Ken's fantastic experiences in learning to sail competitively on a Northshore 33 continue.

20 -25 knts from the SW, swell 1.5 - 2.0m, a normal Port Phillip winter Saturday.

No1 up front probably 125%.
Reef in main.

Got absolutely hammered going to windward and suffered slippage on beam reaches.

The day started well with us acing the start hitting the line 2 seconds after the gun and at the windward end.

Then it fell apart. We were pointing 30 -40 degrees and watched the fleet sail away.
Head was very flat but working. Even came off to 50-60 but no improvement in speed.

The main just didn't provide anything. Traveller up, traveller down we tried everything. We found a sweet spot with the traveller up and sheeted hard but the slightest increase in wind you lost the wheel and started to round up. In all other situation the main just flogged and wouldn't catch any wind.

On a reach we were well heeled over and making reasonable speed but the the slip to leewards was pronounced and we lost a lot of ground/water.

Other boats held full mains and also had no 1s too - so we were the only boat that depowered sails but still got caned.

My thoughts are:

Reef was good idea as previously in these conditions we continually rounded up or could not bear away.

No1 probably provided too much power and No 2 would have straightened us up a little.

Alternatively maybe some more twist in the heady could have changed the flow.

Other than that I'm stuffed.
Any suggestions?

Reduce sail. If you are going sideways you have too much sail up. A reef in the main normally means a No2 heady, not always but usually.
Before you confuse the issue with details like twist get the basics right. Sail selection, luff tension, out haul tension, headsail sheet car position, then traveller etc. the basics give you 90%, the details the last 10%.
After a while you get to know intuitively what is right for your boat, it won't take long.
One other basic, sail condition. A mate and I were having a bit of a match race, both s&s34s, I have new sails and his were we'll used. I was pointing 20 degrees higher and at least a knot faster.
Enjoy figuring it out for your yacht.

Sounds to me like you have too much sail up , in 20-25 kts we would have #2 headsail and be contemplating having 1 reef in the main , downwind shake the reef out drop the heady and in that wind go our small kite if it was a tight reach leave the #2 up..On most mono hulls once you get to a certain angle of heal , your going to loose forward drive and go more sideways , the optimum heal angles will be apparent with practice and experimentation not all boats are the same ,most high performance plaining hull type boats like to be sailed as flat as possible , displacement boats will reach a certain hull speed and that's going to be the max speed your going to get out of that boat upwind ,if you can reach this max hull speed with less sail your going to have a more comfortable and controlled ride.Get all the crew weight as far out on the rail as possible and drive the boat , if your your mains flogging and your still being driven too hard chances are you headsail is too big , running a reefed main and a #1headsail could also be upsetting the balance of the boat.
Smaller sails quite often = same if not better speed and more control ,every time you round up to spill air or broach going downwind your loosing a heap of ground , also your putting unnecessary stress on your hull , rig and crew .

Try getting someone on board for a couple of races who is fairly experienced to give you some pointers, this will save you time but probably won't do your handicap any good though . , there are a hell of a lot of tuning options on this type of boat , not only have you got your sail selection , you have sail trim , downhaul , outhaul ,vang ,traveller position, headsail sheeting angles ,luff tension , backstay tension ,forestay tension, crew position....................., ,

Good luck

Guys

The feedback is great.

The problem I am having is other boats weren't reefed and were carrying No1's and they still sailed away!

I tried all the options such as outhauls, cunnignhams, vangs etc. Could have possibly tightened up the backstay as this will flatten the sail but why is it flogging?

Unfortunately no racing for a fortnight so I will not be able to test theories.

I still don't understand why we couldn't get any wind into the main?

The north shore 33 is a mainsail driven yacht ! It's fractional rigged, in those conditions try full main and number 3 jib.

you sailed into a weed patch, which put the brakes on, and you just went sideways instead................

In 25 + you may need one reef and the #3 , they are a huge main !


When close hauled, Is the main flat ? Or a bit baggy ? In heavy weather pull the out haul on and sheet on . To flatten , may need more back stay also .


If over powered, traveler down and sheet on , if she feels sluggish , traveler up and sail her .

Put all crew on rail

And above all have fun !!!

Its all been said.

It's a fractional rig, the main does the work, the genoa/jib supplies the fuel.

A non-overlapping jib (blade 3) would have been ideal in those conditions with a full main.

As others have said, once you are leaning beyond 17degress, you are giving ground away, all the time.

We used to have a large range of sails onboard, and change headsails in increments of about seven knots, to keep the boat sailing at the correct angle.

Looking at other yachts is a good indication of how you are performing, ONLY if they are of similiar design and rig.

If you where racing a car, you would not look at a Ferrari and complain that your Hyundai is going too slow?

If you race in a fleet each weekend, pick another yacht similiar to yours and race them. This will give you an idea of how well you are going.

Keep racing them for a season, the better you learn the further in front you should be.

Yachting! Fun one minute, frustrating the next.

KenM

Traveller down

main on hard

outhaul on hard

cunningham on hard

vang on hard

backstay on hard

drive the boat ie: get speed by pointing bow down a little then as the speed increases point up onto your normal course (this change should be less than 2-3 degrees) makes the foils start working.

In the gusts you should be pulling on more backstay or vang (if its got enough purchase) and sail to your optimal lean (as other have said abouit 15-20 degrees).

The jib should be on hard and the jib lead back a good 3-4 inches aft of your normal settings. This opens the leech and de powers. From what your saying you should probably be on a number 2 or 3

Get all of your crew weight out on the rail and actually get them leaning over the side. It may not seem like much but it helps. Have you got enough crew? more bodies on the rail the better in that wind.

Dont worry too much about other boats just sail your own boat. Use others to gauge your speed and point but you shoudl know the feel of your boat to know whether you have too much sail up or not, regardless of what others are doing

i think back stays are always left out .. especialy on a aluminium rig the forstay will sag more than u think in a blow .. back stay with straight the luff of the headsail increasing ur upwind beformance .. as well as laying off the top section of ur main .. almost like a windsurfer sail

On the jib track push that towards the front a few holes in big winds bare off a tinny bit let the main out but if you have a traveler pull it up just past the center of the mast, opens up the main a bit but then pull the vang on a little bit. this makes the mid a bit more open but closes up the top a little bit more

Guys

Thanks for the advice.
I am keen to test the theories out and this weekend is the first opportunity I have to do so.

Weather forecast 5-10knts lessening in the afternoon - bugger.