Heavy wind jibing

W

wanerious

New Member
Hi all,

New guy here --- just looking for some seasoned advice. We've had several races around here (Oklahoma) with pretty heavy winds (consistent 20-30 with higher gusts). I've gotten to be decent at upwind sailing in these winds; I mainly try to *not* pinch too much, let the sail out, hike hard, and keep the boatspeed up. My problem is usually at the jibe mark. Are there any good tips for jibing in pretty heavy winds? Anything you all do differently from light/medium air? It got so bad that at one regatta, knowing I had no shot at 1st and needing only to beat a particular racer for 2nd, I chicken-jibed around the mark for safety. I felt dirty.

Anyway, any tips for a relative newbie are appreciated!
 
Heel to windward to help the boat bear away, roll even more to gybe when you are going fastest e.g. surfing down a wave, reverse the tiller as soon as the boom goes across, get your weight across to the new side ASAP, and flatten the boat and get the boat planing on the new tack.

Then smile !!!!! :) :) :)
 
Keep the boat moving....I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to slow the boat down, thinking that going slower will seem safer or more in control....make sure you have plenty of vang on....practice by setting up a downwind slalom course with a few friends in heavy air, when the water is warm and you are not worried about the consequences of capsizing.

Also, nothing wrong with a "chicken jibe" when you have a big lead or when everyone else is swimming!!

Have Fun!

Mike Fortner
Rochester Canoe Club
 
First two tips given were good ones...One other point I would emphasize is the need to play your mainsheet all the way throughout the boat handling maneuver...It is critical that you don't try to cheat in the mainsheet, in fact, it is best to continue easing it out right up until the gybe point, then a trim in at the gybe point is all it takes to force the main to the other side...Be sure to duck! The only other point to emphasize is not to oversteer, the gybing angle is far less than the tacking angle and therefore requires that much less steering with the rudder during the manuever.

Good luck!
 
This was a topic a while back. Search the forums. Look up S-turn or S-gybing. It's a good safe technique for heavy air.
 
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