Sailing Upwind. Section 14. Close-hauled. Starboard Tack. Port Tack Figure 14 1 Port Versus Starboard Tack. 14 Sailing Upwind 111

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1 14 ing Upwind 111 Section 14 ing Upwind Close-hauled. ing as close to the wind, or as directly into the wind, as possible. Also, on-the-wind or by-the-wind, beating. Cunningham (Rig). An arrangement of gear used to adjust the luff tension in a sail without using a halyard or moving the boom. Come About. Change tacks by turning the bow through the eye of the wind. 1 ing upwind is sailing so progress is made in the direction from which the wind is blowing. It includes sailing close-hauled and sailing on close reaches. It includes coming about and all points of sail where the apparent wind is forward of abeam. 2 When the boat is on port tack when the main boom is on the starboard side of the boat. Starboard tack is the opposite tack, Figure Wind Starboard Tack Figure 14 2 ing Close-hauled Port Tack Figure 14 1 Port Versus Starboard Tack Close-hauled 3 ing close-hauled, the sails are trimmed well in and the boat is being steered close to the wind to make the best progress to windward. Many boats will sail as close as 45 degrees to the true wind. Attempts to sail closer to the wind result in the boat slowing. At slightly increased angles to the wind, forward speed increases but the angle is less favorable for making the best time to windward. How well a boat goes to windward is determined largely by the boat and sails. Wind and sea conditions and crew

2 ing Upwind Wind 0.7 mile 0.7 mile Port tack lay line 1 mile Starboard tack lay line 0.7 mile 0.7 mile Figure 14 3 Beating to Windward skill are also very important. The windward performance of two identical boats sailing side by side is often very different. ing at a 45 degree angle to the true wind requires sailing 1.4 miles to progress one mile directly to windward. One-half of the close-hauled sailing will be on the port tack and one-half on the starboard tack, Figure As long as wind direction is constant, it doesn t make any difference which tack is sailed first. Either two long tacks or a series of short tacks will result in progressing the same one mile upwind for the same 1.4 miles of sailing. This is not true if the wind changes direction. 5 If two boats start on opposite tacks from the same place to sail to a buoy directly upwind and the wind direction shifts en route, one of the two will have to sail further than the other. One of the two will benefit from the shift, Figure14 4. In general, to sail the shortest course, sail toward the direction of the expected wind shift. 6 If there is no wind shift or other consideration, such as differences in current en route, the best time to the buoy can be made by taking as few tacks as possible. The boat slows during the tacking maneuver. With no shifts, to make the best time to the buoy, sail far enough before tacking so that when coming about, the buoy can be fetched. 7 When sailing close-hauled, sheet both the main and the jib well in. Trim the jib so that the leech is near the end of the spreader; perhaps inside the end of the spreader with a jib that does not overlap the spreader, close to the spreader with an overlapping genoa. The slot (opening) between the main and jib should increase gradually from the head to the foot. If the boat is gradually turned into the

3 14 ing Upwind 113 Wind Shifts Affect Distance Remaining NEW WIND Destination A To Minimize Distance, Towards Direction of Expected Wind Shift OLD WIND Boat "B" sails extra distance B B Boat "B" tacks on lay line Wind Shift Boat "A" tacks on header Figure 14 4 Effect of Wind Direction Changes Departure wind from close-hauled, the jib telltales should indicate luffing, the jib luff should begin to tremble, and the jib should lose its shape along its entire length simultaneously. If the jib breaks near the head first, the jib sheet turning blocks should be moved forward. If the jib breaks first near the foot, the jib sheet turning blocks should be moved aft. If required, move the blocks and repeat the test. In general, the lighter the winds, the further forward the jib leads (turning blocks) should be, and the heavier the winds, the further aft the leads should be. Wind Shift Boat "B" is lifted Outhaul 8 To adjust the mainsail outhaul properly for sailing to windward, while head-to-wind, apply just enough tension so that there are visible stress wrinkles along the foot of the sail, Figure These wrinkles should disappear when the sail is filled. Trim the mainsail to Stretch Lines Figure 14 5 Outhaul Adjustment

4 ing Upwind straighten the leech so that the top batten is parallel to either the boom or the centerline of the boat, whichever comes first. Normally, the boom is set by the traveler on the centerline of the boat, Figure A telltale attached to the leech at the top batten pocket should be streaming aft. When the sail is filled, tighten the cunningham to remove diagonal wrinkles emanating from the clew and to place the draft about midway back on the sail, Figure When beating, the crew should be seated close to the longitudinal center of the boat, normally on the windward rail, but in light wind conditions, to leeward. 9 If the wind is light, increase the twist of the mainsail by bringing the boom to windward with the mainsheet traveler, and easing the sheet. Easing the outhaul increases the draft of the lower portion of the sail and Trim at various heights of the mainsail Figure 14 6 Mainsail Trim Cunningham Top Middle Bottom easing the cunningham moves the point of maximum draft aft. 10 As the wind speed increases, the mainsheet traveler should be eased to leeward, and the sheet trimmed to reduce the twist and reduce heel angle and weather helm. In heavy wind, the traveler should be eased all the way to leeward and the outhaul and cunningham trimmed hard. Heavy air sailing is discussed in detail in Section 17. Close Reach 11 Close reaching is sailing with the wind forward of the beam, but not close-hauled. Easing the sheets and bearing off slightly from close-hauled puts the boat on a close reach. Beam reaching is sailing with the apparent wind abeam. Broad reaching is sailing with the wind abaft the beam, but not from directly aft. These points of sail are all depicted in Figure In falling off from close-hauled to a reach, the main and jib sheets are eased as the boat s direction changes. Easing is especially important when sailing light displacement dinghies and in strong winds. Easing sheets will lessen weather helm, heeling angle, and the risk of a knock-down or capsize. 13 When sailing close-hauled, the mainsheet pulls the boom down. This tends to take the twist out of the mainsail and trims it evenly from head to foot. When the mainsheet is eased for reaching, the boom end tends to rise and the mainsail twists open at the head so that the top third of the sail is luffing while the bottom third is still overtrimmed. When reaching, tension the boom vang to limit and control mainsail twist. 14 After putting the boat on the desired heading and tensioning the boom vang, fine trim the sails for the resulting apparent wind. Ease the jib sheet until the leeward-side telltales lift and flow aft along the sail horizontally. The windward telltales should also flow aft horizontally or lightly upward, Figure If there are no telltales on the jib, set it by easing the sheet until the jib just begins to luff and then trimming the sheet until the luffing stops. Ease the mainsheet until the mainsail begins to luff and then trim until the leech telltales begin to break away to leeward or, if there are no telltales, until the luffing stops. Figure 14 7 Cunningham Adjustment

5 14 ing Upwind 115 True Wind Starboard Tack Port Tack Luffing Close Hauled Close Hauled Close Reach 45 Close Reach Beam Reach (Apparent wind abeam) Beam Reach Broad Reach Broad Reach Figure 14 8 Points of Run Telltales Telltales 15 Reaching sail trim can be improved by: easing the jib luff tension to increase the fullness of the jib easing the mainsail luff tension easing the main outhaul continually adjusting direction and trim to keep the telltales streaming aft Figure 14 9 Telltales at Various Positions Coming About 16 The process of turning the bow of the boat through the wind, from a heading where the sails are filled on one side of the boat to a heading where they are filled on the other side of the boat, is called coming about or tacking, Figure The helmsman announces an intent by saying, Ready about, each crew member responds, Ready, and then, as the tiller or wheel is moved, the helmsman says Helm s alee. It is important to alert

6 ing Upwind Port Tack Starboard Tack Wind Tiller Amidships Tiller to Leeward Figure Coming About or Tacking Tiller Amidships the crew to any change in tack to prevent injury, such as when the boom and jib sweep from one side of the boat to the other. 17 As the bow of the boat comes through the eye of the wind, the sails become empty of wind, and shake. The boat will slow and, if the helmsman does not complete the tack smartly, may stop. If the boat stops, control is lost, and the boat is said to be in irons or in stays. Regaining control of the boat may require backing either the main or the jib to get the boat s head off the wind again. Holding the main boom out to one side while a boat is in irons causes the bow to swing off to the same side. This is called backing the main. Backing the jib will cause the bow to fall off to the side opposite the backed jib. See Figure Sculling is another technique which may also be used. 18 A word of warning: when a boat that is dead in the water is hit by a sudden gust, it is likely to heel more than desired. It could be knocked down, ship water, and possibly capsize. So, be ready to ease the sheets quickly as the sails fill. 19 To avoid becoming caught in irons, enter any tacking maneuver from a beat or close reach with substantial boat speed. The boat s momentum will likely carry it through the eye of the wind. To begin a tack, move the helm smoothly, continue the turn until the boat is pointed in the close-hauled direction on the opposite tack, and then stop the turn. If momentum is lost during the tack, back the jib to help the boat around. 20 Except for possible traveler adjustments, the mainsail will require no tending during tacks; it will move to the other side of the boat and fill. However, if the boat has a jib, it will need to be tended. Keep the jib sheet trimmed as the tack is initiated, but ensure that it is uncleated before the bow of the boat passes through the eye of the wind. As the bow of the boat comes into the eye of the wind, the jib will begin to luff badly. At that instant, release the jib sheet and prepare to trim in the jib sheet on the new leeward side. Quickly trim in the new jib sheet once the bow of the boat has swung through the eye of the wind. Take care not to trim the jib for the new tack too soon. Trimming too soon can cause the jib to backwind and spoil the tack. 21 Boats carry their way (speed) through a tack differently. Heavy keel boats maintain their speed quite easily through tacks, while light centerboarders lose their speed more quickly. Catamarans lose speed very quickly during tacks and go into irons readily. If your boat has a tendency to go into irons during a tack, try keeping the jib sheet tight until the jib fills on the backside. The jib will push the bow through the tack and the boat will fall off rapidly. Be prepared to release the jib sheet quickly once the jib is back-filled. Summary 22 ing upwind is sailing so progress is made in the direction from which the wind is blowing. When the boat is on port tack, the main boom is on the starboard (right) side of the boat. Starboard tack is the opposite tack. ing close-hauled is sailing with the sails trimmed well in, and the boat is being steered close to the wind to make best speed to windward. In general, to sail the shortest course, sail toward the direction of the expected wind shift. Close reaching is sailing with the wind forward of the beam, but not close-hauled. The process of turning the bow of the boat through the wind, from a heading where the sails are filled on one side of the boat, to a heading where they are filled on the other side of the boat is called coming about or tacking.

7 14 ing Upwind 117 Homework: Section 14: ing Upwind Name 1. When sailing on a close reach with the boom to starboard of the boat s centerline, the boat is: a) in stays. b) on a port tack. c) on a starboard tack. d) very difficult to control. 2. A boat is close-hauled when the: a) sails are trimmed and the boat is being steered off the wind. b) apparent wind is coming over the beam with the sails trimmed correctly. c) sails are trimmed well in and the boat is being steered close to the wind. d) sails are trimmed well in and the boat is being sailed directly in to the wind. 3. With no change in wind direction and sailing at 45 degrees to the true wind, to cover a course of one mile upwind one must sail: a) 1.0 mile. b) 1.4 miles. c) 1.7 miles. d) 2.0 miles. 4. When sailing upwind and expecting a change in wind direction, the desired approach is to: a) tack often. b) pinch to benefit from the shift. c) sail toward the direction of the expected shift. d) sail away from the direction of the expected shift. 5. With a steady wind, the best time can be made to windward by: a) tacking often. b) tacking infrequently. c) alternately pinching and footing. d) sailing away from the direction of an expected wind shift. 6. When jib trim is checked by momentarily turning the bow slightly to windward, the upper windward telltales drop before the lower ones. Adjust by: a) tightening the jib halyard. b) moving the jib sheet block aft. c) tightening the jib luff cunningham. d) moving the jib sheet block forward. 7. Close-hauled, the cunningham should be tensioned just enough to: a) backwind the jib. b) tighten the leech. c) remove diagonal wrinkles. d) create small vertical leech wrinkles.

8 ing Upwind 8. To ensure correct trim when close-hauled, mainsail telltales should be attached to the: a) leech at the batten pockets and be lifting. b) leech at the batten pockets and be streaming aft. c) luff in line with the batten pockets and be streaming aft. d) mid-girth in line with the batten pockets and be streaming aft. 9. As the wind speed increases, the traveler should be: a) told to don a life jacket. b) tightened to flatten the mainsail. c) eased to leeward to decrease weather helm. d) pulled closer to the centerline to lessen weather helm. 10. When reaching, the boom vang is used to: a) replace the battens. b) adjust the mainsail luff tension. c) reduce the twist of the mainsail. d) adjust the mainsail foot tension. 11. While reaching, sail trim can be improved by: a) easing the jib outhaul. b) tightening the jib luff. c) easing the main outhaul. d) tightening the main luff. 12. The cunningham rig is used to tighten the: a) sheet. b) main foot. c) main luff. d) topping lift. 13. Coming about is described as: a) turning the bow of the boat to port. b) changing course by turning the bow of the boat through the eye of the wind. c) changing course by turning the stern of the boat through the eye of the wind. d) heading home. 14. To get a boat out of irons: a) kedge off. b) get a tow. c) back the jib. d) drop the jib. 15. A boat that goes into irons readily when tacking is the: a) catamaran. b) Friendship sloop. c) 40 foot fin-keel cruising sailboat. d) America s Cup class boat.