RIGGING A LASER 2
by Chris Foster
The rigging manual outlines the basic method of getting the boat from the packages onto the water. Here I have tried to add some refinements to make life easier for those who wish to race.
The Laser 2 is rigged very simply, but care over detail saves a lot of disappointment and upset on the race track
Mast
Check all fittings, pins/rings and tape them all up.
Tighten the diamonds (you should be able to push them together with one hand, but only just). Then wire up the diamonds, tighten locking nuts and tape it all up.
WD40 the overlapping section in case you need to part the mast.
WD40 all moving parts (every time you go sailing).
Shorten the spinnaker halyard to minimum. This is best done bit by bit though there is usually far too much. Mark the up position so the helmsman knows when to stop pulling at a glance.
Start with just a few mm of rake, but this can be increased in stronger winds.
Hull
Check all screws/nuts/bolts are tight and secure.
If the mast step is not "bomb proof", send back the boat.
Check the toe strap ropes are protected by the plastic tubes at the securing points.
Ropes
Spinnaker sheets should be pre-stretched. Again these are usually supplied too long, but take care not to cut too much off!
Mark the spinnaker sheets at the reaching hooks when the pole is just off the forestay with the pole at an average height and the sheet under a lot of strain.
Shorten the cunningham line and other controls to minimum.
Ensure that all halyards can be stowed securely without risk of escape.
Attach an extra block for the spinnaker halyard to the back of the cockpit.
You can now add the sails and prepare the boat for the water.
Jib
The jib shackle at the tack (bottom front corner) must be arranged so that the spinnaker cannot snag on it. Tape it up also. Pull the jib up tight - the crew should pull the forestay (using padding on hands) so that the mast is heaved forward and the jib halyard secured onto the halyard rack. The jib cunningham should be as loose as possible for the wind strength, but there should be no creases in the luff (the leading edge of the sail). The figure of eight knot in the jib should be about one third of the way up the jib sheet - you will not want the jib to go out any further.
Mainsail
Pull the mainsail up with care. The boat should be head-to-wind and the crew should feed it into the mast and ensure that the boom is completely free.
New sails will not need to be pulled up to the highest point of the rack. Pull the sail down onto the gooseneck and put the kicking strap on loosely to ensure it will not come off again. Tie a knot in the outhaul rope where the maximum off wind position is required. Pull the outhaul in for upwind. Attach the cunningham and apply tension to the kicking strap.
Spinnaker
Tie the halyard to the head of the spinnaker with a bowline loop that ensures it will fly six inches from the mast. Tie the sheets onto the corners with as small a bowline as possible. (Try a figure of eight). Thread the downhaul part of the halyard through the inside of the spinnaker, through a small shackle or D-ring attached to the lower patch and then tie to the top patch.
Other Rigging Points
The spinnaker catcher at the bows should be bent up.
Tape up anything and everything.
Mark the dagger board for various positions.
Ensure that the area for the trapeze crew's feet is non-stick. Wax as used by board sailors can be applied.
UPWIND SAILING
by Patrick Bird
Good upwind sailing consists of two related arts: going fast and pointing in the right direction. After the start speed becomes very important. Let's look at that first.
Boat Speed
For what follows I'm assuming medium wind strength-about 5-15 mph.
The Rig
Use lots of rig tension in all conditions. This straightens the jib luff and enables you to point higher. If you are not hunky enough to swing on the forestay to do this, find a suitable gorilla!
The Sails
Tweaking the sails during a race is difficult in a Laser 2, so best do it before the start.
Jib
The angle of jib sheeting is critical for boat speed and pointing ability, but is very difficult to judge when sailing as most of the jib is hidden behind the mainsail. The first adjustment to consider is the fairlead track which controls sheeting angle. This should almost always be set at its most inboard position. The only exception is in very strong winds and choppy water when lightweight crews benefit from a wider sheeting angle. The problem is reduced if you mark the jib sheet at the fairlead when you have decided upon the best sheeting angle. Do this first for "average" conditions - say force 3 and a slight chop. Indicate the sheeting position with a marker pen, and then use brightly coloured whipping twine to make two permanent markers, about an inch apart on each side of the median line. This gives you a free sheeting position and a close sheeting position. The last adjustment to consider for the jib is luff tension which is set using a cord led back to a cleat by the mast step. In theory, tightening the luff pulls the maximum draft of the sail forwards, which is useful in heavy winds. In practice I find it makes little difference, and normally set it fairly slack so that the jib luff is just beginning to break into horizontal wrinkles.
Many people use tell-tales located just a few inches aft of the jib luff to help them sail on the wind. These are useful in light and variable winds. In other conditions the feel of the boat is a better guide. Practice sailing with your eyes shut (helms only!). After dumping the crew a few times you'll find it easy.
Mainsail
To set the mainsail up for the beat a tight foot and loose luff are desirable. Use only enough cunningham to take the horizontal creases out of the sail. A tell-tale trailing from the top batten is quite useful - if air is moving smoothly past the sail, the tell-tale flies freely. When you tension the vang it powers up the mainsail as the leech tightens, until the point where the airflow breaks away from the sail. This is shown by the tell-tale collapsing. Now ease off the vang until the tell-tale flies freely again and you have the correct setting.
The Race
In anything over 10 mph the Laser 2 should plane to windward. After the start use the free sheeting position, and work hard to achieve maximum speed. If the wind is gusty, play the mainsail to keep the boat flat. Don't play the jib until you are overpowered. The helm and crew should be as close together as possible - this reduces weight in the ends of the boat, so that it rides more easily over the waves. As speed increases move crew weight further aft. This brings the bow out of the water and you accelerate faster. When maximum speed is achieved, try sheeting in a little, and sailing closer to the wind. Above all, keep the boat flat. You can judge when it's flat by glancing over your shoulder at the stern wave. When the wave is symmetrical the boat is flat; when it is heeled you can see one side of the transom (normally the leeward side) digging a groove in the water and slowing you down. Practice sailing the boat flat and don't settle for less than perfection in medium to strong winds.
All crew movements should be planned and smoothly executed. Hurried or violent moves slow the boat down and disrupt concentration. When going about the helm should ease the mainsheet slightly and start to luff into the tack as the crew comes off the wire. On the new tack drive off free to regain speed, then sheet in close hauled.
Tactics
Ideally be in the starting area half an hour before the start. Sail the first beat to assess wind direction and the pattern of shifts. Decide which side of the beat, if either, is favoured by tide or persistent wind shifts.
Off the Start
You will almost certainly be on starboard tack. Look around and assess your position immediately. Watch the weather quarter, and consider tacking when you can clear the boats behind. If one side of the beat is favoured, go towards it as soon as possible. Otherwise, stay close to the centerline, and tack on heading shifts. If you do not have clear wind, look for it straight away. Try to find a gap in the fleet and either drive off to leeward into it, or if this is not possible, tack onto port. Bear away around sterns rather than tacking repeatedly which loses too much ground.
Midbeat
The fleet has spread out, you have clear wind and can concentrate on boatspeed. Use landmarks on the shore or the compass to spot windshifts. Other boats also provide information on the wind. Given equal pointing ability, if those behind on the same tack drop to leeward, you are sailing into a heading shift. Your options are to continue, and cover the boats behind, or to go about and attack the boats in front. In an oscillating wind it is usually better to tack. If the shift is persistent, continue into it to take maximum advantage when you eventually tack. Look ahead at the leaders and consider your pre-race information to decide if the shift is persistent. Above all, avoid the temptation to go off on a flier - out on a limb on one side of the beat. Sod's law says that if you are miles away from the fleet the wind will shift in their favour, not yours.
Approaching The Windward Mark
Most windward marks are port-rounding, and in this case the fleet often lines up on the starboard layline with a hundred yards to go. This is a very boring place to be - you have no chance of improving your position. Much better to approach under the layline, far enough away to have clear wind and the opportunity to benefit from windshifts. Approach the starboard tack parade, and tack to leeward, or in a gap with 20-50 yards to go.
If the windward mark is starboard-rounding and you approach on the starboard tack layline, you may be prevented from tacking to round the buoy by following boats on your weather quarter, or by one approaching on port. As right of way boat, you must hold your course and cross ahead before tacking. The opposition meanwhile has ducked round your stern and rounded first. There is something to be said therefore for approaching on port tack a boat length or so to windward of the layline.
Finally, start thinking about the next leg of the course before you reach the mark. Where is the next mark? Is the reach broad enough to hoist the spinnaker? Are you going to gybe? All these questions must be answered before rounding. If you are going to hoist the spinnaker, you may well be able to set the pole in the last few yards before rounding.
DOWNWIND SAILING
by David Leadley
Laser 2 sailing is always a matter of team work and this is especially true downwind. A lot of practice is required to sort out that enormous mass of expensive, colourful and extremely delicate sailcloth which gets dangled out of the front of the boat and still sail fast in the right direction. Preparation starts in the dinghy park.
Rigging
The downhaul should be led up the inside of the sail through a small shackle on the lower patch - this helps reduce friction and prevents the sail being pulled through if the stitching works loose.
The halyard should be led back through a pulley at the rear of the cockpit to reduce potential knitting. If you have problems remembering to which corner each sheet should be tied write on the sail with a permanent marker - getting it wrong results in an asymmetric spinnaker which doesn't fly very well!
To ensure hoisting and lowering goes smoothly the system must have minimum friction. This can be achieved either by spending a fortune on ball-bearing blocks, or by regular spraying with WD40. This keeps the microblocks turning and so stops them wearing out.
The spinnaker pole is one of the few areas of the boat not rigidly controlled. In the standard system the pole is not permanently attached, so you must be careful not to drop it over the side - poles sink fast. However this system is perfectly adequate and is very fast for gybing. An alternative is to have the pole tied onto the uphaul about 2" from its outboard end. This makes the pole easier to put up - an important consideration when sailing in waves, but gybing is more difficult, involving pushing the pole back into the helmsman's face or performing contortions on the foredeck.
For either system the pole height should be adjustable between a foot above the foredeck and 30 degrees above the horizontal. Finally use WD40 on the pole ends and check everything works on shore.
Hoisting
To hoist or not to hoist is a question often asked. If the leg looks tight it is best to sail high first and fly the spinnaker late, on a broader reach. When it is a question of wind strength, there will be no gain if the crew is already trapezing with two sails. However, in case of doubt the kite comes out!
On the run the spinnaker should always be flown as it stabilises the boat and lifts the bows. Less well dressed boats fall in by nose-diving anyway.
Initially it is easier to hoist on starboard gybe. The pole is first clipped onto the guy (which the helm can uncleat from the side deck), then as the helm pulls the halyard as fast as possible the crew should pull the guy round and cleat it in the reaching hook. The halyard and sheets can be marked to show when the sail is all the way up and give a rough guide for the guy. Finally the crew pulls in the sheet and the boat accelerates rapidly.
On port it is very easy for the kite to go the wrong side of the jib. This is best avoided by bearing away onto a broad reach before hoisting and for the crew to pull the sail round the forestay with the sheet. On this gybe the helm must not start hoisting until the pole is up and the crew is ready to control the sail.
Flying
Once up, the helm should sit to leeward and allow the crew to sit on the windward side deck where it is easier to see the sail. In light weather the helm can also play the jib and keep the spinnaker out of the water, as well as remembering to adjust the mainsheet when the wind shifts!
Meanwhile, the crew is constantly trimming the leeward sheet and ready to move the guy. As the wind strength changes the pole height also needs adjusting - lower in light airs to give the sail some shape and higher in a blow. As a rough guide the corners of the kite should be level.
As the wind increases and the waves build up the real fun starts! It is probably better for both to sit to windward, than for the helm to keep changing sides. When a gust hits it is the helm's job to keep the boat level - by bearing away and playing the mainsheet. It is also important to keep the spinnaker filling - not too tight causing excessive heeling - but certainly not flapping as this inevitably results in a swim. This is not the time to panic!
In heavy gusts you may need to bear away by up to 30 degrees so it is important to head up in the lulls. They are always there but are usually forgotten. When the boat planing the crew needs to take a step backwards and in really windy conditions will find themselves hanging onto the helmsman at the back of the boat.
Gybing
This is the next real problem. Always gybe from run to run never from reach to reach or you will capsize. Before the gybe pull the pole back, take the guy out of the reaching hook and cleat both sheets. Then gybe the jib and main. The helm should keep the spinnaker filling while the crew gybes the pole. If the sheets are not kept under control they go over the end of the boom, which is a problem! Reduce this problem by cutting the sheet length to a minimum. On shore with the kite in the chute and the pole at maximum height it should just be tight across the boat.
Finally there is no point in heading up until the pole is sorted out and the guy in the reaching hook - otherwise you might as well choose a heated pool for your swim.
Putting it away
This is the time when most mistakes occur. Before doing anything check there's no knots in the halyard, it is not around the crew's foot or tied round the bowcatcher. This can easily be sorted out while still sailing. Dropping is easiest on a broad reach and should be done in plenty of time. Sailing past the leeward mark makes the beat longer! Try never to lower whilst running by the lee, the sheet goes under the bows and you will probably gybe while jumping about the boat.
The helmsman puts the tiller between the knees, pulls in the slack on the downhaul (AND ONLY THEN) uncleats the halyard and pulls the spinnaker into the chute as fast as possible. Meanwhile things are more hectic at the front end. The aim of the crew is to fly the kite right down the chute. Initially the guy comes out of the reaching hook and the pole should be moved to give a clean entry into the chute ie pulled back a bit. The sheets should not be allowed to go slack or they will miss the bowcatcher. Only when everything is clearly going the correct side should the pole be detached from the mast end first. Finally check the pole is attached and tidy up the sheets for next time.
On windy days or in waves it is often all the helm can do to keep the boat upright so in this case the crew should do everything (no change from normal then!). Again the downhaul must be pulled tight before uncleating and the guy should not be released until the last minute. The leeward sheet sometimes causes problems when dropping on port, but most helms can manage just to keep this under control.
Finally the only way to improve the teamwork required for downwind sailing is to keep practising, and to talk through the difficult manoeuvres.
CREWING
by Bryan Mobbs
When looking for advice about crewing, many people concentrate on what to do on specific points of sailing and consider the crew in isolation from the helm. As I'll explain later, this is a very shortsighted view but for those looking for some tips on techniques here are few points:
Remember you weight almost as much as the boat so your weight has a fundamental effect, move lightly and carefully and keep the helm and crew weight together, ie trapeze alongside him.
When trapezing upwind on flat water have your front foot against the shroud plate. Downwind or in waves move back to the spinnaker fairlead.
Set the trapeze heights so that you can easily swing in. Use the toestraps to pull yourself in, but keep your weight on the wire.
When not trapezing upwind keep as low as possible to reduce windage.
Work the jib in strong winds. If you leave it cleated, as the main is eased you stall the airflow around the main and create extra heel.
Work the main on two sail reaches - never cleat it.
When the spinnaker is up concentrate on keeping the luff just on the edge of the curl.
For a tight spinnaker reach on a windy day make sure you raise the board before you hoist to reduce the heeling force.
In light winds remember to lower the pole height well below the horizontal to try and keep the two clews level.
While the above points outline some basic principles, they are only half the story. To sail any two-man boat requires a high level of teamwork between helm and crew. Crewing is therefore not solely the preoccupation of the person at the front end (and the reserve also applies!). Crews should not automatically be blamed by the helm when things go wrong (as so often happens). With sailing requiring teamwork, the problem usually arises from a breakdown in the required partnership.
As an example, consider the gybe mark on a windy day. How often do you successfully gybe, head off to the next mark with the spinnaker flogging, then promptly capsize? Most helms blame the crew for not gybing the spinnaker quickly enough and getting it filling. The capsize actually resulted from the helm gybing from reach to reach, rather than from run to run. In a Laser 2 on a windy day the crew physically cannot set the pole on a tight reach with the spinnaker flogging and a capsize becomes inevitable. Making up a little ground lost to leeward is far quicker than righting an inverted boat!
I'm not going to describe how to tack or gybe a boat. For all boat handling skills teamwork is vital. Find a drill that works for you and your helm and stick to it, remembering that you will have to use variations on your basic method for different wind and water conditions. The key to being above to execute all manoeuvres successfully is preparation and anticipation. Preparation comes from sailing regularly with your helm, and anticipation comes from communication. You should be talking to your helm regularly while sailing to find out what your "team" is about to do. You should never find yourself in an unexpected situation and therefore rushed into some manoeuvre for which you are not prepared.
For example when sailing upwind on port, discuss what you are going to do when another boat approaches on starboard (as they will eventually). Are you going to bear away behind them or tack? Even if the answer is "Don't know" at least you are prepared for a possible crash tack.
The crew should be the second set of eyes and ears in the boat and should be anticipating situations and warning the helm. They have a vital contribution to make to the boat's performance and provide far more than moveable ballast upwind and a spinnaker trimmer downwind.
The Laser 2 is a very rewarding boat to crew with the right teamwork, so educate your helm today!
HEAVY WEATHER SAILING-
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by Tim Davison
There are a few things that are peculiar to a Laser 2 and it is those I want to look at here.
Firstly don't assume that you have to be heavy to win in very strong winds. In fact, the only time you need weight is in medium conditions when the heavyweights can power away with the sails pulled right in and the lightweights have to spill wind.
Tuning
You need to set up the boat fairly carefully in heavy winds. Rake the mast well back (the shrouds should be two or three holes up at the back of the plate); you will then have to add shackles to make the jib halyard long enough. Put on as much tension as you dare by pulling on the forestay while your crew takes up the slack in the jib halyard. It's best to stop with the mast just bending slightly forward - you'll go faster with more rig tension but eventually something will break.
The diamonds are irrelevant. They seem to do very little.
Set up the mainsail with just a little belly in the foot (so you can put your fist between the sail and the boom) and pull on the Cunningham very tightly.
The vang is your main de-powering device. You want it very tight indeed upwind, and the tighter you have it the faster you will go. Unfortunately, something will break if you overdo it so you are just going to have to experiment with this. Downwind you must ease the vang or you will definitely break something or cause the boom to hit the water which will capsize you and/or break the rig.
If it's really howling move the jib fairleads outboard so that the wind can whip through the slot a lot quicker. Lastly, make sure that your spinnaker pole works well because if the pole keeps coming off the mast or the sheet comes out of the end you are probably going to fall in while you are sorting it out.
Technique
Now to technique. Upwind the mainsheet is your primary control. Play it in and out all the time using it to keep the boat flat. i.e. if the boat heels at all let the mainsheet out and vice versa. You should be constantly trying to get the mainsheet in without the boat heeling, and you will of course be hiking flat out with your crew on as low a wire as he/she can manage without hitting the waves.
The crew should also work the jib sheet all the time so that if a big gust comes through the sheet is dumped out a bit and you can plane off.
You should also be working the tiller over every wave - this will really help the boat to get to windward. In fact there is no purpose in trying to point in heavy winds, just go for speed and once you've got speed you'll find that you can point back up again. The key thing to avoid is smashing into the waves and stopping. You can't steer well unless the boat is doing at least 4 knots.
Before going onto the reach the helmsman should ease out a bit of vang.
If you find you can't do this it's probably worth the crew coming in for a minute to release it and then going out again while you bear away round the windward mark.
Get going and then assess whether or not you should be flying a spinnaker - if you are already going flat out without the kite and don't need any more power then there is no point in hoisting more sail.
It is absolutely essential to keep the boat upright by using the main sheet. As soon as you let the boat heel you wind find it's impossible to steer because the rudder is very small and cavitates.
On the run you must hoist the spinnaker because this stabilises the boat. Once it's up both helm and crew should be as far back in the boat as possible - preferably with the crew kneeling on the floor with one knee against each side of the cockpit and the helmsman sitting out on the stern deck.
We find it best in really strong winds for the crew to do all the spinnaker work and the helmsman just to concentrate on keeping the boat upright - that is really all he can do and is the most important job. You should practise this sort of spinnaker hoist and drop in lighter winds so that the crew gets the hang of it.
Sailing in strong winds in a Laser 2 is mind-blowingly exciting and rewarding and it's the heavy weather races that will stay in your memory when you've forgotten all about the light wind ones.
LIGHT WEATHER SAILING
by Chris Bellingham
So you've arrived at the club and there is no wind. Not even a gentle zephyr to propel you around the pond. There is nothing. Conversations centre on the skill required to get the boat round the course then... and today they will pass it off as pure fluke that they get beaten every time it goes light. They always do.
It will take a while to rock the boat out to the start, so you will have to be afloat early this week.
The cover comes off the boat. You don't believe in playing with the standard rigging for different weather conditions - you set the mast rake to 30cm ( by putting a spirit level on the foredeck just in front of the mast and a weight hanging off the main halyard, and measuring from the gooseneck to halyard) - and there it has stayed ever since. You have the diamonds as tight as you can, and when the jib goes up, the rig tension is such that with your crew bouncing on the forestay the jib halyard will just go on to the hook. The top batten is left fairly tied tight into the sail, so you needn't worry about that either. The only thing done differently today is that the lightweight spinnaker and jib sheets must be found.
The boat is on the beach and you try to assess the temperature while walking to the changing rooms - it's warm now, but it will be very much cooler if the wind does arrive. Looking around there are several crews that will be caught out if the wind freshens since they are not taking their harnesses with them either. At least your crew doesn't need to be reminded that he should always be ready for a change in the weather.
Back to the boat and the sails go up. First the jib. A quick check to see that the head hasn't twisted round the luff wire, then thread the jib cunningham but don't tension it. The jib fairleads are at the inboard end of the tracks, as always. Right, now the main. Up it goes, but not quite to the top of the rack. You let the main down until that nasty crease down the luff disappears. (If you have an older system this could be got round by putting a second shackle at the top of the main). The outhaul is pulled in to give a couple of inches gap between the boom and sail, and the vang is attached, but no tension put on. (Just having it there helps the top batten flick over when tacking or gybing).
So down the slip and into the water. You are one of the first afloat, but that will give time to watch the conditions at the start line. Everyone has their own way of getting to the start on a day like this, but your crew stands on the foredeck holding the diamonds and repeatedly heels the boat over then hauls it up again. This propels you quite quickly if your sails are set for a reach. It demonstrates why the rules say that roll tacks or gybes must not be exited faster than they were entered.
Having reached the starting area, you watch any oscillations of the wind, such as it is, and see if there is any consistency in which side of the course it breathes in from - both these are difficult to spot, but the oscillations tend to be regular, and if they can be used to work your way to the side of the beat that the breaths are coming from, you should be well away. Still the ten minute has gone and the five is soon, so the time has come to get to the middle of the line while illegal propulsion can still be used. Once the five has gone, you can't risk being more than a few yards from the line due to the time it will take you to get back, and the middle gives you the choice of which end to go for as the start draws near.
From your studies of the wind fluctuations you are in the best possible position to guess which will be the favored end of the line. However, clear wind is very important to you, and if the favored end is very crowded it may pay you to start further down the line, and hope that the clear air and freedom of movement will allow you to make up the extra distance, particularly if this allows you to sail towards the side of the beat that you expect the wind to come from.
At the moment the line is very starboard biased, but the rest of the fleet are massing at that end. Because you have spent the time watching the oscillations of the wind, you know that it will lift those on port tack in a couple of minutes, and the port side of the beat is where today's wind has been filling in from - so start from the port end and sail off on starboard until the wind swings.
The gun goes, and you are off. There's a commotion at the other end of the line. One or two of the boats have been heeled over and brought upright with a big pump, and they are now moving better than the other boats around them. It is being pointed out to the offenders that this is against the rules, but the air is so disturbed that few are making progress at this moment. You think yourself lucky to be out of that, and ignore it, concentrating on getting the best out of your boat. You sail the boat very free to keep way on at all times. This is particularly important when sailing in disturbed air, but generally you would expect to point lower than all the boats around you. To try and reduce wetted area you keep the weight well forwards - in these conditions it often helps for your crew to sit on the foredeck, if the airflow round the jib is not disturbed (and he doesn't fall off), while you sit in the spinnaker bag. However the boat should not be heeled more than necessary to allow the sails to hang in the correct shape, since heeling the boat increases the weather helm. A quick look around will show you many different ways to trim the boat for these conditions.
Someone in a boat near you sneezes. Nothing special in that, but the boat concerned stops - it clearly shows how easy it is for a sudden movement to knock the wind out of the sails, and it will take a long time to restore the airflow and get away on again.
In front of you is a patch of disturbed water. Just as you had predicted there is a breath filling in from this side. With it will come the swing in the wind that is due, and then it will be time to tack. You know that it is quite possible to propel the boat round the course by this means, so in the light of the rule book you take great care not to come out of a tack faster than it was entered. Instead you sail the boat round, maintaining its speed, with a quick flick to flip the top batten across.
You keep watching the windshifts as you sail up the beat, tacking on the bigger ones, and keeping towards the side the breaths are coming from. Watching the boats around the course gives you a good idea of what the wind is doing over other parts of the course, both in direction and strength, and what you can expect next.
As the windward mark is rounded you remain very still, simply easing the sheets as you go round. It pays to sail higher on the reaches to pick up any breaths of wind as they fill in from the windward side of the course. Some boats are hoisting spinnakers, but the boats are stopping while the helm and crew move about to put it up, and the sail doesn't fill - it only hangs with its foot in the water. You are still sitting still, keeping the weight well forward to lift the wide flat area around the transom clear of the water, and heeling the boat ever so slightly to keep the main and jib hanging in a nice shape.
Rounding the gybe mark you don't make a full bodied roll gybe since that would be illegal propulsion again, but just a little roll with a quick flick to get the top batten across. The second reach of today's triangle is much broader, and you have to keep an eye on the burgee to see if a gybe is required, since sailing by the lee is very slow. If the boat is heeled too much the burgee will always lie - saying you are on a beam reach - it's a side effect of gravity. The wind is too light for tell tails on the shrouds to fly, but with practice you can feel the movement of the air on your face.
It may only be a very small course, but it has taken you almost an hour to get you this far, and there are some members of the fleet. who in windy conditions are very competitive, who are only part way up the first beat. Looking up to windward there is another patch of breeze making its way across the water towards you, and this one looks bigger, and should last longer. Boats behind have hoisted spinnakers which are just filling. Everyone seems to have the pole too high - the corners of the foot should be at about the same height - so you set the pole so that the outer end is just one or two feet above the water. It looks low, but the two bottom corners of the sail are now at the same height, and your spinnaker fills before others do. You can also see the big creases from the chute patches on many spinnakers. You use thinner rope than most for the halyard - some remove the downhaul and when dropping, gather the spinny in below the jib, and push it into the chute from the cockpit.
In this weather it is even more important than usual to stay between the boats behind and the finish. Even then you could sail into a big hole and have to watch most of the fleet sail round you, so it is critical to keep concentrating on the situation until after crossing the finishing line. So you keep a wary eye on those behind, whilst still trying to make good use of the shifts.
With the slight increase in wind strength, your crew has had to sacrifice his position sunbathing on the foredeck for the discomfort of the spinnaker bag, while you are also keeping your weight forward. Since there is now enough wind for the sails to fill without the boat being heeled, you concentrate on keeping the boat plumb upright. It is also possible to point slightly higher, but you still find most boats pointing even higher - but not moving so well. The sails have also got some creases in, which could usefully be removed. It is not windy enough for the jib cunningham to be needed to take creases out of the jib luff, but the mainsail has the cunningham tensioned to take the creases out there. A little outhaul is pulled on, to keep about two inches between the boom and the sail, and a little vang so that the leech of the main is just starting to twist.
Back onshore, you prime yourself for this week's round of hard luck stories - those big holes, the completely unpredictable windshifts, the poor boatspeed, and all the rest of them. There is a greater element of chance in the game on a light weather day, but you know that there are good reasons why, more often than not, it is the same faces at the front of the fleet on days like this.
THE JERRY COLLYER GUIDE TO HEAVY WEATHER LASER 2 SAILING
In The Beginning
I started Laser 2 sailing in 1985. At the time I had not sailed a trapeze boat before, and I can clearly remember being lapped twice at Datchet by the seemingly all-conquering teams such as Jo and Cathie Burnie, Patrick and Virginia Bird, and the Doyen himself Jeremy Atkins, with a youthful David Leadley on the wire. Most people have experienced racing were you seem to be 1/4 mile behind in the light stuff, and when it blows you're still righting the boat when the "experts" are pontificating in the bar. In 1993, and in spite of 8 years more or less continuous Laser 2 sailing I still seem to be distinctly pedestrian when it is light, however I think the Laser 2 is without equal the most exciting and rewardable dinghy to sail in a breeze.
Be Prepared
Boat preparation is the first thing that is vital to fast and fun heavy weather sailing. Over the last 10 years the class association and the builder have done a lot to change what was a fairly fragile boat to the reasonably robust object we all sail today.
Make Steering Easy
Starting at the back of the boat, it is crucial to have a rudder on which you can rely. The gorilla tiller and extension for example is substantially more solid than the standard tiller, because of reduced slop in the tiller the boat is much easier to steer in waves. The tiller itself must be short enough so that you can sit out right at the back of the cockpit and still bear away without the tiller fouling your knees. (My tiller is 1100 mm long, and the extension is 900 mm long). The next crucial thing is that the rudder is right down, and stays down while sailing fast. The main problem is that there is some creep of the rope in the cleat that holds the blade down, the Gorilla tiller is supplied with a cleat near the stock, this reduces the length of rope, and hence some of the creep, but does not eliminate it. For the past 3 years I have sailed with the blade held down with a 2:1 purchase, part of that purchase having 6 parts of 6mm shock cord. This is elastic enough to take up any creep in the rope, but not so elastic that my rudder blade lifts on a really fast reach. If your boat is one of those with plastic gudgeons, then take them off and replace them with the new metal variety.
While discussing foils perhaps I should touch on the subject of the slot gasket, I accept that the current supplied Laser material is far from ideal, and to try to rectify this I replaced mine with some rather high quality doormat loaned to me by a prominent member of the Laser 2 Class Association. I was most impressed with the fit, and the board was quite immovable after my sister and I had stood on it. It was slightly more impractical, and certainly not fast when I had to stand on the foredeck to raise the board screaming down the first reach.
Get Your String Sorted
Laser 2s have received a lot of criticism for what are deemed to be difficult control systems. I have never understood the arguments against what we have as:
All the boats are the same.
The whole ethos of one-design sailing is that those who win races, win by investing time on the water, developing the skill to operate the system, and not by investing cash and "boat-bimbling" time in the dinghy park.
Important String
The two most important control lines are the jib and the mainsheet. As far as the jib sheet is concerned the crew must have whatever they are most comfortable with, but try to use as small a diameter as is practical (I use 8mm Marston rope). The length of sheet must be long enough to hold on to while trapezing from the back edge of the cockpit. Some crews prefer to tie the end of the sheet to the trapeze wire. Over the years people have changed jib fairlead positions, and some have even changed the positions of their tracks. I was most gratified to see at this year's nationals that even the Irish Youth Squad (whose boats have been altered to the maximum tolerance allowed) have their jib fairlead in exactly the same position as mine, set when the boat left the factory two years ago.
The mainsheet on my boat is also in 8mm Marston. I have allowed myself the luxury of a Harken ratchet block, available as standard on the top specification Laser 2. I never cleat the main in heavy weather. To perform a one handed operation I hold the mainsheet in my tiller hand, when I need two hands to hoist the spinnaker I hold the mainsheet between my teeth (however as I am a dentist by profession I would recommend anyone who has crowned front teeth to wear a gum shield before doing this) and steer with my knees while standing up.
Less Important String
The vang comes in for more grief from the anti-Laser 2 fraternity than any other part of the boat, there is relatively little that you can do about it technically, apart from reversing it; putting the cleat part on the boom, is one option, which gives you increased purchase, and makes it easier for the helm to adjust.
I put my cleat back the normal way round two years ago, after repeatedly accidently pulling the vang key out of the boom. However if you are a small helm it is probably an advantage to have the vang cleat on the boom. The rope for the vang needs to be such that it does not come uncleated. The rope that is supplied is adequate (5mm multibraid, prestretched); however, it needs to be longer than supplied so that it can be adjusted by the helm.
Laser 2s go fast upwind in a blow with vang on, they are also a lot easier to sail. Either you must have a crew with serious arm power to put it on at the leeward mark, or you do it yourself. I sail the boat upwind from the leeward mark until we are settled, and then I stall the boat by luffing sharply, this then allows me to jump into the centre of the boat and heave on the vang (the crews stays on the wire all the while this is going on).
The next vital bit of string is the outhaul. When you are overpowered upwind it is essential to have the outhaul on really hard, hard enough so that the boom is bent in compression by the outhaul alone. I find that getting the outhaul on is easiest done by the crew, who should come into the boat and pull hard on the length of outhaul between the cleat and the end of the boom. When sufficient tension has been applied the slack can be taken up with the other hand pulling through the cleat. As you tension the outhaul you firm up the leech of the bottom third of the sail, which means as you ease the mainsheet the top two-thirds of the sail twists off while the bottom third keeps the boat driving without the excessive leverage. (If you don't do this the top part of the sail knocks you flat). The other thing that helps is putting the cunningham hard on, this pulls on the top part of the leech, which takes the tension out of it and encourages twist. I tension the cunningham by sending in the boat and reaching forward. If you haven't got my reach then it is better to get the crew to pull it on at the leeward mark.
So now you know what you want, but how do you get it? First of all the class rules allow you to vary the purchase of these two controls as long as one bit of rope is used, and it is dead ended at one point and passes without running through any other fitting to the cleat. This does not leave many options, and all you have to decide is what rope to use. I would recommend that 3mm spectra is used for both outhaul and cunningham, it stretches very little and so once you have set it, it will not move, a small diameter rope also has the advantage that it can be used with lots of purchase and minimal resistance.
I have a simple traveller arrangement which allows the block on the boat to be raised or lowered vertically but always in the centre line.
Time On The Water
There is a difference between practising for safe and fast sailing in heavy weather, and frank "boat-bimbling". One of the major reasons that people win in heavy air races is that they have practised in extreme conditions and are comfortable when the going gets tough.
Sailing With 2 Sails
Sailing with two sails is all about keeping the boat flat and as much power on as possible.
Upwind
There are two schools of thought about sailing upwind. The first is to free off and sail fast, and its protagonists say that the distance lost in not pointing high is more than gained by less leeway made by the boat travelling faster through the water. (As the boat travels faster through the water the daggerboard is more efficient). In a gust you ease the main and jib sheets and go for speed. There is no doubt that this works well in waves with a big crew weight. I have found that with a light crew weight the tendency is for you to have to ease the sheets so much that you stop.
The second is to go all out for pointing and stuffing into the wind. In a gust you don't have to ease the sails very much but luff the boat so that it almost stalls. This sacrifices very little to leeward in the gusts, and as the breeze eases you can bear away again. I have found it an invaluable technique particularly with a small crew. You can use it tactically to climb on boats to leeward to get clear of a lee bow, and to make a mark that you would otherwise have to tack for. Having the outhaul very hard on helps a great deal with this technique.
Using either technique it is easier to luff going up the face of a wave and to bear away down the back.
Two Sail Reach
As you bear away on to a reach you must move the crew weight back. Any boat with very little rocker will nose dive as you bear away; Australian 18ft skiff sailors call this moving to the "Back of the Bus". The other vital thing is to ease the vang, I do this by easing the rope on the approach tack to the mark. If you don't you will find the boom end catching in the water, then you're stuck unable to ease the main, then you're swimming. For more power I ease the outhaul and the cunningham, if I do this it is best done before bearing away.
Tacking
Tacking is easy for the helm, the trick is to pick a spot on a reasonably flat bit of water, and wait for a bit of a lull.
For the crew tacking is a bit more difficult. The best technique by far is the wire to wire tack. As soon as the helm is about to tack the crew supports their weight on the handle and unhooks, keeping the jib sheet cleated. (You do need arm strength to do this, but it is far from a male only technique). As the helm initiates the tack, the crew eases the sheet and comes into the boat. The crew then immediately flies across the boat and jumps out on the new tack holding the trapeze handle in one hand, and the jib sheet in the other hand. They can then sheet in before finally clipping on again after the boat has accelerated on the new tack.
Spinnaker Up!
This is it, pulling on the kite halyard on your Laser 2 is like pressing the hyperspace button. Not so long ago there were only a few boats that could fly the spinnaker on a really hairy reach. Most people can do it now, but those who do it well still stand to make a huge number of places.
Hoisting
This can be broken down into several stages, putting the pole out, pulling the sail up, and setting the guy.
Putting the pole up is the tricky bit, if you have a big crew it is easy for them to reach the D-ring on the mast, but you then run a serious risk of nose diving with the crew weight forward in a big sea. Small crews conversely find it difficult to put the pole in, as they cannot reach the D-ring, but have the advantage of less weight forward. You can minimise the risk of nose diving by putting the pole out on a close reach as you round the mark, and later bearing away, moving crew weight aft. With small crews you must practise holding the boat steady downhill to allow the crew to stand on the foredeck so they can reach the D-ring.
In my boat the hoisting is always done by the helm, I stand up and steer with my knees and hoist with two hands. In extreme conditions I sit on the side of the boat, and hold the tiller and mainsheet in one hand, freeing the other to pull the halyard. As I am hoisting my crew pulls hard on the guy if it is a starboard hoist. On port hoist the crew pulls on the sheet, as soon as the sail has cleared the forestay (remember the crew is pulling it round) the crew should pull on the guy as if it were a starboard hoist. The port hoist is theoretically the most difficult; however with good timing it is just as easy.
Reaching
Here's where it get's tricky, and where you have to have your rudder right down. The next thing to remember is that the rudder is the least important way of steering the boat downhill, you should be steering using:
Sails
At all times make sure that the kite is filling, if you are making the mark then the jib should be sheeted in, if it is really tight it may help to ease the jib and let it fly. If you want to head up sheet the main in. (Don't worry about oversheeting the main as the sheeting angle is much tighter than you think). To bear away, just ease the main. Beware if you are really tight on the mark, you may have to let the boat heel, see below, and let the main flog. If you are completely out of luck and a monstrous gust hits while screaming along on your ear, the only thing to do is sit out real hard, get the crew to ease the spinnaker a little and hope!
Trim
With any short boat that has a spinnaker set on a long pole you run into problems pretty quickly if you hold the boat dead flat whatever the weather. This is particularly pronounced on a boat like the international 14, but in fact the Laser 2 is just the same. Sail flat and the boat will instinctively bear away, let it heel and it will luff up.
Rudder
Try to just let the rudder move as if you do pull on it hard at speed you will just stall the blade. If this happens you're in real trouble, without steerage way until you restore laminar flow over the blade.
You have to just practice this over and over again, until you get it right, you will swim a lot until you get it sorted, but while you are upright you will have a lot of fun!
Running
There is never an excuse for not hoisting the spinnaker on a run, no matter how hard it is blowing.
First, it is easier if you get the crew weight aft and well spread laterally (sit on opposite sides of the boat). The spread of lateral weight increases the moment of inertia and helps to prevent rolling. If you are not sailing a completely square run, ie: a very broad reach, you can put the crew on the wire while the helm sits on the lee side. Once you are used to it, sitting under the boom while the boat is tearing along is not so frightening, as you can easily shift your weight to the windward side in an emergency. The fun starts in waves. There is a tendency for the boat to nose dive, if it happens you are not a goner as long as you hold the boat absolutely flat. Now you know why I keep the moment of inertia as large as possible. An awful lot of water comes in through the spinnaker chute, and it will go out through the self bailer.
The other way to nose dive is to sail the boat straight down the face of a wave, running square to the wind and the trough. The Laser 2 is very short, and has a low freeboard. If you steer it at a solid wall of water it will try to go through it. You have to either luff or bear away if you are to avoid "situation submarine". Most people tend to luff down the wave face to avoid the wave in front. Unfortunately if you keep on luffing you end up having to gybe at the end of the leg. This is not only slow, but also increases the chance of a capsize. I am very keen on bearing away down a big wave. You have to warn the crew so they pull the guy aft to keep the kite filing. As a safety precaution I keep a hand on the boom to feel for the pressure of an involuntary gybe. You have to luff as the boat slows down in the trough, or if you feel an imminent gybe.
Gybing
The first thing to remember about the gybe is that it is easier to gybe the faster you are going; the reason is that you reduce the apparent wind. So the technique is luff a little as you approach the gybe mark, to get speed on and then bear away quickly so as to not lose speed. In waves you gybe at peak velocity on the wave face. Just before the gybe when it is really windy I get the crew to pull the kite a long way back on the guy, so that on the new gybe the spinnaker is hidden behind the main, and is not in a position to catch a stray gust, and tip you in.
As you steer into the gybe you often have to bear away a lot to get the main to cross the boat, the problem with this is that as the boom comes across onto the new gybe you are instantly on a beam reach, and need the weight on the wire, and not in the middle of the boat sorting the kite out. The solution is to shift the tiller back a little as the boom comes across so the boat is on a dead run on the new gybe.
Another trick I have used on triangular courses where the first reach is broad and the second is tight is to sail high of the rum line on the first reach, and gybe before reaching the mark. This allows you to round the mark tightly and lose minimal distance to leeward on the crucial first bit of the second reach.
The Drop
You need to allow adequate time to drop, you will lose miles running past the mark with the spinnaker caught under the boat, but will only lose a small amount if you drop early. (Remember another boat charging in for an overlap on a late drop will be under pressure, the slightest foul up will allow you to sneak through to windward). Unless it is really hairy I always drop the spinnaker. Dropping on a reach I try to leave the crew on the wire until after the kite is in the chute, they can release the guy from out on the wire. This allows you to sail high on a fast reach, which is useful if you have not been able to make the mark with the spinnaker up.
In a real blow, and in big waves I just concentrate on steering and let the crew bring the kite and the pole down in their own time.
by Jerry Collyer