Sailing Bye the Lee Technique

O

oatsandbeans

Member
When sailing Bye the Lee I often notice that I am using quite a lot of rudder (my tiller is 1 1/2" to windward). Why is this ? Am I trying to sail too far BTL, or do I need more windward heel?
 
How far out is the boom (ie 90 degrees, 100 degrees etc) and how far up is the centerboard ?

It could be :
Boom out too far
Centerboard up to high
Not enough heel
 
The boom is normally out at 90 deg - I have a mark on my mainsheet at this -if it is light maybe a bit more. The board is 3/4 down
 
u need to focus on steering the boat with your weight and sails

try practicing rudderless sailing to master this! :cool:
 
Your boom/centerboard settings seem to be in the ballpark. More heel may help, try that first (although 1.5" off centerline is not a large amount of helm)

If more heel does not make a difference, try either a few more inches of centerboard down or mainsheet in.

More windward heel will make the hull shape want to turn more

Putting the board down more will give the hull more "bite" aka resistance to slipping sideways which tends to be counter-acted with more rudder angle until you recognize the cause of the slipping

Pulling the mainsheet in will reduce the force from that sail that is trying to push the bow back upwind (with the boom out 90 degrees and a loose boom vang, there is about 1/2 of the sail area more then 90)
 
Thanks, for all the ideas, I'll try them out. I don't really like using helm, often I find that if I'm going slow and then I have a look at the helm and it isn't central that is the problem and I try to balance the boat up to reduce the helm. I think that the idea of sailing a bit with no rudder could be useful.
 
heel to windward to turn down, heel to leeward to turn up, if you turn up heeling to windward its like pulling the e-brake on a laser.

If the wind is very light, you need to let the boom out far enough so that the weight of the boom holds the sail up, just past 90 degrees so it stays, usually a constant heel to windward is fast, the tiller acts like a brake so the less you can get away with the more speed you will conserve.

In light and med wind, let the boom out around 90 degrees, S-turns are fast, alternate between regular and by the lee flow on the sail while steering with your weight, trim in for an up turn, trim out for a down turn. Flatten the boat after each turn, then heal the opposite way and repeat. If there are waves, surfing the waves is usually fastest.


In heavy air, let the boom out only enough so that the leach is close to 90 degrees, only sail by the lee in lulls, watch for big gusts behind you. Hang on and keep the boat balanced and in control.
 
laserxd said:
In light and med wind, let the boom out around 90 degrees, S-turns are fast, alternate between regular and by the lee flow on the sail while steering with your weight, trim in for an up turn, trim out for a down turn. Flatten the boat after each turn, then heal the opposite way and repeat. If there are waves, surfing the waves is usually fastest.
Click to expand...

What you are describing is illegal under rule 42, unless there are waves you are catching. Fast, yes, but illegal.

Quote from ISAF rule 42 interpretations:
Repeated rolling not linked to wave patterns is rocking prohibited by rule
42.2(b), even if the boat changes course with each roll.
 
TonyB said:
What you are describing is illegal under rule 42, unless there are waves you are catching. Fast, yes, but illegal.

Quote from ISAF rule 42 interpretations:
Repeated rolling not linked to wave patterns is rocking prohibited by rule
42.2(b), even if the boat changes course with each roll.
Click to expand...

There is a such thing as legal rocking, You get one rock/pump per wave, and its not that you're changing course its that you are changing the flow on the sail from "by-the-lee" flow to "regular" flow. As long as your are transitioning from "by-the-lee" flow to "regular" flow you are permitted to rock the boat in order to steer (S turns).
 
laserxd said:
There is a such thing as legal rocking, You get one rock/pump per wave, and its not that you're changing course its that you are changing the flow on the sail from "by-the-lee" flow to "regular" flow. As long as your are transitioning from "by-the-lee" flow to "regular" flow you are permitted to rock the boat in order to steer (S turns).
Click to expand...

Not quite. There is nothing to say you can only roll once per wave, and nothing to say that you're ok as long as flow over the sail is reversed.

ISAF rule 42 interpretations are here: http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/42interpretations2010final-[8881].pdf

You can legally roll the boat to 'facilitate steering', but repeated rolling that is 'not linked to wave patterns' is illegal whether or not the boat is changing course with the rolls.

The fast technique is to roll to leeward and pull in mainsheet to head up on a wave, then roll to windward together with an abrupt release of sheet (reverse pump) to cut back across it. You can do this as many times as you like on one wave.
 
TonyB said:
Not quite. There is nothing to say you can only roll once per wave, and nothing to say that you're ok as long as flow over the sail is reversed.

ISAF rule 42 interpretations are here: http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/42interpretations2010final-[8881].pdf

You can legally roll the boat to 'facilitate steering', but repeated rolling that is 'not linked to wave patterns' is illegal whether or not the boat is changing course with the rolls.

The fast technique is to roll to leeward and pull in mainsheet to head up on a wave, then roll to windward together with an abrupt release of sheet (reverse pump) to cut back across it. You can do this as many times as you like on one wave.
Click to expand...

This is what the judges permit, you are allowed to sheet in as you do an up-turn but, you can't pump the sail, you will definitely get called out for pumping the sail.

If you watch the top guys in the world they are masters of these techniques

 
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