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Racing & Sailing>1985 seminar notes

1985 Seminar on Racing the Tasar 

Notes by Richard Spencer

On June 22 and 23, 1985, Charlie McKee and Becky Brown, reigning Tasar World Champions, gave a seminar on sailing and racing the Tasar at the Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver, BC.  I made the notes that follow and they appeared in the North American Tasar Newsletter #19 in October, 1985. I’m not sure how many things Charlie and Becky would change if they gave a similar seminar today, but in 1985 this was the way the world champions sailed.

Charlie began his first talk by saying that people find many different ways to set up the Tasar to go fast.  He said that he and Becky were very fast off the wind, but maybe not the fastest upwind.  The moral - there may be other ways to set up the boat to go fast.   

Setting the boat up for beating:

Jib Fairleads:  Light air: fairly well in, with 2 holes showing at inner end of track.  (The "groove" gets narrower with the fair leads right in).

  18-20 knots - 4 holes showing.
  25-30 knots - 6 holes showing.

Attachment of sheets to jib clewboard:  When the sheets are low on clewboard, the foot will be flat and the top of the jib will twist off.

Up to about 15 knots Charlie has the sheets one hole down from the top hole.  This gives a tight leech and a full foot.  Sheet tension is very important - it is easy to stall the leech.  The sheet should go out a bit to get up to speed, then come in as you speed up.  (We are talking movements of say 1/2 inch here). The tighter the leech the higher you point, but the easier it is to stall the leech.  Look at how the leech hooks into the main, but don't worry about some signs of backwinding low on the main, as long as the boom is on the centre line.

There should be only two tell tales, one between window and next seam up, and one in the panel above the window, in each case about 8 inches back from the luff. Move the sheet down one or two holes on the clew board as wind gets up above about 18 knots.

Jib Luff tension:  Wrinkles in the luff are fast!  Leave wrinkles in the luff up to about 12-15 knots.  By 18-20 knots the luff should be down hard.

Main trim:  Because the main is fully battened it is hard to see what is happening by watching the cloth in the sail. You need leech ribbons - there should be one at about the height of the numbers and one at the second batten from the top.  The lower tell tale is a bit too close to the mast, but it can be used when reaching.

In light air:  the boom should be within an inch or two of the centreline when going upwind. (Have the crew lean in and look back to check occasionally).  Generally keep the traveller cleated and play the main sheet.  The harder you sheet, the faster you go, until the top leech ribbons stall.  They should "pop in and out", on the point of stalling.  Ease sheet tension to get speed up, sheet in to tension leech and point high - 2" of main sheet adjustment can make a big difference.  The sheet should be eased in choppy water.

The top two battens should be tied in fairly tight, the rest tied just tight enough to remove the wrinkles along the batten pocket.

Outhaul:  In light air it should be say between 1 and 3 dots to give a fairly full main (say foot about 6" off main).  (It should be a bit tighter in a real drifter).  It should not be in tight until you are overpowered, at say 18 - 20 knots.

Vang: should be right off in light air.  If you can hold the boat flat by hiking hard there is no need for the vang.  When a puff comes which will begin to overpower you, vang in and don't change anything else.  (Let the boom go out a bit as the vang pulls it down and eases the main sheet).  The vang will bend the mast and flatten the sail by increasing the distance from the luff to leech to the luff.  In heavy air you have to vang very hard.

Cunningham: 
  Tight - moves the draft in the sail forward.              
  Loose - lets the draft move back.

In light air leave wrinkles so that there are a few wrinkles coming off the battens. 

  At 12-15 knots - just pull the wrinkles out 
  At 20 knots - pull as hard as possible. 

Note: with the vang on the draft moves aft.  The cunningham should be on hard to move the draft forward to compensate.   In addition, the vang will tighten the leech.  More cunningham will tend to loosen the leech, and make the boat easier to sail in heavy air.

Centreboard: Charlie believes that the centreboard should always be up a bit, say 8 to 10". 

  Light air - up 10"
  Above 7 knots - down 2" (up a total of 8")
  Heavy air - have top of board level with fore deck.

The board should be straight up and down, and as far forward in the slot as possible when beating.  

Diamonds:  These control the sideways bend of the mast.  (When the mast is rotated going upwind this "sideways" bend has a fore and aft component, and so helps to flatten the main.)

Loose diamonds allow a greater range of sail shape.  If you can squeeze them to the mast at the whisker pole ring they are "loose", maybe about right for a light crew.

Shroud tension:  Recommended setting for light and medium air: put one right forward and one right back.  Pull the forward one back. It should begin to go tight when about half way back.  Sail with both shrouds right back going upwind.

In strong winds move the pin down one hole on each shroud adjuster on each side (i.e.: diagonally down and across the adjuster).  The basic setting will allow some forestay sag, which will allow the jib to get fuller in a puff.  This is good in light and medium air, but you don't want this in heavy air. 

Sailing Technique: KEEP THE BOAT FLAT AT ALL TIMES.  Take a look at the fine entry on the Tasar bow and you will see why the resistance goes up if the boat is heeled, especially in waves.  Look at the transom to check whether you have the boat flat. 

Beating: 

In light air the skipper should be forward of the traveller cleat, and the skipper and crew should be in line across the boat, and as close together as possible.  Skipper and crew must be smooth in all their movements in light air.

In heavy air the skipper should be behind the traveller cleat, with the crew leaning back toward him.  In really heavy air the crew might have one foot behind the thwart.

In flat water the "knuckle" should be just out of the water, but in waves more of the bow should be out.

Planing to weather probably works best if you are fairly heavy.  Both skipper and crew should hike as hard as possible to keep the boat flat as the wind increases.

Use of traveller and main sheet:  In light air, use the  main sheet to control the leech tension (try and keep the leech ribbons "popping in and out") and the traveller to keep the boom near the centre line, easing it out in the puffs.

In heavy air, the vang will be used to flatten the sail, and it will control leech tension.  Use either the mainsheet or the traveller to control boom position and keep the boat flat while hiking hard (you can let the boom out further on the sheet).

Just before a heavy puff arrives - vang on hard and sheets out. As the puff arrives feather up, then bear off.  Try and sail on the tell tales.  Sheet in gradually and try and head up again.  Then vang off and back to previous trim. 

Planing upwind - The jib fair leads should be out and the main sail full.  The aim is to point low and go fast.  The boat must be flat.  Then: hike hard; vang on; ease jib 1/2 to 1"; ease the main sheet, and go!  

Roll Tacking:  In light and medium air this is definitely fast, and in light air you can tack without losing anything. (In heavy air you are going to lose up to 5 boat lengths when you tack).

The sequence is as follows:

The skipper starts the tack by cleating the mainsheet and leaning in to leeward to roll the boat a little bit that way to start the turn.

Turn gradually at first, then tighten up.  The tiller should never be turned through more than 45 degrees - beyond this the rudder becomes a brake.  (Try drawing two lines on the deck to show the 45 degrees.)

At head to wind the skipper, still on the original windward side, leans out and rolls the boat over to that side (until it feels as though it is going to fall on top of you!).  

The tiller is now straight ahead, and will stay that way.  The extension can be flipped across and laid on the deck on the new windward side.   

At head to wind the crew lets the jib go, rotates the mast, and should be across helping the skipper roll the boat to the old windward side.

As the boat goes through head to wind - and no sooner - the skipper releases the traveller.

The skipper now steps quickly across the boat, grabs the traveller line on the new windward side right at the traveller car with the same hand that controlled the traveller before the tack began, and takes the traveller across the boat with him.  

As the skipper goes across the boat he lets the tiller go (the extension is lying on the deck on the new windward side), turns facing forward and changes hands on the traveller.  He then sits on the deck, picks up the tiller extension and hikes on the new windward side.  There is a short period while the tiller is not held, but if the tack is done properly it won't move.

The main traveller must be up on the new side as the roll up to the new windward side begins.  The boom should be at the centre line by the time the skipper sits on the deck.  (In really heavy air the traveller may not come up so soon).

Meanwhile the crew has sheeted the jib on the new side, but not right in until the boat is up to full speed on the new tack. In 6 to 8 knots the crew will probably hit the side deck on the new windward side when the skipper does.  In light wind the crew may end up in the centre or to leeward.  The positions of skipper and crew on the new tack will be approximately the same as they were on the previous one, except that their locations will be reversed from side to side, of course.

Rounding the weather mark:  

Get moving on the reach first, adjust things later!  This is particularly important in strong winds - get planing as soon as possible, then adjust the fairleads, over-rotate the mast and get the board up (to just above the deck on a close reach).

Reaching:

The first priority is weight placement - keep the boat upright, and get the fore and aft trim right.  Second priority is sail trim - the main sheet should be in and out constantly.

The crew should be looking upwind for puffs.  The crew should move back and hike out when the puffs come, and go in and forward when it goes light (the skipper stays fairly still in light and medium air).  The crew should play the jib all the time.  The key is to anticipate the changes that are coming.

In very light air the crew should sheet the jib by hand.  It is often necessary to hold the sheet down and forward from the fairlead position.  In these conditions the windward chine should be just out of the water, but as soon as the boat is moving the boat should be flat.

Both the outhaul and the cunningham should be off a bit, and the jib fair leads should be right out (unless the jib has a very flat foot).  The mast should be over-rotated (with the lever pushed past the plastic fitting on the boom) on all reaching and running legs. 

Move the leeward shroud forward once the boom is out far enough to allow the battens to hit the shroud.  The windward shroud could also go forward in light air and flat water - in general don't move it forward if this results in the rig shaking. When planing in heavy air, keep the windward shroud right back.

When close reaching use the bottom tell tales and the leech ribbons, and keep the leech a bit tighter.  Charlie sets the traveller in the middle and plays the main sheet directly from the boom when reaching, to get a more direct feel.  

In light air use just enough vang to stop the boom bouncing.  Put it on a bit in medium air and when planing put it on until the leech "looks right" (starts to get tight).  Note that in heavy air a bit of vang powers up the main and easing the vang depowers it.  This is the opposite of going upwind.  (Of course too much vang when reaching will bend the mast and depower the sail by flattening it, just as it does when beating.)

When broad reaching trim the main using the bottom tell tales (i.e.: the ones about 1/3 of the way back from the mast).    To get the boat planing on a reach, start with weight forward (i.e.: in normal position) and then move back together.  Use a couple of quick pumps to get the boat planing, and try and move the weight forward again, stopping just before the bow goes back in to the water and starts to "take over". (This may be with about the forward 3' of boat out of water.)  You should end up sitting just aft of the traveller cleats, with the crew having one foot behind the thwart, and sitting close to skipper.  You may have to go further back as the wind strength increases.  The centreboard should be angled well aft as the bow comes out of the water (not easy to do if you have a restrictor in the slot).

Note: Three pumps are allowed to promote planing or surfing. Keep the motion smooth, bringing the sail in about twice as fast as you let it out. (this was true in 1985! - not so now)

Rounding the Gybe Mark: 

The secret to gybing in heavy air is to keep moving fast.  This makes the boat more stable and reduces the apparent wind when you are heading dead downwind. The crew should come in and forward to clear the traveller, and should stay near the centre of the boat.  The board must be down far enough to clear the vang as the boom goes over.  The skipper should carve a reasonably tight turn, and should grab the traveller and throw it over when heading dead down wind. Then skipper and crew come up, hike, and keep the boat moving on the new reach. 

Running:

Charlie doesn't try and reach up for speed except in very light air, and generally sails about 20 degrees off dead down wind.  In heavy air and waves you can go almost dead down wind when on a wave, then come up a bit when off the wave, or in a lull.    To climb onto a wave in heavy air, heel to leeward a little and sheet in until the boom is off the shroud and there is flow over the main.   Then heel to windward and pump to get going fast, then  steer downwind on the wave with the boom right out and no flow over the main.  The leeward shroud must be forward.  It is fast to have both shrouds forward, but the weather shroud should be back if the rig is bouncing.

There is no need to pull the board right up - 10" above the deck should be enough.  This helps to keep the boat stable, and makes it easier to turn.

Gybing the Pole:  It is probably faster to gybe the pole first, but for tactical reasons it may be better to gybe the boom first if there are lots of boats around, as this puts you on the new tack sooner.  The faster you are going the easier it is to gybe!

Rounding the Leeward Mark: 

All adjustments must be made in good time - don't leave them too late.  First the crew gets the leeward shroud right back and moves the fairlead in to the beating position.  The skipper gets the windward shroud back if it is forward.  Then the crew should reset the outhaul and cunningham and put the board down and forward.  If the pole is up it comes down last.  The skipper should have the traveller in the beating position, ready to sheet in the main as the mark is rounded. 

Heavy Air Technique:  (Notes made while it was gusting to 30 knots on English Bay).

Beating:

Hike hard.  Skipper and crew should be hiking hard upwind all the time.  In puffy conditions, in a header or a lull, don't come into the boat - sheet in and bear away.  Even if you drag in the water, stay hiked out no matter what. You won't dump to windward!  Come up a bit as a puff hits, then bear off to get the tell tales flowing.

Vang:  Most important depowering mechanism.  Should start to be used as soon as you can't hold the boat flat by hiking, and should be on very hard in strong wind.

Centreboard:  Sail with it well up - say 2' out.  The boat will then "slide" a bit in the puffs, which makes it a bit more forgiving.

Sheets:  Main and jib should go out enough to keep the boat flat.  You may have to let the main out until it back winds, but it is more important to keep the boat flat. 

The jib sheet should be down a bit on the clew board. Light people might use the bottom hole, heavier people one hole up.  The fair leads should be about in the middle of the track going up wind.  As you move them further out the "groove" gets wider and the boat gets easier to sail, as you move them in the "groove" narrows, you point higher, but the boat gets harder to sail.

Hiking position:  Keep legs as straight as possible to keep your butt out of the water.  Keep your upper body flat and parallel to the water - don't arch your back, it is very bad for it!  The crew should use the handle on the shroud, and keep the vang and the jib sheet in her lap, ready for use.

Looking for puffs:  Darker water shows puffs, lighter water shows lulls.  If the whitecaps are getting closer together a puff is on the way, if they are moving further apart, a lull is coming.

Don't try and tack to lee bow a starboard tacker in heavy air. It is far better to duck him as you will lose up to 5 boat lengths tacking in 20+ knots.

At the Weather Mark:  

Keep the boat flat during the rounding.  Let the vang off a bit approaching the mark, as the boat won't bear off when the leech is too tight.

Move the weight back - the skipper might be 2' behind the thwart, with the crew angled back toward him.

Let the mainsheet out as you bear off and round the weather mark.  The jib goes off as the main does, and the front of the main luffs.  It is good if the boat heels to weather, as the windward chine digs in and this helps the boat to turn, so let out more main sheet than you really need to.  As you round the mark, get up to speed by trimming in the main and jib.  The crew can now come in a bit, but should stay angled back.

Reaching:

Once you are up to speed, the crew can go forward to get the board up and over rotate the mast - don't worry about any other adjustments!

Remember that some vang now powers up the main, and letting it off depowers it.  Trim the main using the tell tale low down and forward.

At the gybe mark:

Remember that the faster you go the easier it is to gybe.  So: keep speed up, board down to clear vang, grab the main sheet and throw the boom over when dead down wind.

Running:

Putting up the pole:  The boat is much more stable with pole up on a run, so get it up.  The crew has to go forward, so the skipper must move back to compensate.  It is a good idea to have a ball of tape wrapped around the tiller extension half way down it so you can hold it easily when you move back. Remember that the boat gets more stable and everything gets easier as the boat goes faster.

At the leeward mark: 

Get everything set up for the beat early. If you are running go low approaching mark so you can reach in with the jib working after the pole comes down.  Try to steer wide coming in to the mark and round tight.  If there are boats ahead you must be very close to the mark and close hauled to avoid their bad air.  Pinch if necessary to get clear air.  It is better to be 10' behind the boat ahead than 6", because this gives you a chance to get out of the bad air and work up above boat ahead.  (In light air you would have to be further back to avoid the bad air, but you might be able to stay close and hang in, and you won't lose too much if you have to tack away.)  

First printed 85-10; posted 00-04-24

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Racing & Sailing>1985 Seminar notes