Here is the document I was talking about earlier. Goes into
general race tactics too. All specific to a C27.
I can't say that I follow all of his advice, but he wins A LOT.
Jib Trim
Light Air 1-4
knots
East jib halyard until scallops
start to appear. Barely to no
backstay tension. Jib car
either outboard or inboard, but the foot of the jib must be outside the
stanchions. Jib should be 18
inches to 3 feet from spreader depending on the wind velocity. Heel the boat to leeward with
weight near the keel (out of the bow and stern). Your weight and heel could be more
effective at steerage that your rudder. Weight forward to come into the
wind, aft to fall away from the wind.
Main sail halyard eased a little,
let the top batten get through the backstay easier and some wrinkles in
the luff. Outhaul off a
bit. Sail twisted and off
centerline.
Light Air 4-6
knots
Pull the jib halyard until the
scallops are barely there.
Just a touch of backstay, keep the jib full. Jib leech about 10-18 inches away
from the spreader (depending on the chop or slop). Keep the heel on the boat, weight
for and aft near the position of the keel.
Light Air 6-10
knots
Pull the jib halyard to no
scallops. More backstay on to
pull the draft in the jib forward and point. Skirt the jib. Cars definitely inboard
position. Keep the boat
fairly flat. Jib about 4-10
inches from the spreader depending on the chop. A lot of chop would mean the slot
should be open and foot to drive the boat through the waves. Flat conditions – close the slot a
little and point.
Main halyard up. Sail twisted, but more on
centerline.
Moderate Air 10-14 knots
Halyards tight, no wrinkles. Backstay on, pull the draft
forward and point. 2-8 inches
from the spreader depending on chop.
Keep the boat flat.
Drive it hard, keep the boatspeed and start carrying the speed
closer to the wind when can and foot off as speed starts to decrease. Concentrate on the tell tales and
boat speed. Enjoy the
wind.
Main sail – boom on centerline
(technique – boom could be above the centerline to 2 inches below
depending on the feel of the boat).
Moderate to Heavy Air 14-16 knots
About time to switch to the number
2. Backstay on. Pull the draft forward in the job
or get pulled sideways. Jib
4-10 inches from the spreader.
Keep the boat flat.
Main sail – set the traveler so
the boat will usually stay level and set it (except in the
gusts).
Heavy Air Above 16
knots
If you have not switched to the
number 2, you might be in trouble.
Backstay on. Weight
moves aft some to keep the rudder in the water. Sail the boat flat, play the main
traveler. Hike out and make
sure everyone is off the cabin top and on the rail.
Downwind – move weight aft if the
boat starts rolling, keep the rudder in the water (the boat is pretty
beamy and dramatic heeling will make the rudder
ineffective).
Skipper and Crew Coordination
“Put the boat on a diet.” Well do it. Take out all the junk, extra stuff
that has been there for years, put in only what you will need for the day
or the series.
Read the dam instructions on the
way out. Better yet, the
night before. Check for
updates on the web. Get the
wind and current predictions.
Know who is crewing and their positions. Do not over pack. Coordinate with who is bringing
what. Some people end up with
months worth of sodas and water, chips, cheese, dip and sandwiches after
the race. It doesn’t do much
good to have 40 pounds of leftovers all the
time.
Freeze your water and Gatorade the
night before and use it to cool the beer and sodas. Don’t carry too much ice. J-24 sailors allow the crew on
only what they ware so there are no backpacks of clothes, towels, shampoo,
foul weather gear and the like.
On the way to the start
Go over the race instructions with
the crew. Where are we
racing, when are we going to start, what is our sequence in the start, who
do we follow, how much current, when and in which direction? If we all agree to start left and
go left – why the hell are we on the right side of the
course?
Practice
Get the sails up. Do a couple of tacks. 2 spinnaker sets and take
downs. Then a couple of
tacks to make sure the lines are clear. Make your mistakes NOW, before the
race. Get the bugs out,
now is the time for the bowline to slip or the pole to go over the jib
sheets. Get the mind ready to
race and not on last night’s festivities.
Start
Get to where the line is. Determine the wind direction and
take some wind shots every 20 minutes. Is there a shift? Determine what the tide are
current are doing. How is
this going to affect you?
Which side is favored?
Where do you want to start? Talk it over with the crew
and let them in on the plan.
Go for clear air at the favored
end. Hopefully you can just
get out in front and cover.
If not, then figure out how you
are going to catch boats and get back in the game.
Weather leg
Go to the side you believe is
favored – the wind, current and mark placement all play key roles. Get clear air. Set yourself up for a good
rounding. Do not do too many
tacks. Usually 5-6 tacks on a
leg are sufficient. Sometimes
less if you have clear air and going in the direction you need to
go.
Rounding the weather mark
On NO! we are coming into the
mark. Where is the spinnaker
bag? How about the pole? Do I need to do a gybe or bear
away set? Set yourself up to
round the mark and be set to transition to spinnaker before you get
there.
Round the mark a little wide at
the start of the turn so the boat is close abeam after 90 degrees of
turn. Start the spinnaker up
as you feel the is best. Pole
is set and pull the sheet and guy as spinnaker goes up. Set the main and jib as if the
spinner will not work.
Backstay off an outhaul out. Lower the jib after the
spinnaker is up and drawing.
Throw the spinnaker bag down below NOW. Get into position, person holding
out the boom will call the wind and tactics from behind.
About 100 yards from the mark
start the jib up one third and look for crossed lines, get the jib clew to
the side desired for the next rounding. Crew – talk through the jib up and
spinnaker down. Skipper –
Decide the mark now and how you will round it and tell the crew. 50 yards – jib up – adjust the
halyard tension now, outhaul out and backstay on. About 30 yards out or so drop the
spinnaker and pole.
Round the mark about half to a
boat length abeam so as you turn you will end up right beside the mark and
no one can squeeze inside.
Get the sails drawing, weight where it needs to be and have a light
person to clean up the lines.
COVER YOUR LEAD AND GET CLEAR AIR.
