First of all, my new boat gave me my first of what is sure to be many humbling experiences. The T4.9 has so much more power than my old N5.5, it's scary. Anyway, on to the question and discussion.
The conditions on the lake this weekend were gusty 5-15mph. So in the lulls, I wanted the sail totally powered and was on the hull and in the gusts, well, let's just say I got wet.
First off, I'll say that I'm not very efficient at getting out on the wire quickly and will be working on that.
I tried the typical things to depower rig, but in the lulls it sucked. So I went back to dumping mainsheet to keep it on it's feet.
I'm assuming that in stable winds, the order of action would be trap out, downhaul, rotation, traveler, sheet. I've read that you can play the downhaul in the gusts, but during my attempt, it didn't get it done (wet). My next attempt was to play the rotation control. It seems to have a lot more effect on the overall rig power and has a lot lighter line load than the downhaul. With this method, I managed not to get wet.
So here's my plan for gusty conditions. I'd love your comments or suggestions how to modify.
-Set downhaul for lulls to keep power potential when needed.
-Trap out, crouch near hulls during lulls if necessary.
-Hold mainsheet in hand with tiller extension...so you can dump in needed.
-Play rotation control to keep boat on it's feet.
What do you guys think? What would you do differently?
Jeff
JEFF ONE OPTION IN GUSTY CONDITIONS IS TO HEAD UP WHEN YOU GET HIT WITH A GUST. I WAS SAILING IN PENSACOLA THIS WEEKEND AND IT WAS PERFECT WITH ONE GUY OUT BUT WITH TWO OUT IT WAS JUST TO MUCH SO I JUST STAYED ON THE TRAMP AND WHEN WE GOT A QUICK GUST I JUST HEADED UP A LITTLE AND IT WILL SETTLE BACK DOWN.
J.W. KALIN
The best technique seems to be powered up in the lulls, then ease the main and head up in the gusts. If you are falling in the water in the lulls and getting blown over in the gusts you probably need more downhall.
For more info see www.ahpc.com.au this is the front page of the AHPC website. Look for the link to 'owner's manual' then to 'sailing with a wing mast rig'
or go straight there using www.boyer-fibrecraft.com.au/
Berthos.
Jeff,
In certain light gusty conditions I trap with my rear foot on the sidestay and swing in and forward so my hip is against the hull gunwale forward on the main beam. When a gust hits I push out. This does two things. Quickly inreases my righting moments and moves my weight back from a very forward position.
My next inclination is to go up and then ease main sheet. If the gust persists I would increase downhaul and sheet back on at the same time. The way my sail is cut I don't need to play much with my rotation. Laminar flow just behind the mast in my view is a must and once the rotation is set to give this on both sides it stays where it is. This may not be the case with other sails but it works well with the sail I'm currently using
This works for me sometimes in certain conditions, just maybe it is worth trying sometime to see if it helps.
Regards,
Phill