A Good Day on Tomales Bay

Eyeper

Active Member
Nothing too radical, but this Saturday was a nice one for connecting the jibes in my 34-year old Laser. Glad I noticed the traveler line was frayed to near breaking BEFORE I launched. No one else was out to enjoy it, but so glad I went. Love this boat!

 
heck yeah that looks like a REALLY fine day for it. And yeah, it's real hard to beat the fun factor on a Laser.

I see you all decked out in neoprene so the water must still be pretty cold - any guess on the temp?
 
I'd say the water in Tomales Bay rarely gets above the 50's, but wearing a wetsuit is worth it, for the good winds and natural beauty of the place. Here's some local info:

http://pointreyesoutdoors.com/local-weather

Here's what can happen when the Spring winds get stronger:
George stuffs it.jpg
 
Yes, he neglected to have his centerboard bungeed, so it flew out during the forward roll and that had to be recovered later, too....
 
I noticed you didnt seem to struggle with getting the sheet stuck on the transon. Is that due to the wind strength and the angle of jibes. Something I tend to have problems with. Alwasy looking for tricks.
 
It's hard to see, at first, but watch carefully.... during the center portion of the jibe, as I am crossing the cockpit I reach up to where the mainsheet is coming out of the boom block and give it a hearty tug/flip. Someone told me about this long ago, and since I started doing it, the sheet never sticks on the transom. It gradually became an unconscious habit, and it works wonders!
 
Someone told me about this long ago, and since I started doing it, the sheet never sticks on the transom.
For me, that someone was Eyeper. I had the very same problems when jibing. Couldn't figure out how to get the main sheet from catching on the transom.

But then I was watching one of Eyeper's videos and saw what he was doing. And as soon as I started doing what he was, the sheet catching on the transom problem disappeared. Here's that very video where I learned this trick.

Also notice that as he's starting the jibe, he slowly pulls straight up on the main sheet. This reduces some of the slack. Then when he gives the main sheet a little tug as the boom passes overhead, that takes it all out.

Here's video of me imitating the Jibe Master's technique. Below is a screen shot of the moment just before the grab. The boom has started across and I'm about to grab the main sheet just below the block. Notice the tell tales on the window. The wind is blowing from the boom end towards the bow.

jibe-grab.jpg


This was the first session that I had ever tried Eyeper's technique. And it was pretty windy as can be seen by my reaching speeds in the video. But the technique worked every time, like a charm.

- Andy
 
For me, that someone was Eyeper. I had the very same problems when jibing. Couldn't figure out how to get the main sheet from catching on the transom.

But then I was watching one of Eyeper's videos and saw what he was doing. And as soon as I started doing what he was, the sheet catching on the transom problem disappeared. Here's that very video where I learned this trick.

Also notice that as he's starting the jibe, he slowly pulls straight up on the main sheet. This reduces some of the slack. Then when he gives the main sheet a little tug as the boom passes overhead, that takes it all out.

Here's video of me imitating the Jibe Master's technique. Below is a screen shot of the moment just before the grab. The boom has started across and I'm about to grab the main sheet just below the block. Notice the tell tales on the window. The wind is blowing from the boom end towards the bow.

View attachment 14738

This was the first session that I had ever tried Eyeper's technique. And it was pretty windy as can be seen by my reaching speeds in the video. But the technique worked every time, like a charm.

- Andy

Andy, I like where you put your tell tales. Mine are way up where I never look at them. I spend all my time reading the luff on sail at the lower end of the mast. I suspect your placement choice stems from being a pilot, too?

Looking at myself in the video, I'm surprised at how much unconscious stuff is going on. For example, if someone asked me how I handle the tiller switchover when jibing I would have no idea. Also it took me way too long to learn to jibe only when the boat is up to speed, absolutely flat, and not loaded up. And to start moving to the center of the cockpit just as you start to bear off. I used to start the turn hard while out on the gunnel.... then the speed of the turn would result in my body pinned to the wrong side by centrifugal force - another recipe for a capsize.

If anyone wants a GoPro mount recommendation, this is my favorite one for the Laser so far. Strong and very moveable:

- Dennis
 
Andy, I like where you put your tell tales. I suspect your placement choice stems from being a pilot, too?
Hi Dennis,

Ya, I guess you could say that. I put tell tales all over my new Intensity, just cause I was curious to see what the air was doing on it. But those ones on the window ended up giving me a real benefit in conditions that I didn't expect. That's in really, really, REALLY light wind. As in mirror, glassy water, light wind.

In those conditions, like when I'm sailing through big patches of dead air on my Russian River trips, it's so light you can't really tell where the wind is coming from... unless you wet your finger and hold it up. Also, in those sitting-dead-in-the-water conditions, all the other tell tails are motionless so they are of no use.

So, I pull on just a bit of outhaul to flatten the foil a bit so the air can stay attached easier, heal the boat just a bit to give the sail some belly via gravity then slowly let the main sheet out/in and/or head off/head up then watch the leeward tell tale (the windward one will continue to just hang limp).

Eventually, I'll start to get just a wee bit of flow over the leeward side of the sail and the leeward tell tail will begin to lift. What's cool is, when it's that light, you can put your hand up next to the foot of the windward side of the sail and you really won't feel anything. But if you place your hand in the same spot on the leeward side of the sail, you'll feel the flow.

Then I focus on not moving my body at all to keep from disturbing the delicate flow over the sail and keep the leeward tell tail flowing. And slowly but surely, my apparent will build and as if from out of thin air with no wind, I'll get the boat moving. And all the other tell tails will still be hanging pretty much limp. Funny, huh?

Those on-the-window ones also let me know just as soon as the flow starts to reverse as I transition to by the lee sailing. Again, without having to look up the mast. Oh, and you know how else I can tell that I'm starting to sail by the lee? My Little Hawk apparent wind indicator mounted on the mast starts to spin in circles (from being in the rotor of the mast). Ha!

- Andy
 
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Thanks for the explanation. It looks like you are literally just grabing the main sheet at the blocl and by holding it for a sec, while the boom transfers from ome side to the other it takes up the slack....I will watch this video many times..
 
Hi Dennis,

Ya, I guess you could say that. I put tell tales all over my new Intensity, just cause I was curious to see what the air was doing on it. But those ones on the window ended up giving me a real benefit in conditions that I didn't expect. That's in really, really, REALLY light wind. As in mirror, glassy water, light wind.

In those conditions, like when I'm sailing through big patches of dead air on my Russian River trips, it's so light you can't really tell where the wind is coming from... unless you wet your finger and hold it up. Also, in those sitting-dead-in-the-water conditions, all the other tell tails are motionless so they are of no use.

So, I pull on just a bit of outhaul to flatten the foil a bit so the air can stay attached easier, heal the boat just a bit to give the sail some belly via gravity then slowly let the main sheet out/in and/or head off/head up then watch the leeward tell tale (the windward one will continue to just hang limp).

Eventually, I'll start to get just a wee bit of flow over the leeward side of the sail and the leeward tell tail will begin to lift. What's cool is, when it's that light, you can put your hand up next to the foot of the windward side of the sail and you really won't feel anything. But if you place your hand in the same spot on the leeward side of the sail, you'll feel the flow.

Then I focus on not moving my body at all to keep from disturbing the delicate flow over the sail and keep the leeward tell tail flowing. And slowly but surely, my apparent will build and as if from out of thin air with no wind, I'll get the boat moving. And all the other tell tails will still be hanging pretty much limp. Funny, huh?

Those on-the-window ones also let me know just as soon as the flow starts to reverse as I transition to by the lee sailing. Again, without having to look up the mast. Oh, and you know how else I can tell that I'm starting to sail by the lee? My Little Hawk apparent wind indicator mounted on the mast starts to spin in circles (from being in the rotor of the mast). Ha!

- Andy
 
Boy, I hear you about glassy, flat, no-wind conditions, Andy. And you have all the right techniques to make the boat move magically. Many years ago I race-crewed out on the East Coast in a two-person dingy called an Albacore. We sailed in not much wind most of the time. I smoked in those days and my skipper was always encouraging me to light one up to see what, if any air was moving... Now I try not to even launch when it's looking real light. Don't want to have to take up smoking again!
:eek:
 
wearing a wetsuit is worth it...
+1 to sailing even if water's cold. I sail all winter here in Ohio until+unless the lakes freeze cuz I love being outside in the middle of the winter like that and it's way cheaper than skiing. Best wind around here is fall winter+ spring. This spring I invested in a drysuit after sailing for years in wetsuits, and layers, etc etc etc, in water down to essentially freezing. I gotta say, I'd have bought the drysuit 15 years ago, if I'd have known how well it works. Game-changer for me here.
 
I sailed this whole winter also, using wetsuit with sailing pants over the wetsuit. I might have to try the drysuit next year, we will see
 
Here is one of the videos from mid winter!! There was plenty of snow on the hills around
 
Oh, heck Cavi... you sail just around the corner from me. :)

In fact, when I fly cross country in my hang glider, I fly right past Redding and on over the pass to Burney.

I live just west of Santa Rosa.

- Andy
 
Wow. This past weekend I had lots of problems with the sheets catchin on the transom. thanks for the video, I now see the solution. It will deffinitly be welcome. Last weekend was a heavy wind day and when the sheets would catch it made for a shaky ride. Did not end up swimming but close and had to keep doing 360 turns to release the sheets as the wind was strong and if I reached for the sheets I would have flipped!!!
I will try this technique this comming Friday!
 
Oh, heck Cavi... you sail just around the corner from me. :)

In fact, when I fly cross country in my hang glider, I fly right past Redding and on over the pass to Burney.

I live just west of Santa Rosa.

- Andy
Do you have one of the Hansen Turbo sails?
 
I have one of the Hansen sails, but I am still getting used to the laser so it is still sitting in the garage for now!!
 
I'm leaving AU for a holiday in the States next week. I've ordered one from Hansen and he's going to ship to my parents house in Connecticut. I chatted with him last year about the Turbo, but the shipping was too much from Cali to Australia. I'll carry it back on the plane for free as a sporting good.
 
I have been using this technique for about two weeks and it works very well. Still working on down wind in breeze, not my strongest point of sail. I flipped 6 times last week, I got the michael Phelps award for the night. Very sore the next day but had a blast.
 
Hey, Ahab. I spoke with Mike today, and he said he was on his way to ship your Hansen sail!!!
 

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