How to tack perfectly...

[shemandr]

We all tack. We all think we are good at it. But are we really? A post on another thread got me to thinking about what makes a perfect tack. In that post Justin_NSA said his crew was bringing the new sheet in overzealously causing problems with the sheet hanging up on the spinnaker pole/whisker pole ring on the mast. I didn't want to hijack that thread but that's a good place to start. A lot of crew think a great tack is accomplished when the new sheet is quickly brought in. They tend to pull the clew too soon and drag the clew across the rig and make a slow tack. What do you think makes a tack work?

 

[RussC]

Regardless of how you get to that point, I judge a great tack by how much heading "adjustment" is needed after the tack. I truly hate to pump up Jackdaw , but his sailing videos always impress me with his ability to nail the new heading so clean and powerful.

 

[CloudDiver]

There is a great deal of running rigging concerns involved, and every boat/sail-plan/hardware is different...
So taking all of that out of the equation a boiling it down to simple physics;
Turning the boat and moving the sails in synchronization so you that you don't slow or stall. The closer you are to maintaining 9X% of your momentum before the tack, into the tack, and through onto your new heading is a good measure of a perfect tack. IMHO

 

[dlochner]

What do you think makes a tack work?

Practice?

That is the short answer, but a realistic one. I'll admit that my usual sailing crew (aka, my wife) and I do not tack well. There are 2 general reasons that our tacks suck. First, the first time we tack on any sail we neglect to clear the lazy sheet and it always hangs up on something, the usual culprit is the fore hatch or a cleat. Someday we'll learn.

Second is really about timing and strength. Our headsail, a 150% genoa, is a big sucker. It takes a lot of muscle to get it in. I tend to tack slowly to allow the crew (aka wife) time to bring in the sheet. Then while watching her I either don't steer far enough or steer too far.

We keep learning, trying, and getting better slowly. Since we don't race fast crisp tacks are not a necessity. We could swap positions, with me trimming and she steering, and maybe next season we'll try that.

I do take solace in watching the Volvo Ocean Race In-port racing and note that the pros occasionally blow a tack or jibe.

 

[Rick]

Pretty neat thread and it got me thinking. All the above are great points for sure. I kind of feel like a great tack starts with what you are tacking and in what situation, so I will describe mine. An 11 ton day cruiser (aka Hunter 420 passage) with at least 6 bottles of vodka down below for additional ballast. My crew is either me on the sheet and owner at the helm or my wife on the sheet and the Captain at the helm. So.. success for us starts with well maintained sheet winches otherwise a handicap is already entered in the formula. I just like, when you add all the stuff my fellow sailors above are talking about, AND roll out on the new heading AND dont have to reach for the winch handle! All that is required is to ease the sheet for the new point of sail. To me that is a good, or perfect for us tack. Getting kind of old for grinding my way around the bay.

Cheers

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Just hit the tack button on the autopilot and blame the machine

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

since i now sail single hand mostly, I allow the jib to backwind, then blow the old sheet and haul in new, BEFORE jib fills. Much easier like that and I seldom have to use a winch handle. But then here on Matagorda and Lavaca Bay's, I very seldom have the genny on- winds are strong here working jib is go to sail

 

[Brian D]

I sort of do the same thing that Charlie Jones does. But my problem is I over steer the boat to the new tack and pay dearly for that mistake. I have even tried the tack button but still cannot get the boat back on course without having drifted down too much. I suspect that I am holding the back winded jib too long and that is pushing the bow way past the new course line.

Yep, practice. I really don't want a racing tack, just one that looks like I know what I am doing. LOL

 

[LeeandRick]

Just push the little stick away from me and move to the other side of the little stick. Self tacking jib was a great invention.

 

[Kings Gambit]

In quantitative terms, "perfect tacking" occurs when the loss of VMG to the weather mark is minimized. Obviously, the boat slows down during a tack; how much depends on your speed when you begin the tack. Even with a snappy crew that can sheet quickly the time it takes to trim the headsail and regain speed affects that VMG. I usually go beyond the new lay-line some and come up as the headsail is trimmed, just to keep my STW up. Normally, I let the headsail back-wind some to propel the boat through the eye and give the sail some momentum to get across to the other side.

 

[DArcy]

Like dlochner says, practice. Also, having a small jib helps. It's all about maintaining boat speed through the tack. Turn the boat, when the jib starts to back wind, release the sheet then take in on the new sheet quickly. If your boat is slow to tack, don't sheet in all the way at once, turn slightly beyond your close hauled course until you get up to speed then sheet in and head up to close hauled. Here's a short video I threw together of the C&C 115 I race on going through a few quick tacks. Having 5 guys with lots of practice in the cockpit helps

 

[Joe]

Instruct you crew to let the wind do the work of pushing the sail across the foredeck... instead of trying to pull it across with the sheet. That's the biggest mistake inexperienced crew make. If you have a huge genoa and the air is too light to push the sail across the foredeck, station one of the crew by the mast and have them pull the sail through instead of trying to drag it with the sheet.

When you call for the tack, the trimmer should ease the still loaded sheet out a foot or so, perhaps removing a wrap or two... holding it there until the sail starts to backwind, which will help the bow get through the wind faster...( it is okay to cheat the new sheet in a bit if there is a lot of slack, but no tension on the clew yet.)., When the boom starts to come across, completely release the sheet by pulling the tail up to remove the remaining wraps from the drum... needless to say the sheet should be free to run. By now there will be plenty of backwind pressure to push the sail through the fore triangle...with a few wraps on the drum the new trimmer can remove the slack as it comes across but shouldn't try to pull it... when the sail reaches the shrouds, most of the slack will be removed and the trimmer can load up the winch for final adjustment..but he should not trim in tight until the helmsman has built up enough speed to get back on course. It helps to steer the boat a 10-15 deg below layline to get the boat back up to speed .... as the driver brings the boat back on course the trimmer adjust the sail accordingly. Once in control the lazy side winch and sheet can be squared away and prepared for the next tack.

 

[jeepbluetj]

Kings Gambit has it right. Keep the boatspeed up and the rate you're closing on your target (windward mark) is the key to what makes a perfect tack.

Mechanics? Smooth... Keep it smooth... Smooth on the helm to not stall the rudder, lazy sheet let go at the precise point where the jib stops drawing (flogging takes speed off), smooth new jib sheet in, smooth travel main to new power point, pegging the right point to stop the tack and get power back asap.

On my C-30 with a beer in my hand? Hit autotack on otto, move some sails, get it goin again, enjoy. Repeat as necessary if too much speed was lost. I have learned to close the damn forward hatch because it will ALWAYS foul a sheet.

I sail with a lot of newbies, and we'll do some 'crazy ivans' from time to time. Where the helm gets just a bit too high, the tack is inevitable on my boat. Always a great time.

 

[agprice22]

I think tacking on a lightweight multihull is different. Keeping momentum is hard. The boat stops like you are sailing on velcro! However, once you haul the sheets for the new tack, she accelerates! Smooooth into the tack is important. I turn in progressively... I ease in and slowly turn in further while I haul the traveler if the new tack requires it. My Admiral sets the genoa. Hmmm... maybe...
A good tack is when I keep my mouth shut!

 

[Parsons]

I normally single-hand, so I'm sensitive to blaming the crew for a bad tack --- "Hey Parsons, get off your a$$ and grind!" I've raced on light 30-foot boats where a team of five pulls off beautiful tacks, each step part of a complex ballet, losing about 30 seconds from full-speed to full-speed. That ain't me and my cruising boat. If I can regain speed and be close-hauled in about 2 minutes, I'll consider it a success. Needless to say, I dread short-tacking up a channel.

 

[SailormanDan]

Needless to say, I dread short-tacking up a channel.

My usual cruising grounds are single-handing a north-south run up and down the Potomac River with/against a NW wind. If I'm lucky, the tide is coming in and helps me get home, other times it's against me and I tack back & forth around marker 83 several times before I give up and turn on the motor.
Some good thoughts here on getting "smoother" at tacking.

 

[JRT]

Great info, makes me feel much better when we are out in lite wind and just can't tack good because of low speed.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I consider the perfect tack one where the cocktail does not spill.

 

[Justin_NSA]

And no one gets hit by a boom! Actually, it was more of a concern on the Mac. Bella's boom is above the bimini. Accident proof.

 

[weinie]

I always sail on starboard tack to assert my dominance so no issues here.