Timing for the perfect tack

[RussC]

You'd think after 11 years of very active lake sailing I'd have tacking pretty well nailed down by now. maybe being self taught I should just blame my instructor but I still find my tacks to be inconsistent at best. always single handed, even with a passenger onboard, but my general process is: locate a spot 90* as a target, release and hold the working sheet, swing rudder, allow the jib to back fill and push the bow through the tack, release the now lazy sheet as I pull and set the new working sheet and simultaneously center the rudder. sometimes I nail it, sometimes I over or undershoot.
what's the secret to consistently nail it?

 

[dlochner]

what's the secret to consistently nail it?

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

Trying to tack single handed is tough, too many things to do all at once and all it takes a line that doesn't run freely or a wave or a dropped tiller to screw it up. Fall off a little, begin the tack and once the jib starts to luff, let the sheet go. Get the bow across the wind and bring in the now active sheet. Let the boat fall off the wind a few degrees to build speed and trim the jib as you come up on course.

Good luck.

 

[dLj]

You mention the 90* target initially, but now how it plays into the tack. Can you clarify that for me please? You are a sailing a Merit 22, correct? Do you have a windex?

dj

 

[Stu Jackson]

That 90 deg target is monstrously incorrect and way too tiny. What I recommend you actually do is sail upwind and note your course. Then tack and sail back upwind on the new course, both courses as high as you can. Then compare the courses. 90 is nuts.

Otherwise, your technique is just fine, and I agree with Dave practice, but singlehanded (I've been doing it on my own boats since 1983!) means you will not nail them all the time. I think your jib technique is better than Dave's, especially in heavier air, don't luff any sail, ever, if you can avoid it.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I prefer to release the old sheet when the jib starts to luff, as the bow comes through the wind. I find backwinding it makes it too likely to overshoot the tack, and it makes it too hard to release the old sheet and grab the new one quickly enough. If timed properly the amount of time the jib luffs will be just minimally longer than with back winding.

That 90 deg target is monstrously incorrect and way too tiny. What I recommend you actually do is sail upwind and note your course. Then tack and sail back upwind on the new course, both courses as high as you can. Then compare the courses. 90 is nuts.

I don’t know the Merit 22 myself, but I’d be surprised if 90 degrees was that crazy. Many boats tack through just about 90 degrees, or maybe 100, but that includes a few degrees of leeway on each side. A heading change of 90 degrees sounds like a good starting point to me, at least to get an idea for the new target. It’s also pretty easy to estimate 90 degrees, where 100 or 110 would be trickier.

 

[Foswick]

Your boat tacks pretty quickly, so good timing comes down to fractions of seconds. Single-handing, being completely consistent will always be an elusive goal, as the tiniest misstep will throw it off. (By contrast, in my boat, I start my turn, take a nap, wake up, look around, make tea, come back up, and think about sheeting in the leeward sheet.)

Pretty hard to diagnose your tack exactly, but I will tell you what I have seen as an instructor, as the most common "mistakes". (I put "mistakes" in quotes because they aren't really mistake, per se, just areas that could be done more effectively.) In no certain order:

• Letting the original leeward sheet out too soon. This is pretty much the most common problem I see, especially for single-handers. Since you have a few things to do in short order, it is tempting to let out the sheet before it is completely unloaded. It sounds like you've got this figured out.
• Sheeting in the new sheet too hard too fast. To make the best windward progress, you do actually want to overshoot slightly and then turn up and sheet in as you build speed. If your goal is simply to point as high as possible at all times, do as Stu says and sail from close-hauled to close-hauled, but that is not actually the best way to make windward progress. Actually, 90 degrees is about right, as a starting point. Your boat will be a little narrower than this (like maybe 75-80), whereas mine is more like 100 or so. I'm not sure where Stu is coming from that this is "nuts". It is a really good way to ground your turns for consistency - to steer relative to that 90-degree landmark. This touches on the next issue ...
• Sailing too high. Your boat will probably make the best VMG about 40 degrees off the wind (I am guessing - I don't really know your boat that well). Your boat will sail higher, but that won't necessarily get you to your destination any faster. GPS is really useful for figuring out optimal angles, but understand these will vary a bit with conditions. After a while, you can feel the angle of diminishing returns - that angle at which you are pointing higher but speed-over-water drops off palpably. Just below that is where most boats make the best VMG (as a close-enough rule).
• Fussing with the traveler too early. Your traveler angle does matter, but it should not take precedence over sheeting. Ideally you would move your traveler as you built up speed, sheeting in the headsail, and pointed up. But, you can't do all three simultaneously and you get more benefit from a properly sheeted headsail.
• Abrupt rudder deflection. The turn should be smooth and powered as late as possible on the original tack and as early as possible on the new tack. People get rushed to get it all done and sometimes push the tiller too hard over, all at once. This just causes the rudder to stall and is just like putting the brakes on. Similarly, when overshooting, people will sometimes overcorrect and stall the rudder the other direction. Smooth and steady. The only time you want to steepen the rudder angle is right after you loose the original jib sheet. Your SOW will have slowed, making the rudder less prone to stalling, and you need to get that bow across the wind as quickly as possible. (If seas are rough, you might need to make your turn a little quicker because the boat slows more rapidly. Timing the start of your turn between waves can help on a smaller, more responsive boat.)

Bottom line: Understand that the best back actually has a slight "S" shape. The goal is not to get from close-hauled tack to close-hauled tack as quickly as you can, but to maintain as much of your original speed-over-water as possible (i.e. avoid losing speed-over-water). If you have a passenger and want to refine your technique, have them watch your SOW and call it out. That will give you feedback as to what is working and what isn't, to maintain speed.

The lighter the air, the more you need to overshoot, but use 5 degrees as a starting point for "about" the right amount. The lighter the boat, the less you need to overshoot ("light" meaning "relative to sail area").

 

[Foswick]

That 90 deg target is monstrously incorrect and way too tiny. What I recommend you actually do is sail upwind and note your course. Then tack and sail back upwind on the new course, both courses as high as you can. Then compare the courses. 90 is nuts.

I think I must be misunderstanding this, because no part of this is correct. 90 degrees is actually a really good starting point - very close to what most monohulls do when sailed for the best VMG. For best VMG, there is no boat that should be sailed as high as it can go. The optimal angle is below that point.

For the Merit 22, it will probably sail somewhere in the neighborhood of about 30-35 degrees from the AWA, which will be something like 40-45 degrees off of TWA. The best VMG angle will be about 5 degrees below that, for that boat ... something like that. Sailing slight freer than your highest possible point always gets you there faster. (There are some edge case examples where this isn't true, but those are mostly academic, for most sailors.) Pinching might make you feel better, but footing gets you there faster.

Now ... keep in mind everything I wrote above applies to non-racers. If you are racing, the same physics obviously apply, but there are a bunch of tiny exceptions to these "rules" that add up to actually matter if you are trying to shave milliseconds.

 

[Tally Ho]

My 32-footer may not be a good comparison… but, I need way more than 90 degrees to tack. I usually figure 120 degrees and then Adjust from there depending if I am trying to beat upwind, or just reverse my course.

I single-hand most of the time, but I can reach my primary winches easily from behind the helm. I release the working sheet from the winch jaws, and hold it tight…. Then start my tack, hard and fast. As the jib starts to backwind, I release the turns on the winch and let the line drop…while grabbing for the new working sheet….which I already have wrapped twice and ready to haul in. If I am good, I can get the line pulled tight before it is fully filled, and I don’t even need to winch it tight.

Once the boat is on the new tack, I will look at the trim and adjust as necessary.

Greg

 

[ShawnL]

I sail a '72 Catalina 22, so hopefully comparable. When we tack, I try to get as close to the wind as possible --we're always slightly out of our windex's no-go zone (just cant really point that high with any speed).

The person on the tiller will move the traveler to the center (my traveler is tiny, so it probably doesn't do much) and sheet in the main a little.
We turn through the tack watching the windex, when we've just crossed the 'no-go' wire, the jib is generally back-winded and will move over to the opposite side of the boat relatively easily at this point.
We continue the turn until the jib is now on the correct side and then re-point. Sometimes it takes longer than it should and we're pointed too low, but it seems like a relatively easy mark -- wait until everything is set and once the sails are set, stop turning. Or just a hair before the jib is correctly set.

 

[PaulK]

Agree with @Davidasailor26 that holding the sheet to backwind the jib may be messing you up by delaying its trimming on the new side and by pushing the boat past the 90º you are aiming for. Weighing about a ton, the Merit 22 should have enough momentum to get through a tack without having to backwind the jib. It's not a huge genoa -- release the sheet and let it luff, then pull it in on the new side.

 

[RussC]

You mention the 90* target initially, but now how it plays into the tack. Can you clarify that for me please? You are a sailing a Merit 22, correct? Do you have a windex?

dj

I use 90* as that gives me a visual reference point to know where I'm at in the maneuver. it's just a starting/reference point to adjust from. things are often happening too fast to evaluate much else. I most likely do sail too close to the wind much of the time so I'll work on that. I do have a windex but I throw away the stops before being installed as I find them useless. I guess if I was in open water with no land to use as reference they would be more use to me. I do constantly watch the general wind direction, but just not as a tacking guide. yes Merit 22 most of the time.

 

[dlochner]

I do have a windex but I throw away the stops before being installed as I find them useless. I guess if I was in open water with no land to use as reference they would be more use to me.

This is part of the issue. When sailing, especially up wind, apparent wind angle is critical. Lake and small bay sailing is challenging because the topography has a pronounced effect on wind direction. Hills, valleys, and building will all affect wind direction which can shift as much as 30° or more in the matter of a few yards. Always sail to the wind direction not the compass direction. When the wind doesn't cooperate with the direction you want to sail, tack or jibe and work your way to your destination.

In the shifty conditions of a lake or bay you have 2 choices, alter the boat's heading to accommodate the wind shifts while leaving the sails trimmed, or hold the compass heading and constantly trim the sails to the wind shifts.

 

[Stu Jackson]

If your goal is simply to point as high as possible at all times, do as Stu says and sail from close-hauled to close-hauled, but that is not actually the best way to make windward progress

That is NOT what I said. I said 90 degrees was not doable and to sail one tack upwind then the other, to be able to tell the angle (course) between tacks, i.e., in the same wind, stb vs port tack close hauled. That's all.

Forget awa, vmg, instruments and everything else. The ONLY question IS: if I sail upwind on one tack A, and then do it on the other tack B, what is course A and what is course B? The difference is what YOUR BOAT can do.

Disconnect this logic completely from the techniques of tacking, which is a separate subject entirely.

Ask: What is the difference that YOUR BOAT can do.

 

[Foswick]

That is NOT what I said. I said 90 degrees was not doable and to sail one tack upwind then the other, to be able to tell the angle (course) between tacks, i.e., in the same wind, stb vs port tack close hauled. That's all.

Forget awa, vmg, instruments and everything else. The ONLY question IS: if I sail upwind on one tack A, and then do it on the other tack B, what is course A and what is course B? The difference is what YOUR BOAT can do.

Disconnect this logic completely from the techniques of tacking, which is a separate subject entirely.

Ask: What is the difference that YOUR BOAT can do.

I guess I don't understand at all what you are saying, then. And, I don't think you are understanding what is meant by 90 degrees, in this context. What is meant is 45 degrees off the AWA on starboard tack + 45 degrees off the port tack = a 90 degree turn. Again, this is about right - not exact for most boats and conditions, but a pretty good rough targeting angle when picking landmarks. Surely you are not saying this isn't the case. I am assuming you are saying something else, but I am not understanding.

You said that 90 degrees was "monstrously incorrect" and "nuts" and you thought it was "way too tiny". That suggests, to me, that you are not understanding what that 90 degrees was meant to refer to. Are you suggesting that the Merit 22 would not sail efficiently upwind at about 45 degrees off of AWA? I don't know exactly what that angle is, but I promise, it is about 45 degrees.

That 90 degrees being "way too tiny" is only true when talking about a multihull or a heavy full keel boat like mine. Even so, I use that 90 degree mark because it is easy to calculate and identify. I just know that I will fall a bit below that mark.

You really lose me with "forget AWA, VMG, etc." This is never about what your boat can do. It is purely about what produces the best VMG which is all about sailing the optimal angle relative to the AWA. My boat can sail almost 30 degrees off the AWA, but my SOW drops to near zero and VMG tanks. My boat's best VMG tends to be at about 50 degrees off AWA. Russ' Merit 22 will probably be closer to 40 in most conditions.

I am not sure what you are saying about the importance of knowing the difference between the angles of pointing as high as the boat will point on each tack. That angle is irrelevant. (I guess it is good to know, but it tells you very little about how to sail quickly or efficiently.) What is important is the angle relative to the AWA at which you make the best VMG.

We must be talking apples and oranges because what you are saying seems to make no sense and I don't think you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[garymalmgren]

Single handed?
1. Center the traveler and main sheet
2. Hit the tack button on your tillerpilot.
3. Hold the foresail sheet until the main just starts to fill.
4. Let go the windward sheet cleanly and haul in the leeward sheet.
5. Trim your mainsail and tillerpilot course.

The tillerpilot will tack at 100 degrees.
That makes a smooth , clean tack but needs to be trimmed to course after the tacked course has settled down.

 

[danstanford]

The tacking angle will be somewhere close to 90 degrees but one should probably turn down 5 degrees for speed build right before the tack and then swing through 100 degrees and come back up to 45 Degrees off the wind as the speed builds on the new tack. I concur with others who suggest letting the jib backwind is not the best practice as I would haul the new active sheet through the foretriangle as soon as it unloads.

 

[shemandr]

... I do have a windex but I throw away the stops before being installed as I find them useless....

A windex is accurate to as little as 2 degrees close to the wind. It is an amazing index but people who have one should read the instructions. The width of the stops and tail are calibrated to correlate with a certain amount of degrees.
I would almost rather have a camera on the windex viewable in the cockpit than one of those electronic wind vanes (The camera to relieve neck strain).

 

[thinwater]

Lots of good tip, so no need for me to joint the fray.

Blocked practice. Go out on a nice light/moderate day, with perfect tacking conditions. After tack a few times, to warm up, then focus on one step at a time. Focus on ONLY one step each tack, until you understand it. It's like practicing a musical instrument; you have to understand the sections before you can play through it well.

• Prep. The sheets should be flaked ready to run. The handle by the windward winch. Reduce the number of turns on the leeward winch and put one turn on the windward winch. get the boat pointing well with good speed (not pinching yet). Varies a little with the boat, but the idea is that if everything is not ready something will go wrong. BTW, you should do most of this (not reducing the turns on the working winch) after every tack, so that you are ready if you must tack in a hurry. If singlehanding, bringing the traveler a little above center can help by resulting in the main being eased just a little after the tack, which will prevent you going into irons and speed acceleration out of the tack.
• Point up. Just before the tack it can help to be pointing as high as possible without slowing. Just for a second.
• Rate of turn. There is a best rate of turn for every boat. A little less tiller at the start, a little more through the middle, and then a little less at t he end. The idea is to get through the eye of the wind with minimum lost speed. However, there is no point in turning faster than the jib trimmer (you if singlehanded) can keep up.
• When to start the jib across. No single answer. Large genoas can benefit from a little delay, so the the wind pushes it through cleanly. Blades are often best cut loose as soon as they break. Some will argue that backing the jib helps push the bow across, but if the rate of turn is right and the boat was moving well this just slows the boat. You won't see racers intentionally back the jib, not even hard-to-tack beach cats. They focus on maintaining speed instead.
• Trimming coming out. Different boats accelerate differently, and wave conditions make a difference. Should you go a little wide? Should you wait to sheet in the main? Try all the variations.

None of the details above matter. Practice tacking in blocks so that you understand exactly what each part is doing, and the best way to do it. Don't worry if the tacks are great, work on the parts. Then, after you understand the parts, practice tacking, one after the other, but with a thoughtful debrief in between. No point in repeating mistakes.

I do this on every new-to-me boat. Blocked practice.

 

[shemandr]

I'm a proponent of a short delay before releasing the jib. In addition to the reasons above, the wind pushes the jib over which I think is a lot better than the trimmer dragging the jib and sheets across the shrouds and the foredeck. The jib with wind in it wants to come over - let it. And the sail doesn't luff much.
As for maintaining boat speed through the tack, I think the biggest slow down is the rudder. You are supposed to carve a turn like a ski turn. At least that's the way we do it.

 

[Stu Jackson]

We must be talking apples and oranges because what you are saying seems to make no sense and I don't think you don't know what you are talking about.

Well ya really didn't have to make it personal, did you?

ALL I have said is: sail on one tack and record the course. Sail on the other tack and record that course. The difference between those two courses is the goal to which you can steer your boat. Hope this helps.