Yachts & Yachting — February 2018

What’s involved in

a bear away set?

1. GET SET UP
   Once the boat is on the starboard
   layline to the top mark set the pole up
   (for symmetrics), get the kite on deck
   and the sheets (and guys) connected.

2. SNEAK THE KITE

Immediately before hoisting sneak

the tack to the end of the pole or sprit.

With symmetrical sails the pole also

needs to be pulled back using the

guy to an appropriate angle roughly

perpendicular to the apparent wind.

3. SLICK HOIST

Hoist the sail with the halyard bounced

at the mast, and tailed in the pit. Call

“made” when it’s fully up and ready

to be sheeted in. It helps to mark the

sheet so that it can be pre-set at a point

at which the sail will just start to ll

as its head reaches the masthead.

4. JIB DOWN
   As soon as the sail is hoisted the
   foredeck team needs to drop the jib.
   is must be treated as a priority
   as the kite won’t easily ll when it’s
   blanketed by the headsail, especially
   on masthead rigged boats and those
   without extra-long poles or sprits.


5. SHEET ON
   While the jib is coming down, the
   trimmers should sheet in the kite until
   it lls, before a big ease on the sheet to
   achieve optimum trim. If necessary, a
   quick lu can help to ‘pop’ the sail out...

6. ON COURSE

...Before heading back to the

appropriate course for the next leg.

7. CLEAR TO GYBE

e foredeck team conrms they are

clear to gybe if necessary (and looks

for response from pit or aerguard to

conrm the message has been received)

and reinserts the head of the jib into the

Tuu, so that it’s ready to be hoisted.

What can go wrong?

e most common mistakes involve

leaving the set up too late, which makes

everything rushed and doesn’t leave

time to double check that sheets or guys

are not fouled on the rail or elsewhere.

Another mistake is not to bear away

to a suciently deep course as the kite

Above

Girls on Film

rounding the

windward mark

and preparing

for a hoist

KEELBOAT PLAYBOOK BEAR AWAY SET

February 2018 Yachts & Yachting 53

PLAYBOOK_AC_GC_TH.indd 53 18/12/2017 15:04