File - Canadian Wayfarer Association

should hold the boom out after the gybe to prevent it coming back into the centre. The vang too,
should be well eased, but not so much that the boom jumps off the gooseneck.
In windier conditions, the helm should be in control. As the helm bears away, the crew should
move to the centre of the boat, and then stay there until the helm is ready for him to move.
This means that the helm knows exactly where the crew is, and can then get him to move to
whatever side is needed. It pays the helm to sheet in a fraction as he bears away. Then he can
ease the sheet as the boom goes out on the new side. This acts as a spring on the mainsail which
otherwise fills quite violently 39 . The moment the boom goes across, the helm should urgently tug
the tiller so that the bow is pushed in the same direction as the boom for an instant. Then he
should almost immediately straighten the helm. This stops the violent spin towards the wind
which so often causes the broach and/or capsize. For this reason, it is best not to throw the
boat around too quickly when gybing from reach to reach in a breeze. Arrive at the gybe mark
slightly high, bear away onto a dead run, gybe, and then harden up after the spinnaker is sorted
out.
8 Stopping and accelerating fro a standstill
This is a very important technique as it is absolutely essential to getting good starts. It is best
practised outside the race situation by seeing how long the boat can be made to hover close to a
buoy. It will be surprising how long it takes to stop. When accelerating away, the correct
technique is to sheet both sails in together in a smooth, non-jerking way 40 . This will keep the
boat tracking without it luffing up and stopping. The rudder must not be used until the boat is
moving, otherwise it acts as a brake.
9 Rounding marks
The number one rule is to get round the mark without hitting it. So, when rounding on its
windward side in windy conditions, leave a good boom’s length to spare. In rough conditions with
big waves, the mark will be moving about quite a lot, so keep well away. When approaching any
mark, check which way the tide or current, if any, is flowing. The buoy could be leaning away
from the current and there might be a wake. The general rule of thumb is to approach the mark
wide and leave it close. This stops others from barging in. Try to keep mark rounding simple by
not tacking too close either before or after the mark. In other words, sailors should try to
settle down, both in approaching and in leaving the mark. As they are approaching a mark, both
sailors should know where the next mark is, and what sort of a leg it will be getting there, i.e.
how the sails, etc. are likely to be controlled. When rounding the windward mark, many sailors
are so obsessed with getting the spinnaker up and getting the other sails organized for the
offwind leg, that they miss out on waves. Surfing on waves is the biggest and easiest way of
dramatically increasing speed. If one or more boats are close behind as you round the windward
mark onto a close spinnaker reach, then stay high 41 . If you follow a gang of boats round the
mark, go low - thinking of the inside position at the next mark.
39 Al Schönborn’s note: Another outstanding way to cut down on the violence of a windy day gybe
is to have the crew use the vang (kicker) to start the boom across and then restrain the boom
from really slamming across by pulling against the direction it wants to go once it has crossed
the centre line of the boat. This really works supremely well!
40 Al Schönborn’s note: if you’ve been luffing above close-hauled, as is usually the case when
you’re sitting on the line, it is best to sheet the jib in first to encourage the boat to bear away
to a close-hauled course.
41 Al Schönborn’s note: Don’t let them go over you while you hoist your spi in light or medium
breezes. In those conditions, a brief lack of spinnaker costs virtually nothing as you sail high to
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