First post,
Sorry that I should ask questions on a Force Five but there are no active forums on the Force 5 and the Laser and Force 5 boats are quite similar. I have viewed many u-tube videos on Lasers and and still have not mastered downwind technique with my boat. I am fairly new to sailing and at 76 am still pretty agile. I am not interested in going as fast as possible or racing. I am only interested in staying upright. In the summer when the breeze is out of the SW we often have 12-15 knots with gusts 18-20. I sail in a small sound off NC and have a 1/2 -3/4 mile run coming home that is almost directly downwind under a bridge. During this downwind run there are places where there is little room to alter course. The boat gets pretty twitchy at winds over 12 Knots and I have capsized a number of times. I can handle my Sunfish in these conditions but the Force 5 is a handful.
I just would like some suggestions on angle of sail, vang, CB and technique. Again I do not have to go fast. I have tried several things without success. I do fine on all other points of sail.
Thanks in advance,
Mr Mike
Sorry that I should ask questions on a Force Five but there are no active forums on the Force 5 and the Laser and Force 5 boats are quite similar. I have viewed many u-tube videos on Lasers and and still have not mastered downwind technique with my boat. I am fairly new to sailing and at 76 am still pretty agile. I am not interested in going as fast as possible or racing. I am only interested in staying upright. In the summer when the breeze is out of the SW we often have 12-15 knots with gusts 18-20. I sail in a small sound off NC and have a 1/2 -3/4 mile run coming home that is almost directly downwind under a bridge. During this downwind run there are places where there is little room to alter course. The boat gets pretty twitchy at winds over 12 Knots and I have capsized a number of times. I can handle my Sunfish in these conditions but the Force 5 is a handful.
I just would like some suggestions on angle of sail, vang, CB and technique. Again I do not have to go fast. I have tried several things without success. I do fine on all other points of sail.
Thanks in advance,
Mr Mike