Tacking Slow is Fast?

I think that it's safe to say that the majority of skippers out there battling around the buoys are horrible tackers. I know I probably fall into this category, and whenever I set out on a sail I make a conscious effort to improve my steering and tacks. The majority seem to oversteer their boats, using the rudder to do all of the turning and not letting the sails do some of the work. There are times when you just need to throw the tiller over as fast as possible, for example, in an emergency bail out tack when you just don't have time to think and communicate, though in the grand scheme of getting around the course the fastest, this is the slowest of the options... especially when you're in flat water and have time to execute a nice fluid and slow tack. You'll find plenty of articles written on this topic, but it's another thing to see the concept with actual boats and video footage. Read on for some great footage from North Sails.

Don't use your rudder to steer through a tack... use it to help you steer through the tack. Make sense? What I really mean, is to think of your rudder as a helper to get you through a tack, not as your primary tool. Instead, use your sails to drive your boat into the tack. A little ease on the jib combined with a little trim on the main will actually help point your boat closer to the wind. No need to jam that tiller over... yet anyways. Once the jib begins to break is when I like to SLOWLY push away on the tiller and guide the boat through the wind. Now you'll have the bow pointing just past head to wind, and the jib will begin to back and fill on the new leeward side. I differ a little from most poeple I've sailed with in this part of the tack. I actually like to have my jib backed and snapped over to the other side instead of luffing through the tack (granted, a little luffing is inevitable). I've heard arguments that backing the jib acts like a brake and that you should let it luff through a tack, though I still think that backing the jib, followed by a quick snap trim with the new sheet, helps pull the bow through a tack with less force on the rudder. So you can luff the jib and steer more with the rudder, or back a little more on the jib and steer less on the rudder... you can pick what you think the lesser of the two evils is. Note, it's much easier to get a little jib backing w/ a non-overlapping jib (like you will find on most dinghy's and sport boats). It's tougher with a genoa (go w/ the luffing on a genoa).

Now, you'd have your boat through the wind and ready to set off on the new tack. This is another crucial part of the tack where it is real easy to slow yourself down and cost yourself boat lengths. I think many people have a knack for not steering far enough through a tack. They come out of on the exact heading they'll be once up to speed, sometimes they'll even be pinching a bit. It's hard to convince yourself of this when on the water, but it's fastest to come out of the tack low, footing off to get the boat up to speed. The amount of time you'll be footing depends on lots of things, but it all boils down to getting the boat up to speed. Once you feel that your up to speed, sheet in on the main a little (leave the jib eased). This will swing your bow up a few degrees. Then trim your jib and find a nice balance between your main and jib to keep you pointed on the right heading with a comfortable amount of helm, just to get a good feel. You may be saying at this point, "well, you just said not to oversteer during a tack and now your telling us to turn a greater angle than we normally would... i don't get it". There is a difference between steering and turning in this case. What you're doing is essentially turning more, but your steering through the turn with less rudder and more sails.

All of this said, the easiest way to improve your sailing is to watch someone else do it, then copy them. So, check out this video that Greg Fisher of North sails shot. This is a great view of a very well steered thistle. Watch and Learn! If you have trouble viewing the video on our site, go to onedesign.com and you'll find it in their tuning section.

http://onedesign.com/class/thistle/movies/2007-Vlasta%20tacking.wmv