Re: Getting going after a capsise

["Nicolas Livingstone" <nicolas.livingstone (at) virgin.net>]

David,

I was out in the same winds as you on Sunday; I was just a bit downwind of
you, at Oxford. You seem to be doing the main thing right, which is to let
off the vang before you come back upright. (Experimenting in the cause of
science - that's my story -  I found that the best time to pop the vang
after a windward capsize due to a violent header is while you're still in
the water. However, on a normal capsize where I've managed to stay on the
gunwhale, I wait until the sail is about 30 degrees to the water; then I
reach in, pop the vang, and then bring the boat up.)

It sounds as if you might not have been using enough cunningham tension. In
today's conditions the eye should have been pretty much as close to the boom
as you can graunch it down, and letting out as much foot as you can cope
with. On a new-ish sail it will probably go to about an inch above the boom
(but I would ask why you would be using a new sail?); on an old rag it will
go down to level with the boom. This keeps the centre of effort as far
forward as possible, countering the weather helm generated by the heavy vang
tension. I was taking a club training session yesterday in slightly kinder
conditions, and it was clear that few people are aware just how much
cunningham tension you need to put on when it's windy. One hint: you can't
put cunningham tension on if the foot is tight. If you really need a very
tight foot (and it would have had to be windier than today) loosen off the
foot, put the cunningham on, then pull the foot back tight.

Raising the board will help, but it won't be enough to counter the weather
helm from a loose cunningham.

Regards,

Nick Livingstone, Oxford S.C.
----- Original Message -----
From: David Pocock <poey@poey.demon.co.uk>
To: <laser@laser.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2000 6:14 PM
Subject: Getting going after a capsise


> I was out today in winds of force 5 gusting to 6 and inevitably (for me)
> I had several capsises. A big problem is getting the boat under-way
> again in these winds. For example - upwind - I let off the vang to about
> half the required setting for the conditions, raise the centreboard
> half-way and sheet in and try to keep the boat flat and build up speed
> on a close reach then go closer to the wind get the board down and get
> the upwind vang tension right. But it's quite a struggle to get under
> way (and slow). Is there a better plan?
>
> David
> 136071
>
> Wiltshire UK
> -----------------------------
> Website for all answers: www.laser.org
> Public Replies: laser@laser.org
> To Unsubscribe: Send "unsubscribe laser" to majordomo@laser.org
> Sending "remove" does not work
> Questions: will@laser.org


-----------------------------
Website for all answers: www.laser.org
Public Replies: laser@laser.org
To Unsubscribe: Send "unsubscribe laser" to majordomo@laser.org
Sending "remove" does not work
Questions: will@laser.org