Hobie University, NAHCA
Page 50
31 Mar 02
Here is a brief discussion of my answers for the Performance Sailing Quiz on Boat handling.
1.
You are in irons and want to go to starboard tack, so you should push the boom out to the port side, while
simultaneously pushing the helm so the boat will back onto starboard tack.
True. When you are head to
wind, pushing the sail out to either side will cause the boat to be turned like a weather vane. The wind pushing
on the back of the sail not only turns the boat, but starts it moving backwards. Pushing the tiller in the same
direction as you pushed the sail will cause you to turn even further. Turn almost 90° to the wind before
attempting to sail forward again. Starting to sail forward too quickly will put you back in irons. As you
approach 90° to the wind, sheet in the jib first, center the tiller and then slowly sheet in the main as you
accelerate.
2.
You are on starboard, with the sail luffing, and you want to accelerate quickly, so the skipper should drop the
tiller and quickly bring in the mainsheet hand-over-hand -- the tiller and jib will take care of themselves.
False. Sheeting in the mainsail first will cause the boat to weather vane, turning head to wind and you will be
in irons. Sheeting the jib first and pulling on the tiller will cause the boat to turn off the wind (foot off) and
accelerate. As you accelerate, sheet in the main smoothly.
3.
In choppy conditions, the crew should try to get to the opposite end of the boat from the skipper.
False. The
crew and the skipper should be as close as possible to the desired center of balance so that the bows can follow
the surface of the choppy water with minimum effort. Think of it as a seesaw with both people near the
balance point, the ends can be moved up and down easily, accelerating only the weight of the board. With
people at the ends, their weight must be decelerated and accelerated with each change of direction. On the
boat this causes the bows to dig deeper into each wave as they try to stop their downward motion and then lift
the boat and crew over the next wave. Weight together allows the bows to pivot the boat more easily and thus
follow the waves, not dig through them. It is also a smoother ride for skipper and crew.
4.
For good weight distribution in light air, the skipper should sit in the "standard" helm position at the aft
windward side of the boat and be sure you hear a lot of gurgling noises from the stern dragging.
False. The
gurgling sound is from water turbulence around the square stern of the boat at lower speeds. To avoid this
additional drag, keep your weight forward and depress the bows, this will keep the stern out of the water.
5.
To gybe properly, you should head downwind for a while, until the boat has slowed down, and then force the
boom over -- the rudders will take care of themselves and cause less drag.
False. Don't slow down going
into a gybe, the faster you enter a gybe the gentler the boom will come across. Slowing down will cause the
apparent wind to increase on the back of the sail, thus causing the boom to slam across more violently, which
can be hard on the crew and the rig. Second, you must use your rudders to carve a smooth quick maneuver
and to accelerate in the new direction.
6.
After the gybe is complete, the skipper should head up a little higher than the normal course to gain speed,
then bleed it off and resume the normal course.
True. Sailing a little higher will allow you to accelerate
more quickly and regain the speed that you lost during the gybe. As soon as you are back up to speed, turn
back down wind to an optimum course.
7.
You should initiate a gybe while at good speed with steadily increasing pressure on the helm.
True. See
my answer to question 5.
8.
To accelerate from a dead stop, with sails luffing, the crew should bring the jib in first, then the skipper should
bear off a little to a close reach and after gaining some speed, begin sheeting in the main.
True. See my
answer to question 2.
