Roll Tacks

T

TimClark

New Member
Well, does anyone know of any good step-by-step pictures for a really good roll tack or have any advice. I have problem rolling the boat soon enough. Anybody have any good instructions that relates to everything like sail trim, pre roll, when to jump up, when to roll the boat, etc. Thanks.

Tim
 
Roll tacking steps
1)Sheet to 2 block (allows highest pointing ability, even in light air)
2)Lean in slightly allowing weight to head boat up (turn, using less rudder)
3)The instant the front of the sail begins to bubble, pop back with your butt causing the roll.
4)By this time the boat should be crossing head to wind if affective pop.
5)Sail should be eased slighty depending on breeze after the roll.When the sail tacks to the new side, hop up to the new windward side, while sheeting back in eased main.
6)When properly trimmed start sailing.

Thats a pretty basic way of doing that.

Hang on to either the rubrail or hiking strap to pull self up to the new side during the tack.
 
Thanks that helped a good amount. I'm gonna try and get out after school tomorrow and work on only roll tacks. Thanks.

Tim
 
lasersailorvbc said:
Roll tacking steps
1)Sheet to 2 block (allows highest pointing ability, even in light air)
2)Lean in slightly allowing weight to head boat up (turn, using less rudder)
3)The instant the front of the sail begins to bubble, pop back with your butt causing the roll.
4)By this time the boat should be crossing head to wind if affective pop.
5)Sail should be eased slighty depending on breeze after the roll.When the sail tacks to the new side, hop up to the new windward side, while sheeting back in eased main.
6)When properly trimmed start sailing.

Thats a pretty basic way of doing that.

Hang on to either the rubrail or hiking strap to pull self up to the new side during the tack.
Click to expand...

Ainlie considers "step 2" to be slow (in his book). Hence he does not let the boat heel to leeward, but initiates the turn with the tiller, and then pushes his weight to windward, so that the boat rolls over. It seems to work for me.
His book has some great pictures!

GWF
 
rudder movement is important too. Try to keep it slight.

As you start the tack, don't jam the tiller over, be gentle and smooth.


Many people, at the point they roll and the bow is thru the eye of the wind, will in the final step, push the tiller the rest of the way hard (not much of it is in the water anyway with the boat heeled over) to get the boat down to close hauled.


Biggest problem I see is rolling too early. If you roll right as the main breaks (that bubble lasersailorvbc mentioned). Then you roll, as hard as you can.

Try to capsize the boat.

Then as you throw that rudder over that last bit, hand goes up, grab the gunwhale, pull yourself up (the boat will still be in the initial roll up till about here) and throw your self down on the new windward side, nice and smooth.


During the tack, you've eased the main a little too, so just as the boat goes to flat and accelerates, you'll trim back in as the boat gets to speed and AWA goes forward and you point high.
 
i forgot one of the most important things, dont SLAM the boat down (laser sailing is smoothe) so if you hit the new side too hard you will heal to windward, which is VERY slow coming out of the tack...how to prevent this? Well you can still slam hard, you will just have to shift all your body weight back towards the boom at the end of the slam,in order for your boat not to pass centerline.
 
On most points, I can agree with everything said.
Nevertheless there are two major additions in my opinion.

When you have put your weight onto the luffward side and the boom has come over. You go back to the other side quickly. If your timing is not that good it's not a problem to wait a little while before stepping to the other side, but "the walking" part has to be quick! Then, especially in light weather, it will help to push your weight as much forward as possible. It'll give you that extra boost in light airs. It might not be that legal, but judges don't seem to have a problem with this when you don't exaggerate the manoeuvre.

Secondly, I don't see anything about controlling the mainsheet, which I don't really understand. To perform a perfect rolltack, you must sheet in and out throughout the rolltack.

1. A little bit of tiller movement to make the boat go to the windward side
2. The sail falls in
3. Move your weight so that the boat will heel to luff.
4. The sail comes over
5. At that point, you ease the mainsheet
6. You hike the boat upright, and push the weight forward as well.
7. When the boat is flat, you tighten the mainsheet again

Ad 5: Depending on the windspeed, this can be 20 to 40 cm.
Ad 7: It's VERY important that you tight the mainsheet SLOWLY.
When you do this quick, the sail will cause a "stall", and the boatspeed will go down tremendously.

The best laser sailors use this method.

-Timo

[I'll try and work on my language, I'm not that good at english]
 
Dutchlaser said:
Ad 7: It's VERY important that you tight the mainsheet SLOWLY.
When you do this quick, the sail will cause a "stall", and the boatspeed will go down tremendously.


[I'll try and work on my language, I'm not that good at english]
Click to expand...

Timo, your English is fine. There are only a couple of mistakes and everything is easily understood.

I did not know that one should pull the mainsheet in slowly at the end of the roll tack. That might explain a stall I experienced last summer in light air.
 
This is all starting to make more sense.

You ease the sheet because the APPARENT wind is shifting aft as the boat rocks upright, is that right? Ahh, so it accelerates as if it were on more of a reach.

Then, once you're flat again, you sheet in to the correct heading and wind angle. Do I have that right? Or is the sheeting in part of the acceleration process?
 
MasterMike said:
This is all starting to make more sense.

You ease the sheet because the APPARENT wind is shifting aft as the boat rocks upright, is that right? Ahh, so it accelerates as if it were on more of a reach.

Then, once you're flat again, you sheet in to the correct heading and wind angle. Do I have that right?
Click to expand...

You got it.

(I took out your part about the acceleration at the end, it's all done to deal with the AWA changing..)
 
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