Reach at light air for heavy weight sailor

manatwork

New Member
I started laser sailing 4 months ago. I am enjoying practice every weekend since that. My skill is still beginner level maybe. I need to prepare for club race that will start in March. I have read some how-to books for learning technique, to compete with younger sailors who are sailing weekday, too. But I still have a problem that I still cannot understand the theory. It’s reach leg sailing at light to medium wind. In several short races with a few club members, it was proven that my reach skill is terrible. Every time I was passed over by other boats those who ran at my leeside 5 to 10m away.
I will appreciate any advices what’s wrong about sail set, body movement, and tiller work. My sail set are as follow.
Vang : 4 to 5 inches looser after rounding weather mark buoy.
Cunningham : completely off.
Out haul : same as close hauled.
Mainsheet : trim for bottom tell tale.
Sitting position : forward as possible.
Body trim : keep boat flat.

My weight is 90kg. I know I am at rather heavy side for laser sailor but I think it is not the reason for my slow reaching.
 
how far is your centerboard coming up? you dont want it as high as it is while on a run, but you also want it to be a up for reduced drag. i would say put it up about 6 inches? also, you vang should be so that the leech is a little open, but not so its spilling out all your air.
 
You want to sail by the top telltale in light air. Ease the outhaul, too. Are those who pass you sailing at the exact same angle to the wind? Sailing higher is faster. Also, how close are you to other objects? Remember that in light air objects cast a longer wind shadow.
 
Higher may be faster, but what goes up must come down. Is there any tide/current in the water across the race course? 90kg is heavy. How much more do you weigh than your competitors? You said light breeze. How light?
 
how far is your centerboard coming up? you dont want it as high as it is while on a run, but you also want it to be a up for reduced drag. i would say put it up about 6 inches? also, you vang should be so that the leech is a little open, but not so its spilling out all your air.

I raise up centerboard about 8 to 9 inches same as on run. I always try to go high on a reach and expect slight higher centerboard cause less draft and drift boat to leeward. Is this wrong approach? You mention leech should be a little open but not so much to spill out all the air. Should I adjust leech by cunningham ?
 
You want to sail by the top telltale in light air. Ease the outhaul, too. Are those who pass you sailing at the exact same angle to the wind? Sailing higher is faster. Also, how close are you to other objects? Remember that in light air objects cast a longer wind shadow.

It looked to me that those who are faster than I were keeping almost same angles and all of us sailed in the same height in parallel, keeping distance each other 5 to 10m. I didN't know that object cast a longer window shadow in light wind. Thanks for the teaching. But I was on the highest course.
I remember one of the fasters is planing a lot although wave was very small but I could not at all. I now think this is one of possible reason. I did not know the timing for sheeting in. (pumping)
 
Higher may be faster, but what goes up must come down. Is there any tide/current in the water across the race course? 90kg is heavy. How much more do you weigh than your competitors? You said light breeze. How light?

I don't remember tide and current the weekend. But we all were sailing in almost same angle height in parallel. But water surface was rather flat and waves were so small. I was the heaviest among the fellows. Weight of others are 55 to 70kg. Wind speed in average was 1.0 to 1.5 kts and puff was 2.0 to 2.5kts. Our sails were all standard one.
 
with the wind this light, you might want to lean in a little and allow the boat to heel to leeward, just to keep the sail full of air. try to make minimal movements so that the sail shape does not change and stays full. it is better to sail high in light wind and when a gust hits you, bear away and follow it down as far as you can before you start moving up again. you might want to loosen your outhaul just a tiny bit and loosen your vang. just so that its tight enough to bend the mast slightly so you are able to point up should u find the need to.
 
Leech tension is controled by the vang, but in super light air like you had you want the vang loose. Just put enough vang on for a little mast bend when reaching, but all the way off if going directly down wind.
 
If the other guys are getting up to planing as you say then that is probably the main reason manatwork. You'll never get planing at 90kg and wind only 2.5knots. In light winds like this I adjust the vang to make sure the front entry (luff) is nice and smooth - no crinkle at all like when you pull the cunningham on. I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait for 20-30knot winds and have you're day in front of the light guys.
 
Nobody's planing in 2.5kts of wind.

In that air, reduce wetted surface by heeling to leeward.

Don't forget to ask your competitors. They're there, and we're just guessing.

Puffs can be a big factor, and they're often localized on the water. One boat can benefit from a puff while another is left behind. To take advantage you need to watch on the water for signs of approaching puffs, and position your boat to take advantage of them when they arrive.
 

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