Gybing: overhand or standard in light wind?

[boikie]

Hi, I'm a Laser newbie from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sorry for my awkward (nautical) English!

I was watching Ian Elliot's video on light air gybing:

So his way of getting the boom across for a gybe is to grab the mainsheet at the after end of the boom with the help of the tiller extension, the advantages of this overhand technique being more stability and no VMG loss.

Andrew Scrivan shows both the overhand technique and the standard technique (grabing the mainsheet between the forward boom block and the mainsheet block). Here's the vid:

Have you guys tried both techniques in light wind? Which one has worked best for you? What's the reason for choosing one over the other, besides being used to it or finding it easier?

 

[Lasersailor166131]

If you are racing most of the really good guys use the first method(also called a lee to lee gybe) both are fast if done right. Learn how to do both.

 

[LaLi]

I've done the "overhand" style since forever, even before I knew anybody else was doing it As you can see in the second video, in light air it's a pain to get the sheet out again when you've first pulled most of it in, just for the gybe. (An autoratchet might help here.)

Sorry for my awkward (nautical) English!

Don't worry, it's perfect. (I'm not a native speaker, either )

_

 

[boikie]

As you can see in the second video, in light air it's a pain to get the sheet out again when you've first pulled most of it in, just for the gybe.

That does makes sense in light wind conditions!