Trim and angle under assymetric.

[danstanford]

Recently watching a TouTube video of a J/111 racing downwind and they had someone on the mid-bow trimming the kite as we do when racing and then they had someone else calling the boat angle. This person, probably a tactician role, would call for the helm to steer up say 3 degrees then shortly thereafter to sail down 1 degree then a further 2. I understand finding a TWA and trying to follow it and I understand a boat steering to follow velocity shifts but this did not look like they were adapting to pressure.

given that the helm was very good and they did not seem to be trying to hold a course, what was the tactician responding to and trying to keep?

 

[Davidasailor26]

My guess is they were going up a little to build some boat speed, which pulls the apparent wind forward. Then with the AWA going forward they could turn down a bit and make better VMG. If the speed bleeds off the apparent wind goes back and you need to come up to restart the sequence.

 

[shemandr]

You would do the same thing surfing down waves. As you go down the wave and your speed increases, you would let the pole forward and trim the sheet a bit as the apparent wind moves forward. As you hit the back of the next wave and slow down you would do the opposite.