Once you cross the finish line, you may rest.
Sail trim and boat handling:
I usually trim the jib, keeping the leach at the band on the spreader. I do trim and
ease a fair amount as we sail along. In general, if it isn’t too choppy, I will some-
times sheet block-to-block (when both fully hiked). This is usually for short peri-
ods when my skipper rides the momentum of the boat and is pointing super high.
It is very important to ease out as the boat starts to slow down and your skipper
comes back to build speed. If we encounter exceptional chop (like power boat
wake) I sometimes ease the jib briefly, from time to time.
I usually hike from the forward cleat on a Folli and I believe that it is very important
to keep the weight as far forward as possible, not only down-wind, but up-wind as
well.
A roll-tack can make a big difference. It takes timing between you and your skipper
to perfect it. The best roll-tack is when you can stay on the old tack as long as
possible, give it an extra hike (push) at the last possible moment and then jump
over to the new weather side and hike out fully. However, there are many varia-
tions. The first part is often the same, but the amount of hiking required on the new
tack will vary.
The gybing techniques are many, but if we narrow it down, you either gybe the
pole first or the main first. The tendency today is a serious roll-gybe, with the pole
first. The advantage is that once the main is gybed the jib is already full, aiding in
keeping the bow down and you are ready to ride. Obviously, you need to work on
both techniques. Gybing the main
first provides an “anonymous” gybe. It also
enables you to gybe in heavy air whenever you have top speed i.e. the least
amount of pressure on the rig.
See you on the race course!
28
Summary of Contents for STAR 2003
Page 1: ...STAR TUNING GUIDE 2003 Quantum San Diego...
Page 23: ...20 Notes...
