Start raising your daggerboard in 3 inch increments until you can keep the boat flatter.When sailing a laser radial in 15+ knots im really overpowered
So i tried to depower the boat by cranking on the outhaul, Cunningham & vang
But i still couldn't sheet block to block upwind, because as soon as i sheeted on the boat heeled so much i capsized.
So i ended up with the main out as though I was reaching (& working it constantly from there). But this meant that the whole luff of the sail was bubbling.
Also, then, i suspect because i had so much vang on & the main out a bit, i could not keep the end of the boom out of the water. This kept rounding me up. We sail in waves which also probably didn't help.
I just spent the entire time fighting the boat & it was not at all enjoyable
Im not new to sailing, i have many years experience sailing crewed dinghies, so im not really sure where im going wrong. And its getting very frustrating
Help please!
As I said before, I don't think this is a solution. All that the different rig sizes do is to change the point of getting overpowered a bit up or down the wind scale, so they work like different weight divisions. You're the perfect size for the Radial, and I'm afraid going to a 4.7 would actually slow down your learning.Im getting a 4.7 rig as soon as i can.
I'm a bit torn over raising the board to depower, but basically it does decrease the underwater surface/lever over which the sail is trying to capsize the boat. There will be more sideslipping, but it may be worth the compromise.If i pull my centreboard up, aren't i going to go sideways? And make the boat even more tippy than it already is?
Go there. Ask how you could get some entry-level coaching. If they can't personally help you they should certainly know who can. Generally, get in touch with the local class people and ask a lot of questions. Get them to see how you're sailing. As fun as it is to help people virtually from the other side of the planet, it has its limitationsThe other club nearby has a massive fleet of lasers but they are all training for World/Olympic level sailing & you only get coaching if you are in the Australian/Youth Sailing Team.
That's what it sounds like. Just steer higher into the wind. And if the boat heels, steer even higher. If you have to go so high that you slow down too much, then let out just enough sheet that you regain your speed by sailing a lower course.do i not actually sail a close hauled course in wind?
Not if you do it in small increments and test how the boat's heeling and pointing responds during each 3 inch test. Start with it all the way down and when you are getting really overpowered raise it 3 inches, see how that feels, then raise it another 3 inches, see how that feels, etc. Eventually, you'll find a sweet spot.If i pull my centreboard up, aren't i going to go sideways? And make the boat even more tippy than it already is?
That really is the best advice. I have a feeling that Sailorgirl may just be doing a few fundamental things not quite right. Things that 15 minutes with a coach would reveal. Raising the daggerboard some really is just a last resort.Ask how you could get some entry-level coaching. If they can't personally help you they should certainly know who can. Generally, get in touch with the local class people and ask a lot of questions. Get them to see how you're sailing. As fun as it is to help people virtually from the other side of the planet, it has its limitations
Having sailed single-, double-, and even triplehanded dinghies for decades, I can say that the Laser is one of the easiest boats to right. It's not the singlehandedness that is the problem. You're highly likely making some very basic mistake when trying to right the boat, something which a coach (or anybody knowledgeable) would notice immediately. Don't give up before you've had someone look at your sailing (especially capsizing!) closely.EVERY single time i capsize though i still CANNOT get the boat back up & have to wait to be rescued.
So after that happening 4 times now with no improvement i just don't think single handers are right for me.
Unfortunately there just aren't really any coaches hereHaving sailed single-, double-, and even triplehanded dinghies for decades, I can say that the Laser is one of the easiest boats to right. It's not the singlehandedness that is the problem. You're highly likely making some very basic mistake when trying to right the boat, something which a coach (or anybody knowledgeable) would notice immediately. Don't give up before you've had someone look at your sailing (especially capsizing!) closely.
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Where are you actually based?Torrid, its generally about 15 knots, sometimes gusting over
The little amount of sailing i actually managed to do on Sunday (ie when I wasn't capsized), it felt way more manageable with a 4.7 rig - it was gusting to 20 knots that day.
The sheet should be about 13.5 metres long for light air downwind, but in in heavier going you might want to tie the free end so that it's de facto shorter by 1 m (or so - you have to test it yourself, I just packed my own Laser away last week for the winterone thing that may make a Laser harder to right is if you keep the sheet at its maximum length and the boom goes forward of the mast, the sail fills from the "wrong" side when the rig rises from the water. The solution is of course to tie the sheet so that the boom goes out to no more than 90° in conditions where capsizing is a real risk.
Unfortunately there isn't anywhere reallyI would find a very sheltered cove or marina and pick a calm day to do some capsize drills. If it is close to the docks you can run a line from the bow and stern to a dock to keep the boat centered. You can tie a life jacket or small float to the tip of your mast to keep it from turtling. Assuming your weight is over 115lbs you should be good. Work on your upper body strength. Also release the Vang before trying to right the boat. Good luck.
If you go onto the Queensland Laser Association and find Jan Kemp's details. She should be able to put you in contact with someone that can come for a sail with you and give you some help. There is a very strong fleet at Royal Queensland, its worth dropping by and have a chat with some of them, people like Christine Bridge & Kerry Waraker will point you to someone able to help if they can't, I'mnot as much in the loop as I used to be. Mention my name and that I'm the former measurer from NSW.AlanD im in Brisbane, Australia
At this stage you only want to ease your mainsheet out to about 80 deg, not 90 deg to the centre line. Between 80-100 deg the boat becomes unstable or at least extremely sensitive to the change in direction of air flow across the sail (leech to luff or luff to leech).LaLi, ive been knotting my mainsheet so it cant go past the mast while learning (for when im running square etc).