As soon the water is deep enough, make sure that you lower the rudder blade fully by pulling
hard on the rudder
downhaul
. You will know it is fully down if you feel a gentle “thud” as
the front face of the blade hits the front face of the
stock
.
Cleat
the
downhaul
and tidy it by
winding it around the
tiller
. Pull the sail in and you are away!
For the best performance, you should ensure that you and your crew position yourselves so
that the boat is sailing through the water as flat as possible.
Watch the trim (fore and aft) and the heel. The boat should always be sailed as upright as
possible.
Top Tip
As a general rule, sit further forward in lighter winds and further aft in stronger
breezes.
4.3 - Leaving the Beach
4.4 - Sailing Close-Hauled and Tacking
When sailing close-hauled, or as close as possible to the wind, it is im
port
ant to get the
boom
as near as possible to the centreline, especially when sailing the RS Feva XL with
the
mainsail
and
jib
. The kicking strap should be firmly tensioned for upwind work. To pull it
on, quickly put the boat head to wind. You should hold the
tiller
extension across your body,
with a knuckles-up grip, enabling you to use one or two fingers as a temporary
cleat
when
adjusting the
mainsheet
.
The
jib sheet
should be pulled in fairly hard when sailing upwind – tighter in stronger winds
and less so in lighter winds. Sail to the
jib
tell-tails, keeping the one on the back of the sail
streaming and the one closest to you either streaming or lifting upwards slightly.
To tack, push the
tiller
extension away from you and, as the boat starts to turn, step across
the cockpit facing forwards. Once the boat has completed the turn, bring the
tiller
back into
the centre before sitting down on the new side, with the
tiller
extension behind your back.
When you are settled, swap the
mainsheet
and the
tiller
extension into the new hands.
HINT
When sailing single-handed, sit with a leg either side of the thwart area when sailing
close-hauled or reaching. If there is a lull in the wind, simply slide your backside
down off the gunwhale and onto the thwart.
If the boat slows right down and feels lifeless when close-hauled, you could be sailing too
close to the wind. Ease the
mainsheet
and ‘bear off’ away from the wind for a while to get
the boat going again.
