192 seamanship secrets
leave the boat faster than before. Or watch fl otsam in the water, such as leaves
or seaweed. Keep the sails full and drawing by moving the crew to leeward and
a bit forward.
What are those luffs telling you? Do you see a smooth or fluttering luff
on each sail? A fluttering luff suggests an undertrimmed sail. A sail with a
smooth luff might be in perfect trim, but it might also be overtrimmed, or
stalled. Overtrimmed sails cause the boat to move sideways more than ahead.
Use the luff-and-sleep trim method described earlier to trim to perfection.
How does the helm feel? The helm should remain light (fingertip pressure)
and the boat easy to control. A well-balanced boat will almost steer herself,
even when the going gets tough.
Three Easy Steps for Heavy Weather Control
To sail well is to have complete control over the sailboat at all times.
—Steve Colgate, Manual of Basic Sailing TheoryAs the wind freshens, go through a three-phase system to balance your boat
to perfection. Follow the guidelines discussed earlier in the chapter to set the
draft position, draft depth, and leech twist. If the boat still labors, reduce sail
(outlined below) right away.
Aft er any change, check the feel of the helm and the behavior of the boat.
Did the helm lighten up, or is the helmsman fighting white-knuckled with
both hands to keep the course? Did the boat become more level, or is she still
digging the leeward rail in the water when a gust hits? Let your boat tell you
when things are right.
- Draft position and depth. Position the draft of your mainsail and headsail
as described earlier in this chapter. Set mainsail draft at 40% and headsail
draft at 35%. Flatten your sails when a freshening breeze heels the boat
excessively or builds up excessive weather helm. - Leech twist. Twist both sails to keep the upper half fl at. Ease the mainsail
and headsail sheets. Move the mainsheet traveler car to leeward; position
both headsail sheet blocks aft of the neutral position. - Reduce sail area. Reef earlier than you think necessary. It’s easier to shake out a
reef than to tie one in when the wind is howling, the deck is pitching, and spray
is blasting the crew. Follow the steps below to reef your main and headsail.
Reducing Mainsail Area (Jiffy Reefing)
Jiff y reefi ng speeds the time it takes to reduce the area of a mainsail. Th is system
uses only two lines to reduce the sail’s size. With practice, you can jiff y reef a
mainsail by yourself in under three minutes.