Lightweight Laser Sailor Tips and Techniques?

GeoffS

GeoffS

Member
I'm not a lightweight, but many of the students in my Laser lessons are. I'm having trouble describing the best techniques for handling the boat (esp. upwind). I'm fine with the normal depowering techniques, but I really have a hard time describing the best way for someone in the 100-130 lb range to sail upwind when they are tremendously overpowered (say in 15 kns of wind with the full rig).

I'm particularly interested in any ways people have for helping students find the proper balance between easing the sail, and falling off to keep the speed up. It seems that most of my lightweight students end up on a close reach (a good 10 degrees below my upwind course) when they try and balance keeping the boat flat, and not slowing down too much.

The club doesn't own a Radial or 4.7 rig yet; I'm hopeful that we will get one of each next year.

Cheers,

Geoff S.
145234
 
I don't race and I'm no expert so I can't say if what I do is optimal, but in 18+ knots I tighten the c. and v. and o. as per folklore and after that I let out the sheet until I can keep the boat flat. In 20 knots my boom is even with or outside the gunnel. Note that I leave some slack in the outhaul for powering over waves.

I see no choice but to let the main out since sailing flat is essential in these conditions otherwise the weather helm torques the boat into a stall. You can pinch a bit , but again you stall if you over do it.

Your students are probably sailing below the proper course to attain the speed they kind of expect in a big wind, but often big winds means big waves upwind and thus the expectation of going fast should be diminished.

By the way, if anyone knows a better way to handle big winds feel free to correct me.
 
Well I have no idea how this would do in a race, but when I go out (for the record I'm about 135 and I use a radial rig) and I get REALLY overpowered (like a close hauled corse would flip me to leeward no matter how depowered or how hiked out I was, I end up blowing out the mainsheet a lot. Try to keep the normal course that you should be heading, and then blow the main out so its luffing (like front 1/3) and then sheet in, hike as hard as you can, then let it out when you start going into the capsize. You also bear off a little when its luffing, so its not pinching it up so bad. POINTING IS BAD! Close hauled but not pointing up too high, and you can usually get to where you want to go.
 
hey im 130 lbs and in 15 knts i cant handle the boat well anymore
a cuban coach that came to my club told me that in strong winds (at the point you cant hadle it) we have to put great loads of cunninham outhaul and boomvang and more wind more cunni and outhaul the boomvang not at a freaking point when the blocks are touching blocks but the sail has to be as flat as a wall and in big pufs its better to let go tiny bits of sheet than pointing alot
 
In heavy winds, you want to depower the sail as best possible and you do this by flattening it; make sure the outhaul is as tight as you can make it as well as the vang, cunningham, traveler, and even the clew tie down. If they are really lightweights and are having a hard time even keeping the boat upright, you way want to consider reefing the sail, or simply wraping it around the mast once or twice before attaching the outhaul. This method was described in Dick Tillman's newest edition of The Complete Book of Laser Sailing.
 
Reefing

I wouldn't be inclined to recommend reefing the laser. I recently went out with a friend, both of us with full rigs, in conditions which were all over the place from 15 - 26kts. I was unreefed but with everything pulled as tight as possible: he had three rolls around the mast.

Result: my boat was reasonably manageable even in the gusts (not that that stopped some nice capsizes!) - but his boat was a complete pig.

He found that with rolls around the mast it was impossible to pull on enough kicker to bend the mast and depower the sail. (If you recognise that the kicker pulls down the leech, it obviously will have less leverage as the leech moves further down the mast.)

Also, the reefed sail behaves differently on each tack. (If the sail is rolled clockwise around the mast then there will be much more belly on port tack.)

Even with the sail carefully rolled around the mast, the sail shape is horrible, making its performance erratic.

And of course - no cunningham doesn't help the sail shape.

So my view would be that, ironically enough, reefing a full rig actually makes it harder to sail! I know that this goes contrary to the prevailing wisdom, but I've found the same thing in other single sailed boats like the Laser Pico or even the Topper. Anyone else have a view on this?

Regards

TJ

IRL 170952
 
That is good information, it's good to know people have actually tried these things. I was just offering it because it was in Dick Tillman's book, so thanks for informing us all. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top