Re: Getting going after a capsise

[David Pocock <poey (at) poey.demon.co.uk>]

Jim and Nick

Many thanks for the advice. There's some new ideas for me to try out. I
think my upwind tension on cunningham and vang are now ok - although it
has certainly taken me some time to truly realise how much these
controls have to be tortured on in strong winds. It was the odd rogue
violent header that sent me into an occasional windward capsise on the
beat. I had more difficulty reaching - especially bearing away to gybe
at the gybe mark - the boat just wanted to accelerate rather than gybe.
Any additional thoughts on this would be welcome.

By the way, Nick, the hiking bench is still going strong. (Nick has
plans for a good folding hiking bench at:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7Edeadrock/deadrock/laser_02.htm)

However if you can find any way of modifying it to make it less painful
when I trip over it on the way for a pee in the middle of the night I
would be grateful. 

David

>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
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>
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