Libby Johnson McKee
Summer is here and the breeze is on. There is also a good chance that it will be breezy for the August Gorge regatta and the Worlds. A few crews have asked me how we sail in heavy air, so I thought I would put some comments down on paper. Much of what I write here is particular to how Jonathan and I sail together. Teamwork, after all, is the most important part of sailing in any condition and sailing in breeze puts a premium on working together. Every team has their own style, but here are some things that work for us.
Trust: As a crew, there are some things that are just out of your control - like just about anything to do with the tiller. You just have to have faith that your skipper will do what is needed to keep you going fast and right-side up. I have found that the best way to help in these things is to not concern myself with what Jonathan is doing, just focus on my job and respond to his actions. Sounds pretty simple, but we sail a lot better when I stop thinking about how I would do his job, and if we were going to flip etc. and just got down to my business at hand. A little trust and delegation goes a long way.
Upwind: So what is our job? As soon as it is blowing 10-11 knots, our job is primarily to do one thing - hike. It is the one definite thing that a crew can do to make the boat go faster. Just get out there and grin and bear it. Most everything else is secondary to your upwind speed. I try to hike below Jonathan all of the time, meaning my head is below his shoulder. This allows him to see (and not hit anything!) and makes me extend my upper body to avoid the waves. If the waves are big, you will probably find yourself up a little higher but trying to extend your upper body outside of the waves. When I am in good shape, I like to hike below Jonathan and avoid hitting the random wave by pulling my butt up for a second. When I am in good shape, that is….We try to sail dead flat in all conditions. I try to get out there and stay there so Jonathan can count on my weight while steering to keep the boat flat. It helps to relax the muscles and not think specifically about hiking.
Controls: I have the vang rope tied to the shroud. When the wind is up and down, I play the vang by pulling more on when the puff hits and the reverse as it backs off. Ideally, I make those adjustments while I am hiking. If the wind is erratic just concentrate on weight. We don't move our jib clewboard position, much but do move our leads out a hole around 15 knots and as much as 2-3 holes when really overpowered (25+). When we are 2 holes out, we typically have our board up a few inches as well. I have marks on my jib sheets, cunningham, outhaul and centerboard. I use these as a reference gauge for how far in or out a control line is.
Tacking: You can really lose a lot in a bad tack. Here is a time when team work is critical, and communication is paramount. In 15-18 knots, Jonathan initiates the tack by saying "Ready to tack". At that point, I ease the vang from a hiking position and make sure the slack is out of my windward sheet, pulling it in with my forward hand. Ease the vang just enough to make it easier to rotate the mast. I usually tell him that I am ready and he responds by saying "Helm's a lee." And begins the turn. As he begins the turn I un-cleat the old sheet with my aft hand, come into the boat and go for the rotation lever with my forward hand. This hand also has the new sheet (with a bit of slack in it). I try to rotate the mast right when the boat is head to wind or just before, because the pressure is off and it just pops over. I move to the new side, going immediately into full hiking mode while pulling the jib into my mark. After settling in, I will pull the vang on.
The process is similar for 19+ knots except that the signal to begin the turn is when I have un-cleated the jib. Jonathan does not start to turn until the jib is off. This ensures that we won't flip in a tack due to the jib being cleated. I will sit up on the rail, un-cleat and let it off. Jonathan begins the turn and I move in, rotate the mast and move through to full hiking while trimming in on the new side. Focus on getting the mast rotated every time. If it comes un-rotated again, it is not your fault, it means the skipper has eased the main too much. Just get it again and off you go.
Reaching: As we round the windward mark, I ease the jib, slide back and hike. How far out and back depends on how windy it is, and how tight the reach is. The goal is to get planing right away. I will start by having my body angled back, with one foot in my strap and one in Jonathan's. If needed (over 22 kts.) I will move all the way back into his straps. After we are around and safely ripping, Jonathan will tell me to go get the controls. At that point, I cleat the jib, come in, and 1) pull the board up about even with the deck, 2) blow the cunningham and outhaul (unless it's really ripping), 3) if it's a broad reach, un-pin the leeward shroud (try to get this on the last tack to the mark) and kick it forward and 4) put the jib lead out to mid-track. Depending on how tight the reach is, I will either go back to hiking or stay in the boat on the thwart and un-cleat the jib so I can play it. Our job here as crews is balance - so I am moving fore and aft as well as in and out in response to the puffs and our course to the mark while trimming the jib. Move gently but deliberately. In 25+, we don't move our shrouds at all on the reach. It makes the jib too hard to trim and causes too much editorial on jib trim from the back of the boat.
Reach to Reach Jibing: Before we get to the mark, I will move my windward lead out to middle of the track and unpin the windward shroud. As we jibe, I concentrate on rotating the mast, trimming and the board (if it needs to go down to clear the boom). Our main goal is to get back on a plane after the jibe. If needed I move the shrouds after we are cranking. In moderate air, I sometimes just stand up and kick the leeward one forward so I don't have to go to leeward.
Downwind: The transition to running is a little more complicated than getting on a reach because of the pole. I hike as we round and then move in to get the pole up. Under 20 knots, I let the jib go and grab the pole. Jonathan will move forward and pull the jib in on the windward side so the ring is right there. I attach the pole and push out while Jonathan pulls back. I then take the jib sheet from him and cleat it. The jib is then drawing before the pole is actually on the mast. This takes a bit of grunt but it's worth it. In over 20, Jonathan can't move forward without digging the bow in, so I am on my own. I pull the jib to weather, cleat it, attach the pole, un-cleat the sheet, attach it to the mast and pull back on the sheet.
We usually have the board a little lower to minimize rocking and keep the vang on a bit. When dead running, we are un-rotated unless it's cranking. I will rotate the mast when we head up or we get a header. Jonathan has the job of balance downwind but I help out by rotating the mast or putting the board down to stop us from rocking. I am also on the look out for puffs from behind so we can be prepared for the next blaster. Sit in a position where the skipper can get comfortable.
Sailing in breeze is one of the most exciting things you can do, and sailing at the Gorge with warm water and warm winds makes it even better. As I mentioned above, teamwork is the most important aspect to sailing in any condition. So practise when you can - even on the way out to the start - to get your maneuvers down and your confidence up. Knowing that you can execute tacks and jibes in any condition will give you the confidence to sail well in heavy air. It's sometimes hard, but try to relax a little bit, otherwise the constant stress you put on yourself can make you more tired and nervous than is really necessary. After all, what's the worst that can happen. It's only water!