Tack in high wind

[Quoddy]

The other day I was trying to navigate a channel into the wind. The wind increased and tacking became increasingly difficult until I had to gybe to tack which caused me to loss the last 20 minutes of ground working windward. The boat is high freeboard, low draft, light and fractional.

What are the tricks to tacking in high wind?

 

[Tim R.]

Please describe exactly what is happening. How are the sails trimmed, where is the centerboard, what happens when you steer into the wind? Are you fighting lee-helm?

Most monohull boats have no problem tacking and are more likely to head up in higher winds.

 

[sailingdog]

A few things can help. Falling off a bit to build up some speed and then smoothly tacking and allowing the jib to backwind to blow the bow over will generally do the trick. The problem you describe, with the light boat, high windage, etc...is pretty common to some multihulls, and they often have issues tacking in higher winds as well.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Agree with 'dog. Like sailing my one-design, too much sail and not enough weight or draft. Go for speed and backwind the jib like he says.

 

[Quoddy]

More info

Some details. The centerboard is fully down, 10-15 degrees heel, neutral helm, full main without twist, rolled up 50% jib, jib was automatically twisted because it was rolled and we don't have jib cars. The current is running against me. The channel is narrow with pots requiring many tacks. I wasn't comfortable with more sail, which would increase heel. This would have increased weather helm, which I see may have helped. I tried slowly getting closer to the wind but by that time the speed was to low. I tried falling off to build speed and then kind of slingshot through but by the time enough speed was built up it was to far back to head to the wind. After a couple of these, the rocks loomed so I gave up and headed down.
Thanks for the backwind suggestion.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Quoddy...

you need to fall off only a few degrees to build up enough speed to do a snap tack. Take in the main first so it doesn't fight you (I don't think you have a traveler on the 260 to center up first). Let the wind blow the jib through and retrim quickly for drive.

The boat model is mainsaill driven so you could have used a little more jib (maybe 2/3 or 3/4) out. Would be better to put the first reef in the main before starting up the channel to keep the boat more upright in heavier wind--it will keep the centerboard working better and help pointing up. MHO.

 

[Gail R]

Ditto

you need to fall off only a few degrees to build up enough speed to do a snap tack. Take in the main first so it doesn't fight you (I don't think you have a traveler on the 260 to center up first). Let the wind blow the jib through and retrim quickly for drive.

The boat model is mainsaill driven so you could have used a little more jib (maybe 2/3 or 3/4) out. Would be better to put the first reef in the main before starting up the channel to keep the boat more upright in heavier wind--it will keep the centerboard working better and help pointing up. MHO.

What Dan said. Reef the main and use more jib. And yeah, we let the jib backwind before bringing it over.

 

[sailingdog]

I'd also point out that easing the mainsheet just as you tack will help with the tack, since the main won't be forcing the boat to weathercock and get caught in irons.

 

[Randy Burns]

Quoddy,
Good points above, but if your sailing in eastern Maine (just a guess -) like me, tide (current) is king. Add lobster pots and you start to wonder why you dont have a power boat. My boat is shoal draft, and doesn't head up well to start with. In conditions like you mention I would have to motor sail if I needed to get somewhere. More jib is a good tip that I will pay more attention to.

 

[Prime Time]

Balancing the Power

Reefing the main and adding more jib on some boats might have the opposite results than intended. The main sail should help drive the boat to the wind and the jib might do the opposite. However, if you had too little jib, you may not have had enough power as well. Kind of complicated. The jib does "condition" the airflow across the main.

Try falling off a few degrees and easing the jib slightly to power up. Then head up sharply and over trim the main. Bring the traveller up. This should help you point. Is your backstay tight enough for the conditions?

 

[higgs]

One thing you need to do is to get out in open water and try a few things in those conditions. Try reefing the main, as suggested. Some boats are main driven - others jib driven. Your boat may prefer a reef in the main before shortening the head sail.

If you use the backwinding jib technique be very careful when you release the sheet. The load can build up and you want to be careful to get your fingers clear.

 

[tommays]

If your furling the jib and cant put the cars in the correct position then the sail is pretty useless at that point and is likely one of the bigger issues in your ability to point

 

[Franklin]

I think Higgs hit the nail on the head. If your 260 is a swept back spreader Fractional rig, then yes, do not roll up the headsail until last resort.

The headsail is responsible for re-directing the wind over the main. Without the full headsail out (105 jib), you will have a hard time getting the main to function properly. However, if you feel more comfortable with main only, then you can point with main only but you will have to let the main out a lot more, like you were on a reach.

I'd also say that keeping your speed up to as fast as you can in the channel is the way to go. Many large sailboats will be able to motor faster than you can sail, but by keeping your speed up, it will give you more ability to get out of people's way when needed. However, I do not suggest this near a marina as then you want to go as slow as possible.

 

[Ross]

I sail with no sheet cars, no roller furling and no high tech dodads. I can however sail to the weather with a reefed main and reefed jib in 20 knots. Don't try to sail too high and don't dilly-dally in your tacks, put the helm over smartly and be quick about shifting the control of the jib sheets.

 

[Joe]

Lightweight, centerboard, shallow draft vessels will need some help turning in choppy conditions, especially where current is adverse. Besides your sails and foils, get the shape of your hull involved. If the boat is heeled the hull shape becomes asymetric in the water, creating lift. Use you crew weight to heel the boat to leeward as you begin the tack. This will help the boat turn to windward by increasing the weather helm. Shifting the crew weight in a lightweight, centerboard boat is highly effective. It has a less noticable affect on fixed keel, heavier vessels.

With the crew weight to leeward, and the boat heeling, the weather helm will assist the rudder in the turn. Therefore, when you start the tack DO NOT turn the rudder harshly.. it will scrub off too much speed... Once you're confident the boat will make it through, you can finish the turn quickly. Bear off a bit to build speed before heading back up on the new course.

My final recommendation is to study dinghy and catamaran sailing techniques such as "roll tacking" to learn more about handling light weigt craft in various conditions.

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

There's a lot of good advise, but I want to emphasize one point. Your description sounds like you're slowly pinching up to your tack. The problem with pinching up in general is that you lose power, especially if there is a strong wind on a light weight boat with a lot of windage, as you describe yours. Losing power due to pinching up translates as slowing down, ie, giving up the momentum you need to get through the tack. As stated above, get your speed up, possibly footing off a FEW (and only a few) degrees, then tack smartly.
Find an clear area to experiment and practice.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[RichH]

All good points ....
I'd like to add some more.

1. Dont jam/force the rudder over .... SAIL the boat through the tack. Hard turning of the rudder will stop/slow the boat. Use 'finger pressure' on the wheel/tiller when turning so you can FEEL the 'bite' of the rudder when tacking. Dont over-turn the wheel/tiller ... turns the rudder sideways against the water flow across the rudder, which rapidly bleeds off your momentum which stops the boat.

2. Wait ...... for lulls and 'flat spots' in the water.

3. Let the boat HEEL 'way over' just before tacking. The restorative bouyancy forces will 'throw' the boat over onto the opposite tack and the sails will fill faster on the opposite tack. Called 'roll tacking' (when in 'normal' conditions). Sailing in ultra-high winds causes most sailors to lessen the heeling.

3a. Roll-tacking (brief description) - Over tension the mainsheet to cause the leech to hook up to weather BEFORE you tack to cause increased heel and increased pointing ability. Release the mainsheet when the boat passes the eye of the wind, and bear off slightly to rapidly accelerate out of the tack. You want the bow to 'be over onto the next leg' before the next wave hits so that when it hits the wave will help 'push' the bow over, while slightly 'backwinding' the jib.
(Sorry, those with roller furling mainsails cant do this because there is no 'roach' on the leech with which to 'hook up to weather' by extreme mainsheet pressure.)

4. Keep enough sail area exposed. An over-reefed or too deeply reefed boat, simply wont generate sufficient 'drive' to move through a tack, especially when the waves are high.

5. Begin the tack 'just before' a wave crest passes.... turning on the top of the crest and backside, but to be sure that your timing is correct so you dont bury the bow into the trough, which will stop the boat. You dont want to be turning in the bottom of a steep wave trough, in BIG waves the boat may be in the windshadow of the waves.