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Post by Martin McLean on Feb 3, 2003 15:35:08 GMT 10
Hi there!
Firstly, I feel privileged to be part of what I regard as a very special group of people. The spirit that has developed as a result of friendship, enthusiasm, goodwill on the part of just about everybody is something quite special, and I thank you for extending your welcome to me and allowing me to be part of what you have created.
For those of you who are relative newcomers to sailing, we (slightly) more experienced sailors are very happy to share our expertise for what its worth.
This e-mail is the first of what I hope becomes a regular weekly set of notes based on what happened in our sailing the week before. Sailing has its own language, and some things can be confusing. For example,
a) sailing to windward
b) sailing close-hauled
c) sailing upwind
are three different ways of saying the same thing. So, if you have any questions, or are not sure what I mean, or just want to chat about sailing, don't hesitate to ask.
The notes are intended to be short, but sometimes I say lots to explain myself clearly. I think the format will be something like:
1) Notes for Martin - so you can see the things that I need to work on; and
2) Observations about the things that will make the biggest difference to your racing performance.
3) List of things to discuss in later e-mails.
So, here goes ....
NOTES FOR MARTIN.
a) Learn the courses, so you don't have to keep asking. There's only three of them!
b) Check which end of the starting line is favoured, and start there (how to do this will come another week, but a clue is ... watch where Peter Craig starts!).
c) Don't take your favourite water bottle on board, and then drop it over the side just before the start.
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Post by Martin McLean on Feb 3, 2003 15:36:32 GMT 10
THE KEY THINGS FOR FASTER SAILING.
There's so much to say. I learn every day - you are my teachers! I will begin with what I think is the biggest single thing that will make a difference to your racing performance, and that is ...
Sailing the boat flat, upwind.
Remember ... "FLAT IS FAST"!
WHY ...
When sailing close-hauled (except in ultra-light winds) or on a reach, the boat sails fastest when it is perfectly upright. Well designed sailing dinghies intentionally have a tiny bit of weather helm when they are being
sailed close-hauled. As soon as a boat heels to leeward the weather helm increases dramatically, and you have to hold the tiller off-centre to make the boat sail straight. This causes lots of drag and so the boat goes
slower.
HOW DO I DO IT ...
Don't let the boat heel! Sail the boat perfectly level all the time! When a puff of wind hits, luff the boat by pushing the tiller away, or hike out harder, or ease the sail out, or a combination of all three, such that the
boat NEVER heels. Don't let the boat heel!
EXERCISE ...
In most sports, coaches have "drills" that help you to develop particular techniques. Here is a "drill" that is a brilliant way of sailing many boats close-hauled. Perfect this drill first, and another day we will talk about an even better way of sailing a Laser close-hauled.
When a puff of wind hits, ease the mainsheet and push the tiller away at EXACTLY the same time and at EXACTLY the same amount. When the gust fades, pull the mainsheet on and pull the tiller towards you at exactly the same time.
If you are doing this drill perfectly, when a gust hits, your elbows are moving away from your body in unison as you ease the mainsheet out and the tiller away. Likewise, when the gust fades, your elbows are coming back towards you in unison. I call this "linked elbows".
EXPLANATION (IF YOU ARE A LIGHT READER, STOP NOW ... IS THIS TOO MUCH WAFFLE??)
Weather helm is the force that you feel when you are holding the tiller, where if you let the tiller go then the boat would luff (turn towards the wind). A boat has lee helm if when you let the tiller go, it would bear away
(turn away from the wind). A little bit of weather helm is good ... if you lose concentration the boat automatically wants to sail closer to the wind, and also the flow of the water around the rudder blade helps to counteract
leeway (leeway is the boat slipping a little bit sideways through the water instead of going exactly where its pointed, due to the push of the wind).
The major boat controls are:
a) sail trim;
b) angle of heel of the boat;
c) height of the centreboard.
d) fore-and-aft trim;
e) rudder.
The rudder is deliberately listed last. We should learn to steer the boat using the other boat controls first, and the rudder is only there as a "fine tune".
a) Sail Trim.
A boat pivots sideways around a point (called the "centre of lateral resistance"). In a boat with a jib and a mainsail, if you pull the jib on and leave the mainsail off, the boat will tend to bear away. If you
leave the jib off and pull the mainsail on, the boat will tend to luff. You can sail a boat in a straight line (and rudderless - a good exercise, and great fun!) by balancing the amount of jib and mainsail that you use. In a Laser, pulling the mainsail on makes the boat luff, while easing it out makes it end to bear away.
b) Angle of Heel.
A boat travelling forwards through the water when flat upright has a symmetric waterline, and so it tends to travel straight. As soon as the boat begins to heel, the waterline becomes assymetric, and the boat tends to
turn away from the side that has been depressed. In other words, you can steer a boat by changing the angle of heel.
c) Height of the Centreboard.
The centreboard makes the greatest contribution to determining where the pivot point (centre of lateral resistance) is located. With the centreboard
all the way down, this pivot point is somewhere near the centreboard. If you raise the centreboard then the pivot point moves aft. Use this when rounding
the windward mark by raising the board just before you bear away.
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Post by Martin McLean on Feb 3, 2003 15:37:31 GMT 10
LIST OF THINGS TO DISCUSS IN LATER E-MAILS.
a) Choosing the favoured end of the starting line;
b) Using tell-tales to trim the sail well;
c) Sailing in currents;
d) "Opposite Elbows";
e) Tacking and gybing well;
f) "Fang cleats" and how not to use them;
g) Rules - International Rules for Prevention of Collision at Sea (Steve
could write this for us);
h) Racing Rules (maybe one or two at a time, each week?);
i) Match Racing and Teams Racing;
j) Sail trim;
k) Being your own coach;
l) Winning psychology;
m)
THINGS TO TRY ...
People like Peter Hackett and Steve Geck and I began sailing when we
were
about ten years old. We mucked around and played with boats, and tried
all
sorts of things that most people wouldn't do. We had great fun,
embarrassed
ourselves heaps, learnt lots, and capsized more than you could ever
imagine!
Here are some of the things we did ...
a) rudderless sailing (quite challenging, much easier in a boat with
both
jib and mainsail, but still possible in a Laser);
b) sailing backwards;
c) sailing along in light winds with the boat deliberately heeled so
that
the water ran along the gunwhales;
d) throwing jellyfish;
Come on fellas, lets add to the list!
FEEDBACK.
I did'nt really mean to write this much. Is this useful? How would you
improve the format? What would you like me to talk about for next week?
Cheers,
Martin.
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