Down wind...

[r.w.landau]

Don, I love beating and close hauled but running, going with the wind, is so frustrating.I think the big thing is that I am now going with the wind and it never seems like things feel right ( no air blowing, you know). I end up trimming and easing trimming and easing. I do all this while others set their sails and go. I sail on a lake with many fingers and slight hills that funnel, twist and turn wind and so winds vary and even turn 180 degrees in a matter of seconds. On the up wind legs, I rarely have problems but the down wind legs, I work like crazy and get trashed quite often.Is there a telltale solution?Thanks Don, in advance, I know you will have good input.r.w.landau

 

[Rick D]

try this

I also hate sailing downwind. I sail an a broad reach instead of sailing dead downwind, kinda like tacking backwards, might take a little lomger but you feel the boat move a little better

 

[r.w.landau]

A note to add:

Don, most of the people I sail with have wind instruments. Rick D. Thanks, I have gotten away with that a few times but desperately want to get a feel for down wind. Again, the more efficent you sail down wind the less wind you feel giving you the feeling of not going anywhere.r.w.landau

 

[Mike]

Are you at Lake Arthur?

I sail there often with my father-in-law. It is sometimes difficult to even get up from the Davis Hollow marina because of the norrowness, with the winds backing of of the trees. i sail my C22 at Pymatuning. I've done a little math about the difference in going to Jamestown Marina in Pym. State Park. From I79 at the Portersville exit, it takes over 20 minutes to get to Davis Hollow Marina. From I79 at the Portersville exit, it takes about 50-55 minutes to get to Jamestown marina by going thru Mercer, Greenville, the Jamestown. For only 30 more minutes of driving, you get a lake that is over 7 miles up to the causeway, and over a mile wide. Think about it!

 

[r.w.landau]

Lake Arthur it is!

Mike,I like Lake Arthur for it's sailing challenge (and good fishing). I like the lake because you are constantly following the wind, which ever way it choses to blow. Yes, that point I think you are talking about is Neally's point. It is an intersection of three valleys. In any or all of the three valleys it can be blowing 10-15 in the direction of the valley and the winds shift or cancel each other at Neally's Point.It makes sailing Erie or Florida vacation from tacking and trimming.r.w.landau

 

[Jim]

downwind

I'm with Rick. I'll sail on a broad reach anytime givin the choice. Faster point of sail, more control, safe by comparison to running. Elapsed time of the trip be damned, how much longer is it really? Regards , Jim.

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Get a spinnaker

Here’s an easy-to-make bowsprit, seats in the anchor locker.This will throw the spin ahead of the main, less blanketing.Tack line and 2 sheets permanently deployed for quick setup.(Note that the link here has 2 pages of pix and directions.)

 

[David11054]

Gybe downwind

It all depends on your sails and conditions, but heading 30 to 50 degrees above dead downwind and gybing as required will get you there faster, even with a symetrical spinnaker. That's because the higher apparent wind will drive the boats faster, even if you give up some distance to the side. In others words, your speed made good downwind will be faster.Of course, this is just another reason to go with an asymetric which works as well as a symetric on such courses.DavidLady Lillie

 

[Don Guillette]

Downwind

R.W Landau: I'm not crazy about downwind while cruising but I really like that leg when racing. The reason is that most beer can racers out here sail DDW on that leg and they are easy to pick off. The only time you want to sail ded down wind is when it is blowing like stink.There is not much you can do from a mainsail trim standpoint. The sail is actually just a big kite, which is being pushed by the wind. The jib should be flipped over to the other side and you should sail wing on wing. Depending on the speed of the wind, I will play the jib sheet by hand so as to feel the pressure of the wind. Also, you want to pay attention to your masthead fly plus I have telltales on the back stay and on the shrouds. The one on the backstay saves my neck which ends up broken from watching the mast head fly.There is very little written about downwind sailing but I think I have compiled everything there is to know about the subject. You can click on the article (downwind)on this site and print it off free. There are a couple of typo's in the article. I had a non sailor type it for me and that was a bit of a mistake. I tried to catch them all but there are a few left. She would spell sail as sale and wanted me to change the term Cunningham to something else as she though it was some sexual term!!

 

[r.w.landau]

Additional critera....

I am not racing, but, well, as one of the guys on the lake says " if one boat is ahead of another it is a race". Combine that with a lake that has an average of about 5 miles by 1/2 mile, tacking is often. Chutes are hard to set (single handed) and often the wind direction does not permit a chute. This is normally a group of about 4 to as many as ten boats 22' to 28' chasing each other around the lake. The leader determines the direction and timing of the next tack.That said, I am trying to determine sail trim for when running from the wind off the starboard quarter to the wind off the port quarter.I love the advice so far when cruising in open water.Don, Thanks, I was typing while you were posting.thanksr.w.landau

 

[r.w.landau]

Don thanks for your input but...

I lost you on the link you refered to. EDITED AFTER POST: found it by going to the sail trim forum instead of the 24 hour activity. Thanks Don, it is exactly what I wanted to read. I do have your book but just found the reference to down in the book also.r.w.landau

 

[Bob]

Works for me

r.w. - If I remember correctly, you sail an O'Day 25. We have a couple in our racing fleet, and they are well-prepped and well-sailed boats, and real tough to beat on handicap. They seem to move very well downwind, too. Something I have learned about getting the most out of the boat downwind is to try to keep the air moving across the main - try to keep the leech tell-tales flying, even when the sail is winged way out. This generally means you are not on a pure DDW heading, but even then you can sometimes get them to fly. Of course the old rule is the heavier the boat or the harder the wind, the lower you should sail, and if the boat can move at hull speed DDW, then you should aim straight for the mark. But in lighter air you can come up a little in the lulls and bear off in the puffs, all the while trying to keep those main tell-tales moving. This all assumes the jib/genoa is winged and perhaps poled the other way. Also, get the board up - that's worth 0.2 to 0.4 kts.