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the jib down. The best condition to try this is in 0 to 4 m.p.h.<br />
wind velocity. Last, we sail with most of the board in the<br />
water. In light air there is a large amount of side pressure<br />
on the boat. With too little board in the water it will tend to<br />
partially stall, sliding sideways through the water and slowing<br />
the boat.<br />
Downwind speed in Light air requires concentration on<br />
the part of the spinnaker trimmer and the helmsman. They<br />
must work together in maintaining the perfect angle of heel.<br />
As the helmsman is steering up to gain speed and steering<br />
down to stay in the pull, the spinnaker trimmer shifts his<br />
weight with the changing pressure and is continually trimming<br />
and easing the spinnaker with the luff just on the edge<br />
of breaking. On our boat John talks to me and tells me<br />
whether he has good pressure on the spinnaker sheet or<br />
not. This helps me know when to turn up or down. During a<br />
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practice session, work on sailing downwind with the apparent<br />
wind at 90 degrees to the boat. This will establish your<br />
average sailing angle during the race. From this base you<br />
can sail high for more speed or lower toward the leeward<br />
mark. Rather than commit to a jibe, you can hedge your way<br />
toward one side of the course or another by sin1ply changing<br />
the angle at which you are sailing. This is important because<br />
jibes cost a large amount of djstance and you want to make<br />
as few as possible.<br />
In Light air we have a couple of sayings. One is, "An inch<br />
is a mile," referring to the fact that a small amount of distance<br />
can be transferred into huge gains. The second is,<br />
"Keep it under a mile," referring to the fact that if we are<br />
within a mile during a drifter, we can still win. We try to<br />
always be patient and positive; anything can happen.<br />
Good luck from the crew of Mustang Sally!
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