Best Reaching in strong winds
- Thread starter Hamma
- Start date
This is for a 155 pound boy in a radial, but when its about 15+, I have my vang about 3 inches off of max, that flattens the sail and lets you point more. Cunningham, about off, just enough to take out the wrinkles, unless i am way too overpowered. Outhaul is almost touching the boom, you dont really need that much power. Daggerboard should also be about 5 or 6 inches up, that will help you keep it flat.
Hope this is what your looking for!
ChalmersP
sk8ingsailor
Member
Make sure you let the vang off before you round the weather mark. This keeps the boom from touching the water, and making you capsize.
Only time I really have everything super cranked is during survival conditions. 25+. Even than, I still let my vang off so my boom wont hit water.
Only time I really have everything super cranked is during survival conditions. 25+. Even than, I still let my vang off so my boom wont hit water.
jeffers
Active Member
The bear away is often the hardest thing in strong winds. You need to get the vang off before you start the bear away and hike like hell to get the boat at worst flat and at best heeled to windward 9this helps with the bear away). Then when reaching it is a case of keeping the boat under the mast (sounds abvious i know). If the boat heels to leeward rather than fight to let the sail out and hike harder bear way, you will feel the boat accelerate fast, once back flat you can bring the boat back up to the optimal angle for the reach. Also keep an eye out to windward for gusts and be prepared, perhaps ease the sheet just before the gust hits and be ready to bear away and hike. I tend to make a lot of reaches because my eyes are out the boat most of the time (I do sail on a gusty shifty lake though).
Above all practice as much as you can. Practice bearing away from a beat to a reach, practice your gybing until you do not have to think about it. Remember the more speed you have in a windy gybe the lower the load on the sail when it comes across. Try to carve them out in a long arc rather than a sudden turn. I have take a long sweeping arc round a group of boats at a gybe mark before. The all tripped over each other and I sail off into the distance...
Above all practice as much as you can. Practice bearing away from a beat to a reach, practice your gybing until you do not have to think about it. Remember the more speed you have in a windy gybe the lower the load on the sail when it comes across. Try to carve them out in a long arc rather than a sudden turn. I have take a long sweeping arc round a group of boats at a gybe mark before. The all tripped over each other and I sail off into the distance...