Upwind in heavy air

E

EA_GL_ES_Eagles

New Member
I was racing this weekend in very windy conditions (15+) and was having trouble keeping the boat flat going upwind when the mainsheet was pulled in. All the controls (vang, outhaul, cunningham) were pulled tight but despite hiking as far out as I could (I'm 175 lbs) the boat was still 20 degrees from being flat. Am I correct in assuming that I was just being greedy and that I would have been better off in not pointing as high and letting out the mainsheet until the boat was flat?
 
If the cunningham cringle was not within an inch of the boom (or lower) you need more cunningham - that's the key to opening the leech and depowering. 175 lbs is enough for 15-20kts of wind and sailing flat.

If you can't keep it flat, it depends on the wave conditions as to how you depower next. In chop, you want to go fast, so make sure the vang is on hard (no slack when the mainsheet is two blocked) and then ease the mainsheet up to 12" (boom should only rise slightly before going outboard). In flat water you want to stay two blocked, but feather the boat upwind as much as possible (front of the sail just luffing). In ocean waves that are spaced far enough apart to steer around, you would go with a combo of the above two methods.

You mention the outhaul being on hard, if you have 3.8 oz sail, you really don't need the outhaul on hard, you actually want a little depth in the bottom of the sail - the mid point of the foot should be no closer to the boom than 3-4"
 
In waves and 20 kts, when you have the vang on hard and the sail eased to flatten the boat, what are the windward luff telltales doing? Should you try to keep them streaming, or is it more important at that point to keep the back of the sail driving?
 
I had the cunningham pulled down as far as I could but since most of the time it was 20+ winds it could only help so much. I guess I'm trying to find a consensus on feathering vs easing the mainsheet. The water was flat and so I wasn't concerned with waves. In this case when I feathered enough to get the boat flat I lost airflow over the sail and the front part of the sail started flapping.
 
EA_GL_ES_Eagles said:
I had the cunningham pulled down as far as I could but since most of the time it was 20+ winds it could only help so much. I guess I'm trying to find a consensus on feathering vs easing the mainsheet. The water was flat and so I wasn't concerned with waves. In this case when I feathered enough to get the boat flat I lost airflow over the sail and the front part of the sail started flapping.
Click to expand...

The general consensus seems to be "Foot, don't feather" but I really need help in this area too -- the whole fleet sails away from me in heavy air.
 
At 20+ kts you are still going to have to feather, it's just that you will be sheeted out which will give you more speed in flat water@ 20 I would tend to be sheeted out about 6-12", at 25kts I would be sheeted out 12-18", in chop I would be at the 12" and 18" and sheeting out for puff/wind shifts..
(It may be a definition issue, I would define feathering as carrying a slight luff to depower regardless of sheet position with the windward telltale pointing straight up. Footing = a few degrees lower then normal, with full power in the sail, windward telltale straight back, no luffing)

There is a big difference between 15 and 20kts as far as 175lbs go and sailing technique. At 15 you should be able to keep it flat with hard hiking and two blocked mainsheet with minimal luffing... At 20+ you sheet out, but you are still going to have to carry a small amount of luff in the sail to stay flat - If you have telltales, the windward side if going to be lifting up or vertical most of the time.
 
So, would you ever be two-blocked and carrying a little luff in the sail? Or would you sheet out first, and only then start letting the front of the sail luff?

Like this???? (assuming you've got c'ham, vang, outhaul already set properly)


1) two-blocked, both telltales streaming, boat flat

<then, as wind builds, and you can't hold the boat flat>

2) sheet out 12" still both telltales streaming

<then, as wind builds more, and you still can't hold the boat flat>

3) sheet out 12", front part of mainsail luffing
 
In flat water:
and condition 1) I would feather first (just head up slightly) as the breeze or a puff hit. So yes, I would be two blocked and carrying a little luff in the sail. If it's a big puff ( more then 3 kts change) I would do a quick ease/hike/trim to quickly dump power, but then try to get back to feather.

In chop:
I would be in condition 1) to start and then as the breeze built or a puff hit and I couldn't hold it flat, I would be moving to condition 3) At some point I may pass thru condition 2), but if I'm truly overpowered I won't be able to hold the boat flat with the main eased 12"
 
I am around 170-175lbs (female) and I sail a Europe now. I used to sail Radials and sometimes I still jump into the Laser (radial OR Standard) just for fun.
Sailing Upwind in Heavy Air in a standard rig is challenging for me as well, but I have managed to hold my own against the boys in the breeze by simply doing this:
VANG- on really hard so when the sheet eases the boom does not go up
CUNNINGHAM- Cranked (you already know this from the other replies)

The next steps are hard though... I hike like CRAZY from my very tip-toes, shoulders out so that my body is as straight as I can get it for as long as possible. Also, I am constantly sheeting in and out. The sheeting is going to be what helps you go fast and keep the boat flat. In flat water, I tend to keep my sheet a little tighter, but I am always ready to ease in the gusts. In the Waves I am always sheeting as I work my body and my boat through the waves.

NOTE: at 175lbs in 20knots in a standard laser, chances are that your boat is never going to be totally flat... the big guys will still go faster than you, but if you work hard and try to not feather the boat too much, you will hang on longer. Just remember that you will be FLYING on the downwind and you can pass all of them there!!

This is just my technique, and it seems that some of the other posts have explained things quite well also. Good luck in that breeze!! The most important thing is that you get out there and practice in it!
~Keams~
 
one more thing... I forgot to say that in breeze around 20knots my sheet is almost never block to block! I normally sail the whole upwind with my blocks a few inches apart (except for when I'm pulling on the vang at the beginning of the beat)
 
Block to Block will Depower you if you can hold it there. Keep your windward tell tale flickering up because in heavy air every one will be going fast, it is a matter of who can keep there boat the flattest without pinching too much, i weigh 158 and i dont have too much trouble keeping it flat up to 18 kts. 2 BLocking it makes all the differance in amatur racing.
 
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