Close haul tacking

Optimistic

New Member
My first season sailing Lasers and I'm frequently banging my head with boom! When sailing close hauled and tacking, is best practice to loosen vang, tack, and then tighten again? Thanks.
 
It's all about technique. It you are roll-tacking properly, you should be able to get under the boom.

Admittedly, there are some guys who are just too big!
 
Hola.

I do not know you but yesterday I thought of you.....as I tacked, the main sheet got caught on a side deck cleat and busted it!! I hardly ever use the deck cleats, this one for sure is gone. SO as it happened, I thought about that guy who sails without them and got a chuckle. I will replace it though ha ha ha

be well

Antolin
 
you need time your tacks better and duck your head lower, even with a ton of vang on your head should be able to clear the boom. Easing the vang will help if its on more than block to block, you can also sheet out a few inches if you're still making contact.

Another thing you might want to check is that your mast step hasn't warn down significantly making your boom lower than it should be.
 
My first season sailing Lasers and I'm frequently banging my head with boom! When sailing close hauled and tacking, is best practice to loosen vang, tack, and then tighten again? Thanks.

I got a helmet after I busted my skull during a hurricane in '08. I wear it now when the breeze is up and I use a lot of vang. I'm flexible enough to get under the boom -- just clumsy.
 
The best kept secret in Laser sailing. The Soft Boom Eyestrap Kit. APS (one of our fine advertisers) has them for $3.95. Part #APS009. Best 4 bucks I ever spent. Your scalp will thank you, and its class legal!
 
When I was a young padawan, moving out of a kids' dinghy class and into a "grown up" dinghy, I sailed a Europe. I was too light for a Laser in those days (the radial rig hadn't been invented and the latest video game was called Pong.).

Anyway - in a Europe dinghy the boom sweeps the deck. You learned to duck very low very quickly.

Even at my now decrepit age with reduced flexibility, I still have no trouble with a Laser's boom :)
 

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I have some painful medical bills from stitches related to the issue Optimistic raised. And I have also thought about wearing a helmet when it gets really rough. Haven't found one though that will effectively protect the area of my head/face that is most likely to get clobbered.
Instead, I try to remind myself to duck low when heavily vanged. And even more so when 'supervanged'.

On the other hand, I think (!) I read somewhere that a Laser will tack more readily in heavy winds with the vang a bit released. True or not?

As Lloydw recommended, the soft strap should help. I installed mine after my unfortunate encounter with the boom.
 
Don't duck too low though - I broke my nose during a race many years ago, ducking for the boom during a tack and managed to slam my face into the deck - actually heard the crack! Think the boat rode up a wave at just the wrong time (was inland sailing though?!)

What made it worse was I was fleet captain at the time, and it was our club open so I had to do prize giving with 2 black eyes!

Even nowadays I still hit my head on the boom occasionally, and I'm not that tall!
 

On the other hand, I think (!) I read somewhere that a Laser will tack more readily in heavy winds with the vang a bit released. True or not?


Yes. In fresh conditions, when the vang is pulled in hard, it can be a little hard to get through the tack and you sometimes find the boat in irons. In those conditions a little ease of the vang before the tack helps. I'm not talking a lot - just enough to allow the end of the boom to raise a couple of inches seems to do the trick.

For me (at about 180lbs currently) this is true is waves with winds above 20 knots. When it gets to survival conditions (above 25 knots) I leave a little ease in the vang all the way up the beats. It is not such an issue in flat water, such as when sailing in fresh winds on a small lake or off a weather shore.
 

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