit so you can make use of the different wind direction along the edge of gusts. This tactic of sailing round the gusts is particularly useful in an asymetric in light winds.