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Height and lowth |
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redback
Really should get out more Joined: 16 Mar 04 Location: Tunbridge Wells Online Status: Offline Posts: 1502 |
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Topic: Height and lowth Posted: 18 Mar 07 at 10:48pm |
What I'm trying to say is there are 3 "gears" in what I've described. Accelerate, Cruise and Point, all controlled by the mainsheet provided the strop and kicker are set correctly. Ideally the foresail should be adjusted synchronously with the main. So that's tight when pointing, just right for criuse and slightly eased for accelerate. On my boat that's about 1-2cm increments.
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Fraggle
Far too distracted from work Joined: 28 Feb 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 220 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Mar 07 at 2:17pm |
How about upwind height in waves. I sail a radial and on flat water I have good speed and height upwind. Admittedly only just learning how to sail in waves but I cannot replicate this upwind in waves and end up sailing far lower than everyone around me. Hoping this will come right with more practice but any tips would be appreciated.
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Bruce Starbuck
Posting king Joined: 14 Sep 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 124 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 07 at 10:55am |
I think it depends a great deal on the length of the waves. If they're very long, shallow rollers, it shouldn't make much difference to your setup or style. One thing I noticed over the years though, is that in a chop, the sort where every now and then a wave will slap the bow hard enough to slow the boat down significantly, then all that happens is that the lightweight teams start to accelerate again more quickly than the heavier teams. This leaves the heavier crews putting the bow down to try to get going again and therefore losing height. Just a thought. |
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Chas 505
Posting king Joined: 19 Dec 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 119 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 May 07 at 11:17pm |
For me the best technique when you want height (or depth downwind) is to forget the boats around you.....just sail the wind and waves for your boat, for the pressure that you have in sails at the moment. DC and I always recognise when we see a group of boats sailing near each other, and the boat to windward (or leeward) starts to dictate the direction of all the other boats in the pack (aka often too high for maximum rig and foil efficiency....maximum VMG). Non e of the boats will be sailing efficiently, so all are there to have distance taken out of them..!! Look at the current cover of Y&Y. The leading boat 7771 could be easily tempted to sail high to "defend" - thus not sailing the pressure that they have in the rig, Assuming that the leg of the course that they are on is a run - and the boats are all taking angles - then the leeward boat should recognise a gust arriving, and confiently recognise that though the higher boats will get the gust first, they will also exit the gust first....which is when the leading boat stretches clear. Of course, there is a bit of brinkmanship and experience necessary in confidently predicting that the higher boats won't just roll straight through. Basically what I am saying is sail the pressure and waves, not the competition, and you usually wind up with better VMG. Also, never wring the neck out of the boat trying to get there. The moment you squeze too hard, then the rig starts to work less efficiently; then the foils slow a bit; and you begin a cycle of depowering that ends up with a competitor blasting past you, ponting exactly the same direction, but with twice the power in their rig...!! If you do need to squeeze-up upwind, then do so in small dabs, letting the boat return to its most efficient line before you slow the foils too much, and the rig starts to depower....different for every class..
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Life is too short.
Work Hard; Play Hard; Sail a 505 |
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redback
Really should get out more Joined: 16 Mar 04 Location: Tunbridge Wells Online Status: Offline Posts: 1502 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 May 07 at 4:34pm |
I agree but! There are times when to get the drop on your opposition it pays not to sail at optimum speed. The Laser teaches you these tricks very well since they all go at much the same speed but the good guys are the ones that get the overlaps at the marks, end up on the right side of the course for the next shift, etc. Also it is very hard to sail a boat at maximum speed all the time, so its good to be able to sail well and fast without effort but still have a little extra up your sleeve when it would really make a diference such as just getting across the bow of a starboard tacker. So we come back to the original question - I hope. |
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mike ellis
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Dec 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2339 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 May 07 at 5:42pm |
okay, heres one. in a laser radial, in big steep chop i cant get the boat to move. sometimes im going along fine and im going over the waves nicely but then one just hits me wrong and i slow down and the boat seems to head up uncontrolably which is very difficult to get back onto course because of the chop and then i have to bear away loads to get back up to speed to start going over the waves again. what am i doing wrong? i think i have the boat flat and everyone else has their kiker right on so why shouldn't i? |
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600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it.
Also International 14, 1318 |
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redback
Really should get out more Joined: 16 Mar 04 Location: Tunbridge Wells Online Status: Offline Posts: 1502 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 May 07 at 11:41pm |
I think you should have your kicker on so that as you ease the sail the boom goes out and not up. You should then sail the boat just a little bit freer than you are you will then have more speed which will enable you to smash more through the chop and also being freer you will accellerate easier if slowed. This speed will also reduce the leeway you make and thus you will go higher even though you aren't pointing so high. This freer angle is very subtle but with the mainsheet eased just a fraction you will feel the extra speed and extra agility of the boat although this subtle angle probably only amounts to 2 or 3 degrees. You'll feel it when you get it right and unfortunately the Laser rig being what it is the boom will rise a little - ideally it shouldn't. |
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mike ellis
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Dec 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2339 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 May 07 at 1:39pm |
2 or 3 degrees? i cant keep my course that steady even in flat water let alone glorious solent south westerly chop
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600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it.
Also International 14, 1318 |
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redback
Really should get out more Joined: 16 Mar 04 Location: Tunbridge Wells Online Status: Offline Posts: 1502 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 May 07 at 10:45pm |
No nor me but sail a bit freer and that's all it amounts to.
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Stefan Lloyd
Really should get out more Joined: 03 Aug 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1599 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 28 May 07 at 5:33am |
"in a laser radial, in big steep chop i cant get the boat to move." Weird - quote doesn't want to work. Anyway......I've never sailed a radial but I used to sail a Europe and I suspect you will find the fast guys and girls using a lot of body movement to work the boat through the waves. Try and find some video to study what they are doing, or get onto a RIB one day and watch them. Pointing in waves is a lot to do with boatspeed, because if you are slow you actually go sideways.
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