I am doing some local racing in a hunter 25.5 and have a question for people sailing a hunter 25.5 1. Do you find sailing down wind slower on a 25.5 than most other boats. ( catalina, other Hunters, etc.) 2. What can I do to improve my down wind performace.. I just installed a boom vang, will that help? Any suggestions would help. Our club seems to always have 1/2 the race down wind and we always find ourselves last and then come back upwind and pick off one or two before the finish.
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Beats me why nobody has answered Clif!
IMHO, he has broached a key sailing technique problem in a well-thought-out and friendly manner. I would be happy to try and help him out but have never sailed a Hunter 25.5 myself, so would like to defer to the real experts on this topic. Of course, the weather is getting just right to get one's boat in the water. Understandably, spring commissioning banter draws a bigger public right now than sailing technique issues. So, Clif, please don't interpret the lack of response so far as a lack of interest in you and your problem...... Fair winds, Flying Dutchman
IMHO, he has broached a key sailing technique problem in a well-thought-out and friendly manner. I would be happy to try and help him out but have never sailed a Hunter 25.5 myself, so would like to defer to the real experts on this topic. Of course, the weather is getting just right to get one's boat in the water. Understandably, spring commissioning banter draws a bigger public right now than sailing technique issues. So, Clif, please don't interpret the lack of response so far as a lack of interest in you and your problem...... Fair winds, Flying Dutchman
Try this little trick
Many many times I have found that if the next mark is direct downwind try sailing off a few degrees so that you have a full sail and put in a few gentle jybes. It will of course also mean that you headsail is working hard as well as the main. More often than not I get to the next mark well and truly ahead of the pack! Yes you end up sailing a lot further but the increase in speed well and truly compensates this. And besides you may just confuse the rest of the field wondering why in the hell you are sailing off course
Many many times I have found that if the next mark is direct downwind try sailing off a few degrees so that you have a full sail and put in a few gentle jybes. It will of course also mean that you headsail is working hard as well as the main. More often than not I get to the next mark well and truly ahead of the pack! Yes you end up sailing a lot further but the increase in speed well and truly compensates this. And besides you may just confuse the rest of the field wondering why in the hell you are sailing off course
Downwind Sailing
Try reading this article on Sailboat Qweners web page. http://www.sailboatowners.com/forums/downwind/downwind_sailing3.htm
Try reading this article on Sailboat Qweners web page. http://www.sailboatowners.com/forums/downwind/downwind_sailing3.htm
DDW...
...or Dead Down Wind is the slowest point of sailing. You want to avoid it at all costs. Most of us don't race in 30+ so lets not deal with DDW in those conditions. It doesn't matter what boat you sail, heading up and sailing broad reaching angles then jibing and sailing the opposite tack is usually much faster than sailing directly down to the mark. Finding the best angle in the given conditions is the trick. If you have a GPS you can plug in the leeward mark and sail the highest VMG to that mark. This will produce your best time. If you have polars for your boat you can use these charts to determine your best sailing angle. In general, the lighter the breeze the closer to the wind you sail. As the breeze freshens, footing off yields the better course. But whatever you do, resist the temptation to sail DDW.
...or Dead Down Wind is the slowest point of sailing. You want to avoid it at all costs. Most of us don't race in 30+ so lets not deal with DDW in those conditions. It doesn't matter what boat you sail, heading up and sailing broad reaching angles then jibing and sailing the opposite tack is usually much faster than sailing directly down to the mark. Finding the best angle in the given conditions is the trick. If you have a GPS you can plug in the leeward mark and sail the highest VMG to that mark. This will produce your best time. If you have polars for your boat you can use these charts to determine your best sailing angle. In general, the lighter the breeze the closer to the wind you sail. As the breeze freshens, footing off yields the better course. But whatever you do, resist the temptation to sail DDW.
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