Going Downwind

M

mkrumpak

New Member
I started racing a Laser this year and have a few questions about downwind sailing:

1. What is the maximum angle between hull centerline and boom? Would the angle ever be more than 90deg? Maybe while sailing by the lee?

2. How much line do you leave after the stopper knot on the main sheet? While racing, my main sheet gets tangled around the hiking strap and I am tempted to cut it about 6'' after the stopper knot...

3. What are the simplest ways of detecting wind shifts going downwind (other than Windex straped below boom)?

4. In breeze (15-20 knots), while sailing by the lee, do you keep the boat flat and try to catch waves? Do you heel the boat? What are conditions in which sailing by the lee is no longer an option?

Thanks in advance!
 
Well, no-one else is giving this a go, so i'll give it a shot.
Generally when sailing downwind the boom is at 90deg to the centerline. When by the lee you tend to let it out a little bit more the further BTL you go. If you get in a gust and the boat starts to deathroll pull the main in a bit and steer further BTL. It's the reverse to what you would normally do, but it works. And at least the worst thing that will happen is you gybe instead of going for a swim! In a breeze while by the lee for sure try to catch waves, however to do this effectively takes a lot of practise. The biggest thing to try and do is to avoid ploying straight through the wave as this will slow you down immensly and fill the cockpit with water. If you do go through a wave, veer off on an angle and try and heel the boat (again this takes practise.) This helps to get the boat out of the wave and minimise the amount of water that ends in the cockpit. By the lee in a breeze is generally more stable than downwind. One of the best ways someone described to me why this is was likening it to a flag in the wind. The wind tosses it first one way, then another, which, if happening to the sail, makes for a very crazy ride. I tend to alternate between downwind, BTL and broad reaching on downwind legs in strongish wind depeding on the other boats, the waves and the wind pressure.
Regarding your mainsheet...the best way to avoid tangles in the mainsheet is to tie the loose end to the aft end of your hiking strap. This makes the mainsheet easy to find at any time and means the only kinds of knots you'll get in it are slip knots which are relatively easy to undo. It also means you no longer need a stopper knot. However you'll probably need to purchase a bit longer mainsheet to do this. The recommended length for this is 13-14 metres, however it comes down to personal preference in the end. Another thing you can do is when sailing upwind, kick the loose mainsheet in the cockpit aft so it is not getting tangled in your feet every time you tack.
And the simplist way of detecting wind shifts downwind is having a windindicater on the mast below the gooseneck or on the top of the mast. However when sailing downwind once you are more confident you should be looking behind you at least as often as you look in front. Quite a challenge!
Hope some of this helps you.
Bye
 
1. Having the boom past 90 degrees in anything over 12 knots is just asking for a deathroll. if you look at the top guys they have their boom just under 90 from the centreline but the leech of the sail is at or past 90

2. Having extra mainsheet is a good thing, Gabrielle covered that pretty well

3. Windshifts arent so important in lasers, because we can go by the lee. you should be looking for pressure and waves rather than shifts

4. in a breeze, its not as imporant to heel the boat to windward but i have found that the boat will catch waves better if on a slight lean to windward (even better if you rock it to windward but damn....... rule 42)
 
same as what chris just said but expanding on it, when sailing downwind the reason the leech is further frowards than 90 but not the boom is because we slacken the kicker! the kicker is no use because the whole point of sailing by the lee is you reverse the wind flow direction on the sail and the mast turns into your leech and is the hardest leech you'll ever get!
also the reason chris found the boat was faster with a slight heel to windward was because the boat is more balanced when slightly heeled to windward. this is to do with the centre of effort aligning with the centre of bouyancy + ur boom is higher up in the air and cathcing a faster air flow.
just enjoy your sailing and learn as much as you can from your mistakes, be prepared to get wet and react to when the boat tries to capsize to windward when bearing away.
 
Another question...when i am gybing while going downwind, I find that the block end of my mainsheet fouls around the aft corner of the boat. this happens in both light and heavy airs. this is a real big nuisance...i'm wondering if i am doing something wrong or if this is normal for most laser sailors.
 
Haha, yeah, that is a problem... It's caused because when you are sailing downwind you have an awful lot of mainsheet out, and when you jybe, all of this mainsheet slackens and usually ends up caught ont he corner of the boat. My way of breventing this is; I usually cleat off my main before i jybe, and then i hold the mainsheet between the ratchet block and the block on the boom. It's usually better to hold the sheet as closely to the block on the boom as possible. When you are going through the jybe, wait until you can feel that the boom wants to cross, then, with the hand that is holding the sheet, tug on as much sheet as possible, this should take up the slack that would usually get caught around the corner of the boat. Another benefit is that you have more control over how fast the boom will cross, and in lightwind where there might not be enough wind for a fast jybe, you can actually pull the boom over when you should have already jybed.
 
Miha Krumpak -- "2. How much line do you leave after the stopper knot on the main sheet? While racing, my main sheet gets tangled around the hiking strap and I am tempted to cut it about 6'' after the stopper knot..."

Get a rooster mainsheet and follow the instructions. You will have no problem. It makes all other mainsheets inferior.

Chris Murphy -- "3. Windshifts arent so important in lasers, because we can go by the lee."
I agree with that, but sometimes in over 12 knots having your sail out past 90 degrees helps you get on a wave.

(to corey mitchell) Sheet in faster as you go into the gybe.

Jackson U -- "I usually cleat off my main before i jybe"

I disagree with the use of a cleat while racing (this does not apply to recreational laser sailing) and suggest not using one.
 
Wrapping the mainsheet around the aft corner is normal in that it happens quirte a lot, but its also pretty easy to avoid. As you crouch in the bottom of the boat and the boom swings over your head, reach up and grab the mainsheet just where it leaves the boom block and give it a tug down. This will flick the main sheet up and over the stern. Its hard to describe how much of a flick it needs so you'll have to try it a few times. If you do it too hard the sheet flicks up so much it wraps around the end of the boom which is just as bad.
 
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