Trapezing Technique

[Charles]

I tried Sporting on Wednesday. I found that getting out on to the trapeze put a huge amount of strain on my front knee as I was doing pretty much what Brain's book says for crews getting out.

At this point I should say I've had part of my cartilage removed, so pushing 13+ st out from a knee bent as far as it will go isn't what the Dr ordered!

I looked through Brian's book again & found the twin wiring section & tacking tachnique for helm involves kneeling on the new windward hull with feet over the side, hooking on & then rolling out.

This looks precarious & I presume needs a short trapeze line, which then needs lengthening once fully out.

Does anyone have more handy hints & tips, as a few of us at Halifax are playing about with the trapeze in a knowledge vacuum, hoping that if we get to Instow we won't make complete fools of ourselves!

Thanks

[Robert]

Hi Charles. I must say that Brian's method sounds very skilled and I've not read it, nor would I dare try it without lots of confidence which I don't yet have. Barring getting set up on the wire whilst on the shore and then getting someone to push you and the boat into the water (and catch you at the other end) at Halifax, may I suggest Robert's 'chicken' method?

1. Sit on side as normal and pull sail/traveller in until you think you are powered up enough to be supported on the wire.

2. With mainsheet and tiller in the rear hand, rest your weight (and the tiller/sheet) on the rear beam housing.

3. Grab the trapeze handle with your forward, free hand.

4. Put your front foot in a suitable place on the corner of the deck and hull side, up against the shroud if you like.

5. Push out with your tiller/sheet hand that is resting on the rear beam housing. You will steer straight whilst you have your hand on the beam housing.

6. As you push out with your hand you will pivot on your front foot and be holding the trapeze handle for extra steadiness. Get your back foot on the side whilst pushing out and let it take over the job of getting you outboard.

7. At this point you will have to watch your steering, letting the tiller slide through your hand a bit. If you don't then the natural bearing away isn't a very bad thing as you will just power the boat up a bit more, but it is quite easy to avoid this as you get used to the process.

That's it! Enjoy your flight...

To tack, just hold the trapeze handle with your front hand and step in with your rear foot first until you are sitting normally, then tack normally and repeat the above process on the other tack. It's not the slickest way of doing things but it works and it's worth the ride, however short. I don't think many people tack wire to wire. I'm sure I would fall overboard if I knelt with my knees over the side and tried to roll out.

Good luck!

[Charles]

Thanks Robert, I've printed your words off & we will discuss it on Sunday at Halifax. We are going to have an impromptu-ish teach-in & this will no doubt be a topic of interest.

My slight query is how far aft you are getting your weight while moving out on to the wire, does this start to luff you up at all?

[Jim Coleman]

Hi Charles,
I too have had a cartilage removed and can't bend my knee fully so I go out onto the wire in a similar fashion as Robert. I have the wire lowish, and at 13.5 stone in the kit I haven't needed to adjust it yet even in F5/6. I sit back far enough so that I can swing my body and legs round and put my front foot onto the deck edge just behind where the shroud joins. This gives a bit of body momentum to help propel you out onto the wire by pushing off with the front foot. Make sure you've got grippy shoes as well as grippy tape.
Coming in, I switch to frying pan grip on tiller (if you don't normally use it), loosen the main a bit and re-cleat, main to aft hand with tiller, step aft, grab handle, lean down, put weight on aft hand, and come in ONTO YOUR KNEES, hook usually releases automatically, then tack normally from there. A refinement which I have started to use is to start the tack at the same time as coming in, as the weight shift inwards helps spin the boat quickly round....sometimes too quickly at the moment.
Hope this helps.

Jim

[Andrew Hannah]

Very interesting posts. I have a question. I've had explanations, but I'm not terribly convinced.

Supposing you are sailing on a run in a F5. The next leg of the course is a tight reach and you want to get onto the wire for this.

If you place your front foot against the shroud, you know you will pitch-pole. Consequently, the loop on the wire would need to be lowered as far as possible. Even then, the loop is so high that you need to kneel or stand-up to hook on. Quite daunting in a F5.

So where do you launch yourself from? Where do you put your front foot to launch out? Surely not against the shroud.

[Charles]

Jim

Thanks, that's helpful too, just 1 question, when coming in you said you put weight on your aft hand, do you mean as you tack your hand (with tiller extension in it) moves over the old windward hull & you put your hand down to steady yourself?

[Jim Coleman]

Charles,

You wrote:- "Thanks, that's helpful too, just 1 question, when coming in you said you put weight on your aft hand, do you mean as you tack your hand (with tiller extension in it) moves over the old windward hull & you put your hand down to steady yourself?"

When I started trapezing on the Sprint I put my hand with the tiller extension in it onto the deck and used it to steady myself and help propel me in onto my knees on the deck before starting the tack. It doesn't need much force because gravity helps. Now when I'm trying to tack at the same time as coming in I'm not actually sure what I do with my hand as the boat turns as everything happens so fast. But the manoeuvre is basically a steadying one to begin with like before except it includes manipulating the tiller to turn the boat while coming in.

Jim

[Jim Coleman]

Andrew,

Why would you want to get onto the trapeze on a F5 run (and I presume you mean a broad reach downwind). That is a high risk manoeuvre. I would come into the close reach as wide and fast as possible while sitting out hard, and head up thereafter until it was practicable and SAFE to get out on the trapeze in the normal position.

Jim

[Andrew Hannah]

Hello Jim,

Sorry. I didn't mean to say getting onto the wire for a run. I meant a tight reach.

Let us suppose you are already on a run, and the NEXT leg of the course is a tight reach. Let us also suppose you have decided to use the trapeze for the reach. Conceivably, one option would be point-up to a close hauled position, hook on, march to the stern of the boat, and then bear away. But you lose places by this procedure.

Is it possible to simply go onto the reach (from the run) without having to go close hauled, first? What is the procedure for hooking on, where the loop is too high, if it is drawn towards the stern?

[Jim Coleman]

Hi Andrew,

I knew that you meant going from a non-trapezing run (broad reach) to a trapezing close reach. And I presumed you asked about getting onto the trapeze beforehand while still on the run. My view is I wouldn't attempt it. Does anyone out there do that?

Jim

[Robert]

Hello Jim,

Sorry. I didn't mean to say getting onto the wire for a run. I meant a tight reach.

Let us suppose you are already on a run, and the NEXT leg of the course is a tight reach. Let us also suppose you have decided to use the trapeze for the reach. Conceivably, one option would be point-up to a close hauled position, hook on, march to the stern of the boat, and then bear away. But you lose places by this procedure.

Is it possible to simply go onto the reach (from the run) without having to go close hauled, first? What is the procedure for hooking on, where the loop is too high, if it is drawn towards the stern?

Being the cautious chap that I am, Andrew, I would go onto the tight reach first, before deciding whether I could manage it on the trapeze. If that's a risk, just ease off the main a bit, or luff a bit if you have room (it won't be by much), until you can safely get on the wire. Once on the wire the bracing of the front leg is the point of your balance and you'll have to keep it pretty stiff to keep your weight back. If you don't you might go forward and dangle on the wire for a bit alongside the boat (another of my Catrix) but nothing much happens and you can usually get back onboard fairly easily.

Charles:

I just put my hand on the beam housing. My front foot is sometimes not close to the shroud. The boat generally steers itself pretty much, because the jib is pulling and balancing the rig. No problems with changing course - it's all swell. "Just go for it!"

[Andrew Hannah]

I remember Chris Maloney and I decided to use our trapezes for one race. Going to windward wasn't a problem. We then went onto a run and sat in. Then a tight reach. We both got in a terrible tangle with it. Chris pitch poled and I fell into the water!

At the Alex Palace this year, I spoke to Robin Leather of Gurnard who says the same as Jim Coleman: don't bother! Robin said he would trapeze on a reach, if he felt he needed to 'cover' a rival.

Steve Sawford said I wouldn't necessarily go any faster than I would by hiking.

I think I'll take Jim's advice!

[Robin Newbold]

I find it depends how tight the tight reach is. If it is nearer to close hauled, I would be out on the wire, as the bow doesn't tend nose dive very easily, and getting your weight further out will help boat-speed. But if I'm a little further off the wind, then probably wouldn't trapeze, as the bow wants to bury and I don't need the extra power from trapezing. Too much power on the reach will cause the bows to bury, and will probably slow you down more than the extra power you gain from being out on the wire.

Also, what I would do if it was marginal as to whether think trapezing would be of benefit (bows may bury etc), then sheet out a little/drop the traveller (its been so long since sailing I can't remember which one) to depower, get out on the trapeze, (in the toe loop if you want to) and then sheet back in.

That might make sense, or may require some decoding.

[Charles]

Robert

I managed to get out once on the trapexe on Sunday, 5 seconds after the finish!!

However, I used your technique & it both worked & was not painful, so I'll practice that again !

Thanks

Charles.

[Robert]

Given the space you have available that's good news Charles and it will be much easier at Instow with great long flights to enjoy. Don't worry about the reaches, just hold on to something as you go round the windward mark if the breeze is fresh. I was nearly bounced off the trampoline last year !