HEY SOS SAILORS!
March 20, 2009
So apparently it isn’t as easy as I had hoped (or as easy as it used to be) to download the documents I reference below. If you’d like copies shoot me an email or give me a call and I will email them to you ASAP.
Thanks!
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Sail Trim Documents – Spring Tune Up!
March 17, 2009
As many of you may know I was at the Singles on Sailboats Spring Training this past weekend to discuss sail trim and balance. In an effort to reduce my paper consumption I didn’t print handouts for the event, but wanted to make available via downloadable PDF what would have otherwise been handouts.
Embedded below are the documents that we discussed this past weekend at the Singles On Sailboats Spring Training. The sailstravaganza as I like to call it. What you will find below are the sail shape control guide that we discussed. Using the three sail shape descriptors – Angle of Attack, Draft, Twist – you can figure out what controls are useful for shaping your sails. There are always exceptions to the rules, but this is a pretty good starting point for most boats.
Then below that you will find “set-up” guides for the mainsail and jib or genoa. Again, this is a rough place to begin, is not boat specific but is a good place to get you into the ballpark. If you have questions about specific conditions, points of sail, etc. don’t hesitate to post a comment or question. You can catch me at JWorld teaching these concepts and you can always contact me directly too.
Here there are. If you have trouble downloading – contact me.
Mainsail Matrix
Jib/Genoa Matrix
fundamental-sail-controls-matrix
mainsail-set-up-matrix
base-jib-genoa-settings-matrix
SOS Documents
March 14, 2009
If you are here looking for the documents discussed today at the SOS lectures on Sail Trim, please check back soon. They will be downloadable as PDF’s shortly.
Thanks you –
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Sail Trim and Balance at the Singles on Sailboats Spring Training
March 13, 2009
Saturday, March 14th I will be working with the Singles on Sailboats (SOS) sailing club. SOS’s Spring Training is an annual event where members of the the club – they have more than 700 members – get together at Broadneck High School in Annapolis for a day of information sharing and socializing.
SOS serves sailors in MD, DC, VA, DE, and PA. What is even more amazing is that they put on this and other events throughout the year and they are an entirely volunteer run effort.
Tomorrow, I am scheduled to speak to two groups. First I will be discussing fundamental sail trim and boat balance to a group of about 70 people. Following that session I am discussing spinnaker handling and some more advanced sail trim and balance topics.
I always look forward to this lecture topic, because I think there are great opportunities for “Aha!” moments. We’ll be discussing what each sail control does to the sail, how wind strength and sea state effect what shape is desired, how to deal with older sails and how sailors can develop their own “quick chart” to ensure that they are “in the balpark” with their sail set-ups. Oh yeah, and I bet we have a little bit of fun in the process too.
More Rules Questions – Rule 18.5(b)
March 13, 2009
Thanks to everyone who has been sending in their rules questions. I am responding directly to most of you, but some of your questions make for great blog fodder, so I hope you don’t mind if I use your questions (names withheld) to help others understand the rules a little better.
To the left is a diagram that shows two boats, both on starboard tack coming into a mark. Prior to entering the Zone Red is the ROW boat because she is leeward (Rule 11). Once they are in the Zone Green owes Red Mark Room. Near the mark Red luffs in order to get around the mark, and in the process the two boats get pretty close together – but it appears as though Green is Keeping Clear. At the mark Red bears away very hard and in the process her transom swings out and hits Green.
OK, so that is today’s set up, and it was spurred on by a rules conversation that I was invited to join by some Laser sailors on the Potomac River. These little dinghies get pretty close together so this sort of situation happens all the time. Heck…it happens all the time on bigger boats too – and there are bigger implications when that happens. Keep reading to see what I mean.
Here was the questions I got this morning:
For the Rules ‘gurus’:
The following has happened to me a few times, so the scenario that I am about to sketch can’t be that unusual. You may have experienced it as well.
Two dinghies, both on SB tack, are within the zone of the windward mark. Overlapped, and the hulls (very) close together. So close in fact that if I reach over (sideways), I can touch the gunwale of the other boat. Both boats are about to round the mark, but the inside (leeward) boat is slightly ahead. The leeward boat has rights (see below), but bears off sharply. As a result, her stern swings out to the right and touches the windward boat.
Who is at fault?
Rule 11: A windward boat shall keep clear of a leeward boat
Rule 16.1: When a right-of-way boat changes course, she shall give the other boat room to keep clear
Rule 18.2 (a): When boats are overlapped the outside boat shall give the inside boat mark-room, unless rule 18.2(b) applies.Definitions:
Mark-Room Room for a boat to sail to the mark, and then room to sail her proper course while at the mark.
Proper Course A course a boat would sail to finish as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats referred to in the rule using the term.
My ‘gut’ feeling is that the windward boat is OK, because the leeward boat made an unexpectedly sharp change in direction (Rule 16.1).
But my reading of the rules suggests, to me at least, that the leeward boat can round the mark as she pleases, because proper course may well be going sharply left (looking downwind) because of more pressure, or some other reason.
What’s your opinion?
So we have a pretty clear set up, and I think the diagram more or less shows this scenario. The one rule that the writer left of is Rule 18.5(b). This is the rule that deals with EXONERATION, and here is what it says:
18.5 Exoneration
When a boat is taking mark-room to which she is entitled, she shall be exonerated
(a) if, as a result of the other boat failing to give her mark-room, she breaks a rule of Section A, or (b) if, by rounding the mark on her proper course, she breaks a rule of Section A or rule 15 or 16.
So in more practical terms because the inside boat (Red) was entitled to Mark Room, she will be exonerated for having instigated the contact as she swiftly bore away – normally she would have to give Green Room to keep clear, and would therefore have to turn slower than she might otherwise like to. But because they are in the Zone, and because 18 is being applied, then under 18.5(b) she will be exonerated.
I think the take away here is that if you are the outside boat in a mark rounding situation be prepared to give the inside boat the Room she is entitled too (and then some). Pushing the envelope at mark rounding can be fun, but it is a high risk low reward maneuver in my opinion.
It is important to point out that rule 18.5 does not exonerate any boat from Rule 14. If in the scenario above the contact caused damage or injury then RED could be penalized for breaking Rule 14. This is where the big boats should pay attention. Bearing away quickly could easily cause damage to the Windward boat – especially in mixed fleets.
Junior sailors should also be aware. This is an easy “gotchya” situation and one that if it was found you did on purpose could land you in a heap of trouble. As well if you think they sailor inside of you is prone to antics (you know who they are) then give some extra room to make sure you are safe.
One final point. During the conversation about this situation someone wrote:
“When bearing off around the mark, leeward’s turn need only be seamanlike, not courteous or considerate.”
While there is nothing explicitly written in the rules that sailors be courteous or considerate I think we all need to remember Paul Elvstrom’s quote: “You haven’t won the race, if in winning the race you have lost the respect of your competitors.”
Upwind Mark Rounding Rules Quiz Answer
March 11, 2009
So my email in box has been filling up with answers and follow up questions to this morning’s rules quiz questions. If you have an idea or question, please don’t hesitate to submit it, but in the future, if you are comfortable doing so, please submit it as a comment on the blog. Your comment may help someone else better understand the situation.
So, the assignment was to describe what rules are in play at each of the positions, and determine if Red broke a rule. If she did break a rule, what rule, and how can she exonerate herself?
Let’s look at what happened. In position one and two, the two boats are on opposite tacks so according to Rule 10 (Opposite Tacks), Green – a starboard tack boat – has right of way and Red must Keep Clear. They are also in the ZONE, but according to Rule 18.1(b) Rule 18 does not apply. Now at position three, Red tacks. She is required, by Rule 13, to Keep Clear. Green is required, by Rule 14, to avoid contact. Because of where Red tacked, it is obvious that she tacked IN THE ZONE and now Rule 18.3(a) (Tacking when approaching a Mark) comes into play and says the following:
18.3 Tacking When Approaching a Mark
If two boats were approaching a mark on opposite tacks and one of them changes tack, and as a result is subject to rule 13 in the zone when the other is fetching the mark, rule 18.2 does not thereafter apply. The boat that changed tack (a) shall not cause the other boat to sail above close-hauled to avoid her or prevent the other boat from passing the mark on the required side…
Now is position 4 Red is leeward boat, and according to Rule 11, Green is required to Keep Clear. BUT! Because Red tacked in the ZONE, and therefor Rule 18.3(a) is in play, Red shall not cause Green to sail above close-hauled to avoid her or prevent Green from passing the mark on the required side…And at position 5 Red does exactly that and in the process breaks the rule.
Luffing up to make the mark, a fairly normal maneuver, she makes Green sail above close hauled, and because Red had tacked in the Zone she can’t do that. Green does what she is required to do – which is to Keep Clear, hail protest, fly a flag and sail on.
So, did Red break a rule?
YES! Rule 18.3(a)
What can Red do to exonerate herself?
After getting well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible, Red can take a Two-Turns Penalty by promptly making two turns in the same direction, each turn including one tack and one gybe.
If you have questions – please don’t hesitate to post them to the comments.
DISC Rules Lecture
March 11, 2009
Last night, thanks to an invitation from the Dangerfield Island Sailing Club (DISC), I had the good fortune to be able to speak to a large group (more than 80!) of Washington, DC area sailors about the Racing Rules Of Sailing. What an experience!
With that many people, and only three hours of time I didn’t cover as much of the material as I would have liked – but I think the major concepts were conveyed. I also learned a few things about presenting to a group that big, using PowerPoint style presentations, and other media.
Based on the more than 40 feedback forms I received I think the participants were happy with the presentation, and the Gale Force Sailing Pledge stands.
From this point forward, if there are any sailing related questions anyone in that room wants to ask – my email box is open and my cell phone number is on the contacts us page. It is never too early, too late or too weekend to contact me.
Moreover, if there are copies of the materials I used last night feel free to email me and I will send you copies. I want to see more people on the water and enjoying sailing to the fullest. Knowing the Racing Rules of Sailing is a big part of that enjoyment.
Here is a little rules quiz. In the following scenario describe what rules are in play at each of the positions, and determine if Red broke a rule. If she did break a rule, what rule, and how can she exonerate herself?
There are some really great rules resources out there. Make sure you check out Dave Perry’s books, the UK-Halsey online rules quizes, and Dave Dellenbaugh’s Speed and Smarts and Racing Rules DVD.
Sailing World Article: Coaching: Good for Sailors, Good for the Sport
March 5, 2009
After racing with Jud Smith and Moose McClintock, SW contributor Jim Porter makes his case for the benefits of having a coach.
Mar 3, 2009
By Jim Porter of Sailing World Magazine
In the Etchells fleet, coaching has raised the level of competition for all boats, not just the ones with coaches on board. At events I’ve sailed lately, I’ve heard a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of coaching. I’ve been on both sides of the equation– racing without a coach against boats with coaches, and racing with an onboard coach– and I’ve come to the conclusion that coaching is good for the sport.
Over the past few seasons, I’ve enjoyed the benefits of having coaches on board and in crash boats. I sailed with Jud Smith for the Etchells’ 2007-’08 Jaguar Cup and 2008 Worlds. For the Jaguar Cup, we did not have a coach per se, but Jud served as our onboard coach; for the Worlds, we had a dedicated coach boat and a training group. For me, the learning curve was steep, but I learned more in those six months than I had in the last six years.
In both cases, the coach held a morning briefing to give us a general sense of what to expect on the racecourse that day, touching on tides, weather, boat setup, and starting tactics. One of the best things about having a coach is that they constantly remind everyone on the team about the little things. They also help point out which factor is most important. For instance, during one very windy run in the Jaguar Cup, Jud had us focus on weight placement. We worked very hard at shifting our weight to keep the helm neutral. By trimming the kite and coordinating our movements, we were able to steer the boat with very little rudder movement.
In between races, like an NFL coach calling a timeout with a minute to go, the coach helped us refocus. At the end of day, the coach went over went well and what could be improved. Rather than simply provide answers, the coach would ask questions that forced us to determine the best plan of attack for a given scenario. By making us figure out situations on our own, the coach prepared us to better execute on the racecourse.
With Jud, one of my tasks was to find the marks, something I had to be constantly reminded to do for the first few weeks. It sounds like a simple job, but on a two-mile beat, those marks are almost impossible to spot. But until you locate the mark, you just don’t know where you are on the course. After sailing with Jud, I’m now in the habit of looking for marks automatically.
One of the biggest things I learned was patience– wait for the shift. Another thing I took away from the experience was Jud’s mindset of, “What can I do to make the boat go faster?” At different times, that means different things, but by constantly asking the question, you’ll always be working towards better boat speed. Sailing upwind, Jud and I would constantly review the sail trim. Our goal was to keep the boat balanced. We sailed with a plan all the time, even though that plan was constantly changing throughout the race. We were always thinking about the next move or situation.
Having an onboard coach can provide an enormous benefit during the race; having a coach boat and training partners helps you throughout the course of a series. Our group of six boats shared the coaching costs, and each boat in the group benefited from working with one another. Before the Worlds, our coach set up a starting practice and helped each boat select which sails to measure. We were able to try some new rig setups and compare with our tuning partners. Because we were sailing with a new mast, we needed to determine the best place to position the butt in order to balance the helm. We found that moving it forward a half inch provided the correct balance. Because we could monitor our speed against other boats in our tuning group, we were able to verify that we had moved the butt in the right direction. The effectiveness of the group approach is hard to ignore. Prior to our sessions, four boat in our group participated in the Jaguar Cup, posting finishes of 2, 27, 24, and 38. At the Worlds, that same group of tuning partners finished 3, 4, 7, and 11. This improvement, I feel, was a direct result of the coaching we received before and during the Worlds.
Last December, Moose McClintock invited me to sail with himself and Tom Lihan for the Etchells Piana Cup. Moose served as our onboard coach for the weekend, and he continually emphasized the importance of getting on the long tack. When you’re sailing two-mile beats, getting on the long tack early has tremendous benefits. It keeps you away from the laylines and preserves your options up the course. The other thing Moose stressed was the need to hold a lane. In big fleets, maintaining your lane is crucial to keeping your options open, especially right off the starting line and after rounding the leeward mark in a pack. Sometimes we weren’t going as fast as we would have been in clear air, but at least we held our lane. On the last beat of the regatta, Moose and Tom worked together to defend our lane for the better part of a mile.
The time I spent under the tutelage of Jud Smith and Moose McClintock convinced me that there’s no better way to make quick, permanent improvement than by having a coach. And in the long run, coaching benefits everyone– even the teams without coaches– since the knowledge the coaches impart percolates through the fleet and helps bring everyone up to speed. In this way, coaches make everyone more competitive, and who can say that’s not good for the sport?
Gale Force Event – Racing Rules Lecture and Sail Trim Discussions
March 3, 2009
One of the fun parts of spring is the lecture circuit. I effectionately calll this crazy proffesor season – you know the time of year where I dig out my sport coat with the patches on the elbows and my pipe and speak in a very knowing tone about outhaul tension and rule 17.
While it is still too cold for all be the craziest people to be on the water (I am sailing Sunday) it is a great time to start thinking about sailing and improve your skills through lectures, readings, and videos.
Coming up on the circuit for me include a rules lecture for the Dangerfield Island Sailing Club (DISC) on March 10th, a sail trim and balance and advanced sail trim lecture for the Singles on Sailboats on March 14th, and day long rules clinic put on with JWorld Annapolis on the 15th, and another sail trim lecture for the Baltimore Downtown Sailing Center to be held April 21st.
If you have any interest in attending any of these events or schedule events for your club or team. Please contact me immediately.
New Spinsheet! Clean Marinas Article Worth a Read
March 2, 2009
The March issue of Spinsheet Magazine, the best damn Chesapeake Bay focused sailing magazine, is on the docks and newsstands up and down the East Coast. This month features and article about clean marina’s and what sailors can do to be a bit more green…er blue…um WHATEVER in the process of enjoying their recreation and passion.
Many thanks to my editor, Molly Winans, for not editing out most of the drivel that I wrote. I can get onto quite a soapbox when I talk about these things – especially because I believe that it is really the responsibility of all of us to make small efforts to improve the quality of the environments that we sail in. In encourage you to go to the local marina, West Marine, or newsstand and get a copy – but if you just can’t wait you can download a PDF version of my article here:
About me
I am the owner of Gale Force Sailing and write about all things related to coaching, instruction and team building. contact me>>
