To be fast off the wind requires
you to develop a "feel" for the yacht
and what makes it go. A lot of off
the wind sailing cannot be taught
by a coach it requires you to go
out and find out for yourself.
A coach can help you with pumping,
body position, vang tension,
mainsheet position and the height
of your centreboard. It is very
hard to teach the skill of steering
your yacht correctly, by making
the most of the wind and the waves.
Body Position
Body position is very important because
if the boat is trimmed properly
it will always be travelling the
most efficiently. This means moving
backwards and forwards in the boat
as the wind increases and decreases.
As soon as the bow begins to drop
or the stern drags too much the boat
will not be driving at its full
speed. Unless the boat is planing you need
to try and keep the boat as level
as possible fore and aft. As soon as
the boat gets up on the plane you
can move your body weight right
back quickly so there is less wetted
surface.
Centreboard Height
It is very important to pull the
centreboard up off the wind to reduce drag.
Flat off in light winds there should
be no centreboard in the water at all.
Vang Tension
Vang tension is vital off the wind
to set up correctly and to prevent the
boat from getting the death rolls
particularly on the run. Flat off in strong
winds and a lack of vang tension
can often end up with a swim when the
boat death rolls. The leech of the
sail gets in front of the mast if there is
not enough tension applied and contributes
to the death rolls and makes
gybing difficult. On the flat off
the mainsheet can be used to stop the
death rolls by over sheeting as
the yacht starts to roll. Push your
centreboard down further should
the yacht roll around a lot. In light winds
it is better to have twist in the
leech so the wind can flow off the sail easily.
As the wind increases you need to
use more and more vang tension so that
the leech does not open up to much.
Pumping
Pumping is a good method of accelerating
the boat down the waves or
getting the boat up on the plane
or pulling the bow out of a wave.
It is most effective when there
is the greatest pressure on the sail.
Strategically Downwind Sailing is Like the Beats