Mainsheet letting out too far

lasersailor184544

lasersailor184544

Member
When the breeze if stiff, (anything above 15) I have troubles going downwind... I have very little stability, and often capsize.. I have a bad habit of letting the main sheet out of my hands, leading me to capsize. Has anyone ever put a knot in the sheet to keep it from letting out too far?
 
Yes! But even so, when it's really windy if there's more than 6 inches to the knot and you drop the sheet you WILL capsize!
 
Obviously the first thing you have to do is break the habit of dropping the mainsheet because there will be many times when you start a race in 10 knots of breeze with your stopper knot set so the boom goes out past 90 degrees, but finish the race with it blowing 20+

Start by tying your stopper knot in the mainsheet so the boom can't go out past 75 degrees when the breeze is up, and then learn the effect of the vang and daggerboard in regards to stability. As you learn those effects, you can gradually move the stopper knot until you can get the boom out close to 90 degrees.
 
one thing i have found effective is to tie off the main sheet at the hiking strap just above the bailer. it eliminates the knot at end of line, and assures it not running out of your mainsheet block.
 
I put a bowlin around the hiking strap line, then another knot with a loop I can securely hold on to. More importantly, learn the right vang setting, and be especially sensitive to tension. You sohuld never have it on harder than or even slightly less than when going upwind. A very good sailor told me to make the top two battens flick together and play in the waves but let the bottom one stay parallel with the boom.
 
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