The Perfect Gybe???

M

madyottie

Apprentice
Hi all,
Can any of the experts out there tell me the trick to a perfect run to run gybe in 20 knots?:confused:

I'd always thought mine were quite good, until recently I saw a photo taken as I was mid-gybe in a big fleet. The pic shows me at about a 20deg angle to other boats, obviously I'm pointing that way to get the boom to flick over.:mad:
I realise that I'm only in that position for a mere 2 or 3 seconds, but its still maybe 1/2 a boatlength I'd like to keep. Just for the record, I'm rolling the boat, following with the rudder so as not to slow the boat, flicking the sheet at the right time to start the movement etc. then correcting with roll steer and tiller to get settled and going quickly again. :cool:

In the lighter stuff I use the old Glen Bourke technique of pulling the boom over using the traveller / boom end part of the sheet, again utilising a nice smooth roll if I can.

But anyway.... If anyone has ideas on how not to lose that 1/2 a length, please post them here! I'll try anything once, and if I like it I'll do it again! :D

Cheers! Aaron.
 
I learned this from Steve Cockerill: When you are gybing, you want to head down (pull the tiller towards you) then once you are close to the gybing point, but the sail won't come over, push the tiller in a quick jerk away from you so that the boom will come over.

Tim
 
I CAN NOT jybe. I consider myself a tacking master, with huge, but quick light air rolls and smooth heavy wind tacks. But i cannot jybe. I just cant. I tried the cockrill thing after he talked near my YC, but i just cant. could someone give me a runthrough???
 
It's hard to explain over the internet, but if you have his downwind DVD, its a good reference for having an idea of what to do. I know he shows the raw footage at the seminars but it might help to just look over it again and see if it helps.
 
TimClark said:
I learned this from Steve Cockerill: When you are gybing, you want to head down (pull the tiller towards you) then once you are close to the gybing point, but the sail won't come over, push the tiller in a quick jerk away from you so that the boom will come over.
Tim
Click to expand...

I've been playing with this since I saw the Cockerill DVD, and it works. You don't have to turn the boat as much to initiate the gybe if you give the tiller a flick.
 
Merrily said:
I've been playing with this since I saw the Cockerill DVD, and it works. You don't have to turn the boat as much to initiate the gybe if you give the tiller a flick.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it defenitely does help once you figure out when is the right time to do the "flick". Its defenitely a good thing to be able to do when you are sailing in heavier air and the gybes start becoming really hairy.
 
Originally posted by Slalomskier
I CAN NOT jybe. I consider myself a tacking master, with huge, but quick light air rolls and smooth heavy wind tacks. But i cannot jybe. I just cant. I tried the cockrill thing after he talked near my YC, but i just cant. could someone give me a runthrough???
Click to expand...

Roll jybing will come later, so I will do my best to explain a basic method I have used to teach jybing to people in the past.

Obviously you would know how to sail on a run, so when you are on this course you need to bear away a little more so that the sail begins to back and the boom moves into the middle of the boat. When this happens, bring the tiller back to the middle at the same time as grabbing the boom vang/sheet/traveller (personal choice here - whatever works for you) and flicking the sail across. Bear up a little if necessary and you should have completed a simple jybe.

Hopefully that made sense - I have never explained it over the net before, I usually show people who are in the boat with me at the time.
 
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