'Forget the rudder, it all comes down to playing the sheet (a lot) and hiking as hard as you can.'
Tony B, thanks for advice but not sure about this bit........... are you saying that if I concentrate on keeping the boat flat then the rudder will nuetralize and not need so much effort to maintain a course??
Also, don't ease the sheet. Just head up until you can keep the boat flat. Easing the sheet is just powering up the sail for the first foot or so of sheet.
No, no, no, don't pinch. All pinching does is slow the boat and increase leeway.
Easing sheet will only power up the sail if you don't have enough vang on. In 15-18 knots, you need plenty of vang (and cunningham and outhaul) to depower, and to avoid adding power when you ease sheet.
Do you have enough vang on that the boom doesn't rise when you ease? I can't ever get mine so that easing is favorable to pinching.
I'm sure you're right that pinching is bad if you can get your vang set that way.
Yes, enough vang so the boom goes out more than up, at no more than a 45 degree angle.
If you can't get at least this much vang on you need to look at your set up - you can't sail the boat properly without it. You can go up to 15:1 on the vang which should be more than enough to get the required tension, and with boom sleeves you don't need to worry about breaking the boom. Even without the new vang you should be able to get enough tension though.
Back in the old days, we used to go block to block, cleat the sheet then stand on the sheet between the ratchet and the boom before heaving on the vang. Thankfully those days have long gone. I'm feeling old now.
Do you have enough vang on that the boom doesn't rise when you ease? I can't ever get mine so that easing is favorable to pinching.
I'm sure you're right that pinching is bad if you can get your vang set that way.
If you have the "new" rigging you will not have a problem getting the necessary vang tension. If you do not, then I can understand why you might be having a problem.
I dont have the XD rig setup, the boat came with the absolutely original kicker, cunno and outhaul.
I have modified the kicker so it is now a 6:1 system (nowhere near as good as 15:1 but loads more usable than the original 3:1) because of my problems on Sunday I have also ordered cunno and outhaul upgrades to make things a bit easier because I find it next to impossible to make meaningful adjustments on the water.
The last few posts kind of raise the other question I asked at the start of the thread, peaople say to me that in a decent breeze I should be 'vang sheeting', on Sunday I had the kicker block to block and then pulled about another 2 inches of kicker on. Is this enough or would I need to be doing more???????
I didnt notice whether the boom was rising at all (too busy capsizing)!!
...as you go into the tack stay hiked out to help turn the boat...
Maybe I'm confused in how I tack, but I usually have to come in from my hard-out hiking position to help the boat turn into the tack. Heeling to leeward will help the boat head up. I don't switch sides until after the tack, so that the initial leeward heel on the new tack stops the boat from turning. In heavier air, when I really don't want the boat to capsize on top of me, I switch to the new windward side earlier than in lighter air.
No, my hull is nice and dry.
I guess I should have said it differently. I don't have to come in from hiking to get the boat around, I just choose to do so, in order to use the rudder less.
Moving shoulders aft is a great tip! Thanks! It accomplishes what I try to do, without the increased leeway due to leeward heel.
The timing of my switch from one side to the other was poorly worded as well. I usually don't switch sides until after the sail has filled on the new tack, so I can get an extra pump with my weight transfer. Obviously, in heavy air, waiting for the sail to fill while still on the (new) leeward side is a bad idea, often leading to the boat capsizing on top of me. Is that clearer?