Switching from dinghys to yachts
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Banter
Forum Discription: For all those non-sailing related discussions
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3131
Printed Date: 18 Aug 25 at 2:44pm
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Topic: Switching from dinghys to yachts
Posted By: captainkirk
Subject: Switching from dinghys to yachts
Date Posted: 25 Jun 07 at 5:19pm
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Anyone else found it difficult to race a yacht succesfully after having raced
dinghys for years and years? Yachts (a dehler 31 in this case but there have been others) just seem so heavy and unresponsive in comparison I find it very difficult to make them go! Any tips or experiences that may help me out would be much appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: FireballNeil
Date Posted: 25 Jun 07 at 6:24pm
| Get a dinghy and sail right on past them |
Posted By: mike ellis
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 11:17am
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everything takes at least 3 times as long in a leadmine. acceleration, decelleration, hoists, drops, tacks, gybes, everything. and yet for some reason you still need to use stupid amounts of rudder. one thing i can say fr sure though, when you come out the tack point low to get the speed on and as you accellerate crank in the jib/genoa and ease onto a higher heading. but i still think neil is right, GET BACK IN A DINGHY!!!! ------------- 600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it. Also International 14, 1318 |
Posted By: Stefan Lloyd
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 11:56am
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Only if you are doing it wrong......except for acceleration/deceleration, which is true. But you should not be using loads of rudder and it is perfectly possible to have the kite up and drawing within 2BL of the windward mark and dropping in the same distance. It's equally possible to steer a 31 foot yacht using crew weight and sail trim, same as a dinghy. What's different is that is is possible to sail a yacht badly without going swimming.
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Posted By: tgruitt
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 12:30pm
I totally agree, sail set up is most important to steer a yacht, you shouldnt really need much rudder, only a bit to tack and gybe really, if people are trimming properly then gusts are not a problem either. ------------- Needs to sail more... |
Posted By: mike ellis
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 12:35pm
okay, okay, im wrong you can steer a yacht without mch rudder but they are less responsive than dinghys (dinghies
because 2 boat lengths is a bloody long way in a yacht. ------------- 600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it. Also International 14, 1318 |
) and so do take longer, not 3 times as long though
Posted By: WildWood
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 12:44pm
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It is hard to go from dinghys to yachts and visa versa though. For example nailing a start in a keel boat is very different to doing it in a dinghy. Yacht racing tends to take place over much larger courses as well so there is much more strategy involved, for example in picking the right side of a beat, where as dinghy racing tends to be more tactical boat v boat. I think dinghy racers make good yacht racers, but it isn't an easy change over. The standard of racing in keel boats is also often very high as the owners have often be racing for years and know what they are doing. Don't knock keel boats, most dinghy racers could learn a bit from the guys that race them ------------- |
Posted By: captainkirk
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 2:08pm
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Agreed WW, I am finding that even the old gys who say they dont race
seriously are actually pretty good when it comes to getting their boats going simply due to the amount of time they have spent in them, experience counts for a lot and they have my respect. 
Sail / rig trim does seem to be key to getting it right though, especialy backstay / forestay tension makes a huge difference in the yacht. |
Posted By: Offshoretiger
Date Posted: 26 Jun 07 at 4:31pm
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It depends on the boat a lot but it seems like becasue you get less imediate feedback its harder to stay completley in the groove on a leadmine. Getting things like backstay and jib car positions right makes a huge diference as well as playing the traveller lots and lots and for some boats playing the backstay as well. Probaly not on a 31 though. The hardest thing I find is starting. Ive been spending a fair bit of time on J22s and J80 with a bunch of other dinghy sailors and its amazing how badly a classic laser start works on a leadmine ------------- ...yesterday I couldnt spell enginner...now I are one!...... |
Posted By: Charlie
Date Posted: 28 Jun 07 at 8:23pm
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Much better to sail in a racing yacht, nice and responsive plus so much to play with, though it's a little weird having like 9 sails aboard for a race
------------- Finn GBR 657 - Blown It Laser 164635 Planet Earth: 30% Land, 70% race course! |