Close hauled in an Ericson

[Darrel]

So my son and I are having fun in our monthly club races. However he is getting a lot better holding our course so now we are currently increasing our time. Just wondering how close an angle to apparent wind is optimal. Yes I am being lazy asking for opinions from this great site and just save us some trial and error.

 

[bgary]

"in general", your sails will tell you everything you need to know.

The things to watch for are
-- the gap between the bottom spreader and the jib. 4-6" off the tip of the spreader is probably as much as you want.
-- the telltales on the inside of the genoa luff. If the top ones lift first, the genoa car is too far aft. If the bottom ones break first, the car is too far forward. adjust the car forward or aft until they all lift at about the same time.
-- the leech of the sail. you want it to be smooth, not "hooked"
-- the top batten of the main should be parallel to the boom in light to moderate breeze. If the wind is up, let the main twist off a little too.
-- the telltales on the leech of the main should be streaming, with the top telltale maybe "hiding" behind the sail from time to time.
-- keep any eye on the "slot" - the curve of the back of the jib should be the same shape (top to bottom) as the curve of the back of the main. (choking off the slot - having the jib pulled in too tight - is a sure way to slow down)

There are variations to consider - in more wind, you may want to move the genoa car farther aft than normal to let the top of the jib "twist off" and open up the slot between the jib and the main. You can generally tell it is time to do this when the front third of the main is backwinded.

in breeze, pay attention to the angle of heel. heeling a lot is slow. If you're heeling too much, "feather" (steer a touch closer to the wind), especially in puffs

It's also important to let the boat get up to speed coming out of a tack. Sail the boat a little "fat" (a little below optimal course, just a few degrees) until it has accelerated up to speed. If you grind in the jib right away, it'll take much longer to accelerate.

Beyond that... it's feel. and time spent developing it in a variety of conditions. You'll come to know when the boat feels like it is in the groove...

$.02

 

[supersailor]

Good reply BGary. About the only thing I can add is pay attention to the jib tell tails. They should be streaming straight back on both sides. If the leeward one is stalled, come up a little. If the windward one is stalled fall off a little. It is more difficult to keep them right than you might realize. The optimal range is small and it makes a huge difference when racing. Many people head up too much when hard on the wind and sacrifice too much boat speed for higher pointing.

 

[tenders]

Another related item is fairlead position on the genoa sheets. If, as you're pointing up, testing how close to the wind you can go, the top telltales of the genoa start fluttering first, the fairlead needs to be moved forward, tightening the leech relative to the foot. If the lower telltales start fluttering first, the fairlead needs to be moved aft, tightening the foot relative to the leech. My mnemonic for this is "bottom=back," meaning if the bottom telltales break first, the lead needs to be moved back.

Generally speaking, as the wind picks up the fairleads need to go back. Some people put different colors of tape on the deck next to the fairleads corresponding to good positions for various windspeeds.

Ideally, you want the top telltales to be just on the edge of breaking. On my boat it's hard to see them from the helm.

 

[Christian Williams]

Keep the boat moving, especially in slop or when approaching and rounding marks among other boats.

To windward, the mainsail trimmer should concentrate on the top batten. That indicates degree of twist, which is power (to push through waves) vs. speed (flat water, perfect conditions).

The person on the jib winch watches the telltales.

They both listen to the helmsman, who dictates corrections.

If he sees a wake coming, or a lull in wind, he announces a course correction and the new settings. To windward, this is a constant ongoing coordination, all subtle.

Keep the boat going. Pinching is fatal.

 

[JPS27]

role of the traveler?

Thank you for posting this topic. As already indicated this knowledge abounds out there. But it is great to have some major points concentrated in this post. As a relative newbie to sailing this post reminds me that I tend to focus exclusively on adjusting my sails, but there are times I need to adjust my direction too.

Can someone give a "traveler for dummies" explanation of how and when to use the traveler. I use it like a blunt instrument based mostly on trial and error. Moving it to windward to head up higher and to leeward to dump some wind. Thanks. Jay

 

[Frank Langer]

Before the traveller experts chime in to respond to the post above, it's also important to keep the boat from heeling too much as the wind builds. Before reefing, consider tightening the boom vang, outhaul, back stay, halyard, Cunningham, etc. to flatten the sail. Lowering the traveller a bit too leeward can also ease pressure/heeling force while maintaining or even increasing speed. If the wind eases a bit, ease off on all of the above to add some curvature to the sails to increase speed. Sometimes these adjustments are not yet needed if the boat is sailing well except for in a gust, consider feathering up just a bit in the puffs, then falling off again.
Frank

 

[Christian Williams]

if the boat is sailing well except for in a gust, consider feathering up just a bit in the puffs, then falling off again.

Frank makes a really important point. With max sail up to windward, sail feathered. I was once handed the helm of the 12 Meter Courageous, off Newport. In 30 seconds we were on our side and the crew were laughing at me. Those boats were sailed feathered all the time, in order to carry all that sail.


For twist, I use mainsheet tension. A half-turn of the winch is often enough to move the top batten.

The traveler is to be dumped in a bad gust. Sometimes the vang, too, in gusts off the wind.

I don't race anymore, and therefore don't do any of this stuff. I just concentrate on letting sails out until they luff and then back a little 'till they stop.

Keeping attached flow is what it's all about.

Boat sails stall just like airplane wings. And like an airplane, when stalled we fall out of the air.

 

[frick]

watch the leading edge

In a race when Im on the tiller, sailing fast means watching the leading edge of the jenny. Ride the lifts up, and don't pinch.

Going to weather means finding the perfect asft placement of you Genoa cars. I leave them set for pointing. And use snatch blocks that are mounded forward for downwind. It a very 70 s technique.
Rick

 

[Darrel]

Wow I’ve learned a lot so far with much more to go

I cannot thank everyone enough for taking the time to not just help me but all the others who will read this thread.

I learned to sail on a Buccaneer (18’ dingy that had more sail then my 25 venture) that you could feel the change you made. I read and read and read but feel the best information comes from hands on experience. Even if their not my hands I can still benefit from y’all’s experience

This is the first real keel boat I have had. With myself as the trimmer and my son(15) at the helm he was sailing to wind, approx 38 degrees apparent wind, as opposed to bearing. This is because of the shifty wind we have here on Texoma. And he let me know if any changes I made increased or decreased speed. We are soooo ready for next weekends race. I know with each race we will improve. On an 8.3 nm course we were only 19 minutes ( corrected time) behind the leader and in the middle of the pack with a time of 2:20:17. But I feel this old girl has more to show me. I just have to get use to not being able to feel the change I made or was making. But that’s a difference between 600# and 14,000+ pounds.....lol.

 

[fool]

Lots of little adages when working with sails...

"When in doubt let it out" - close hauled is definitely not your fastest point of sail although it may "relatively" feel like it.

"Let out 'til luff and pull in your bluff" - okay, I just made that one up, but it's a good thing to lean on when learning.

"Trim to the telltale." - meaning trim the sail in or out according to the stalling telltale. If flowing to windward and stalling to lee, let it out. If flowing to lee and stalling to windward, pull it in.

Watching the slot and the leaches are important to the whole picture. Someone once told me to think of the sails as one big sail and a whole new horizon of sail trim opened up.

 

[bgary]

close hauled is definitely not your fastest point of sail although it may "relatively" feel like it.

Great point.

If one were to plot boat-speed against wind angle, you get what is called a "polar diagram"

Sailing at an angle like "A" feels fast. Sailing at a wind-angle like "B" feels slower (in fact, *is* slower, according to the knotmeter), but gets you to a weather mark faster. Because it is the best "VMG" - Velocity Made Good toward the mark.

You can play with your angles by setting your GPS to a waypoint directly upwind. Assuming there's no current to interfere, sail at different angles, and notice which one shows you the best "SMG" (Speed Made Good) toward that waypoint on the GPS. Whatever angle maximizes SMG will be your optimal close-hauled angle for that breeze.

If you note your boat-speed at that angle, you can start to develop a set of "targets"... as in, sail the boat a little low out of a tack until it is up to (or above) that target, then come up to your close-hauled angle. If your speed drops below your target, you're probably sailing to high; if you go faster than your target, you're probably sailing too low.

It's a useful thing to have in your thinking. But, be aware, getting hypnotized by the knotmeter (aka "chasing the numbers") is not generally a winning strategy. Far better to use that as a tool to develop a feel for when the boat is in the groove.

$.02

 

[Frank Langer]

Actually, speed over ground is a good measure, but not as good as speed to your destination, which many chart plotters now show. So you may not be at top speed, but you're making more headway to your destination (sometimes called velocity made good). So many things to think about!!
Frank

 

[Geoff W.]

Great point.

If one were to plot boat-speed against wind angle, you get what is called a "polar diagram"

Sailing at an angle like "B" feels fast. Sailing at a wind-angle like "A" feels slower (in fact, *is* slower, according to the knotmeter), but gets you to a weather mark faster. Because it is the best "VMG" - Velocity Made Good toward the mark.

Can you say a little more about this? Would pointing as close to the mark as possible while keeping your knots up not be the optimal solution when going to weather? I'm new at this so I'm not sure I understand VMG. Is it basically how fast you're progressing down a line "as the crow flies" towards your mark? As in, going quickly to an angle off the mark might be fast knots-wise but you aren't progressing very quickly up that "crow" line to the mark.

 

[Christian Williams]

While Bruce composes his reply, let me armchair on handicap racing in general.

Hull speed, esp. by polar, is important but what you can do is limited. For one thing, a clean bottom and new sails are required to get near potential. Ten year old sails that are fine for cruising cannot compete with new sails to windward. The near-invisible change in shape , esp. as the wind rises, makes the subtleties of trim irrelevant. You do the best you can and shrug.

What improves race performance is not making a big mistake. Most of us make one big mistake each race, and it affects standings more than anything else. Some typical mistakes:

--Not getting to the race course an hour before the start. Being in tune with start conditions, head screwed on, crew relaxed, timing the start five times, is very important. It also gives a big psycho lift when others arrive later--you're already ahead.

--Taking a flyer. That is, heading off alone to the other side of the course because maybe it's better over there. It's not. You beat the rating by staying close, which means following the faster, smarter boats most of the time. The self-protecting psychological need to separate is strong , but recall how it usually turns out.

--Tacking too much. Get the boat going and resist temptation. Strategy, not tactics. Especially in flukey winds, our boats take a long time to regain momentum.

--Fretting. Rule violations? Laugh off instead of reaching for the protest flag. Blow a tack? Shrug. Blame self? Nah. The fact is, it takes many races to become familiar with a course, other boats, and how our own tub responds to conditions. The great reward is steady, slow improvement and-- eventually-- realizing what works and doesn't for you.

Oh, and new sails.

Been a long time. I don't miss it, but I recall the lure. Competing makes you a better sailor, but winning doesn't make you a better person.

 

[Geoff W.]

While Bruce composes his reply, let me armchair on handicap racing in general.
...
What improves race performance is not making a big mistake. Most of us make one big mistake each race, and it affects standings more than anything else.
...
Been a long time. I don't miss it, but I recall the lure. Competing makes you a better sailor, but winning doesn't make you a better person.

Appreciate the perspective and tips, Christian. This was my first year racing (and sailing) and it seems that a lot of "new crew" racing is more "you vs. boat" rather than "you vs. them" . The first half of the year was encountering then preventing fire drills...crossed jib/chute sheets, things getting stuck, asshole knots at inopportune times, and so on.

I'd like to get into it with my own boat for exactly the last thing you said -- the sense of satisfaction one gets from feeling capable and skilled, and from my boat and I getting to know each other very well. Lots of the racer folks around Puget Sound have been sailing their whole lives - I'm a novice flatlander. Winning is is a nice bonus, as are bragging rights over my friends with similarly handicapped boats. For the J-boats and beyond, I reserve my standard appreciative (and only slightly jealous) utterance of, "Man, that's a fast boat."

 

[bgary]

Would pointing as close to the mark as possible while keeping your knots up not be the optimal solution when going to weather?.

Yes, but not really possible. For sake of illustrations, consider the extremes: if you sail at 90-degrees to the wind, you're going to be going really fast... but you'll never get to the mark. if you sail at 0-degrees to the wind (straight upwind), you'll be pointed straight at the weather mark but not moving (0 boat-speed). Somewhere between those angles is an "optimal" angle, where you have the best blend of boatspeed and progress toward the mark. I guess what I'm saying is... it doesn't matter how fast you're going if you're going the wrong direction, and it doesn't matter if you're pointed the right direction if you're not making any progress. You want to find the sweet-spot, where you're combining a (less than perfect) angle with a (less than perfect speed) to get the blend of speed-plus-angle that gets you to the mark most efficiently.

I'm new at this so I'm not sure I understand VMG. Is it basically how fast you're progressing down a line "as the crow flies" towards your mark? As in, going quickly to an angle off the mark might be fast knots-wise but you aren't progressing very quickly up that "crow" line to the mark.

You get it. One way to think of it is to imagine that there is an arrow on your boat that is always pointing at the weather mark. It doesn't matter how fast you're going through the water in the direction the boat is pointing, what matters is how fast you're making progress in the direction that arrow is pointing. That's why we tack in headers, because being on the lifted tack is a good way to make progress more directly toward the mark.

High-end performance instruments (aggregating info from boatspeed, heading, apparent wind-angle, etc, and using those to calculate true wind-angle, etc) can calculate VMG, which is an indicator of how much progress you're making upwind. It is all vector math, which may hard to compute but is actually sort of easy to visualize.... it's simply the component of your "vector" (angle+speed) that is pointed directly toward the mark.

picture 4 boats sailing upwind at different wind-angles:



The blue boat is going really fast (black line is boat-speed), but the line that shows how much of that speed is in the direction of the mark ("VMG") is short

The yellow boat is going 30% slower through the water, but twice as fast in the direction of the mark.

The green boat is sailing slower still (through the water), but has a the best combination of speed-and-angle for getting to the mark

The orange boat is "pinching", sailing a closer course to the mark but going slower, so their VMG is not as good as the green boat.

(the pictures are to scale, but obviously the angles and speeds are made up - you'll have to figure those out for your boat.)

As mentioned above, you can kinda-sorta figure out your VMG using boat-speed and a GPS and some practice time on the water. Set a waypoint that is a couple of miles dead-upwind of you (as if there was a weather mark there). Sail an angle, get the boat trimmed to maximize speed-thru-the-water for that angle, then look at what the GPS says is your speed-toward-the-waypoint (often labeled "SMG" or "speed made good"). Make note of your boat-speed, SMG and wind-angle. Assuming there's no significant current, and that you're roughly downwind of your waypoint, that's a pretty good analog for your VMG on that angle in those conditions. Then repeat that exercise for other angles. After a bit of practice you can start to narrow down where the sweet-spot is, where you have a combination of angle + speed that gets you to the weather mark fastest.

BUT, I'd caution not to get hooked on numbers. What you want to do is find that angle and pay attention to how the boat feels there, so that you can reproduce it during a race. Racing is about *sailing*, not about being a math nerd (just Bruce's Opinion)

Bruce

 

[bgary]

While Bruce composes his reply

(laughing) okay, yeah, busted. I guess it's obvious this is still an area of passion for me. O_O

What improves race performance is not making a big mistake. Most of us make one big mistake each race, and it affects standings more than anything else.

This is spot-on. One of my coaches, years ago, likened a sailboat race to a whole bunch of people getting on the same step of an escalator. And while the escalator proceeds upward, every time someone makes a mistake they take a step backwards. At the end of the run, whoever made the fewest (and smallest) mistakes will step off first at the top.

We can get fixated on the small things and miss the big things. A 1% speed improvement over the course of a 10-mile race might improve your finish time by 1 minute. A single blown tack, missing a shift, dropping a spinnaker in the water, whatever, can cost you MUCH more than that. And (as Christian rightly notes) not being on time for the start, not having the boat and crew prepared for the conditions, etc can put you in a hole that no amount of boatspeed can pull you out of, before you even begin. In context, minimizing mistakes wins more races at the club level than super-optimized sail trim.

One of the crews I was part of years ago adopted the practice of a crew-meeting after each session on the water (practice or race). In the crew meeting, we went around and each person had to note one thing that went well, one thing that need improvement and one thing that might be worth trying next time. The meeting was good.... but the crew-unity, the engagement, the learning mindset and the connected thought-processes across positions on the boat were what made that bunch successful.

Racing is an intriguing multi-layered game of chess where the game-board is constantly changing shape. It isn't just about having a fast boat, it's about knowing how to get the most out of it, knowing how to get around the course, and knowing how to get the most from wind, current and position. There's no single right answer. But if you pay attention, you can use what you've learned to have better answers every time.

$.02

 

[bgary]

it seems that a lot of "new crew" racing is more "you vs. boat" rather than "you vs. them"

OK, last one before I go back and do some work.

In working with a number of racing crews, I grew to believe that there were five distinct levels of proficiency required to win consistently. And knowing which level a crew was in helped me know what we/they needed to work on.

"Mechanical" - Can the helmsman steer a straight line, and a smooth turn around a mark? can the crew tack and gibe competently?
"Directional" - do you know how to get around a course, identify an efficient path to the next mark, optimize the use of wind and current to get there efficiently?
"Tactical" - do you know what to do when approaching another boat? Do you know how to protect your position and defend against their moves?
"Strategic" - can you put a plan together so that you are using wind, current and tactical positioning to leverage your strengths and minimize those of the competition?
"Mental" - all the top-flight sailors have the ABILITY to win. what separates a Dennis Conner or a Ted Turner from the rest is... accepting nothing LESS than winning. Doing what it takes to eliminate errors, breakages, etc, so that there's nothing left to do but get comfortable leading the fleet around the course, knowing that's "your place". That's a hard hill to climb.

Notably, in Bruce's Grand Unifying Theory, you can't really move to the next level until you've mastered the one(s) before it. It makes no sense to focus on "tacking on shifts" if the act of tacking itself is still rough. Etc.

I dunno. Take this as random blathering from a guy who used to race a bit.

But... if it helps you structure your thinking around building improvement as you work through that "you vs. boat" thing on the way to "you vs. them"... maybe it was worth typing.,

Bruce

 

[Loren Beach]

Wandering a bit from the original post, but related.
The 'why' of sailboat racing has quite an effect on the 'how'.

Back in the late 70's we had a number of handouts we used in a beginning how-to-race seminar for our club.
One that I still have a copy of (and can find!) is still one of the better ones for coping with the whole attitude part of it.

I will try to attach it, after some scanning efforts. this dates back to the days of typewriters and Mimeo machines.

The tiff or pdf format is much clearer, but way too large to u/l to the site.
If you want a copy, email me and ask.