Dart 15 Forums

Dean wrote:

Can I have some advice please?

When tacking I'll have the traveller and mainsheet in tight and everythings fine. Today however, in a F5 with a short nasty chop on the sea I was easing the mainsheet to stop me being overpowered, and when I went to tack, I invariably failed!
How should I be doing it without being overpowered? The conditions today weren't really suitable for experimenting in!!

George Stephen replied:

Try reading George Carter's "Sailing in a Blow" in the "Tips" section of this website - there is a section explicitly on tacking.

Note that it is generally accepted to be better to let the traveller out so you can keep the main sheet tight when the wind isn't gusting - only letting the mainsheet out when a stronger gust hits.

If you use this technique, when you do tack you can also pull the mainsheet in as the cat heads up into the wind under tiller action - this will have the effect of pulling the traveller in and keep the sail powered up a bit longer into the tack, keeping the cat moving forward (you could just as well use the traveller line, but as it's the mainsheet that tends to be in hand!). (I always say you have to drive the cat into and through the tack) But you still MUST remember to uncleat and let out some mainsheet as the cat goes through the wind (ie as per George Carter's excellent note).

If you're ever in doubt about some technique, the "Tips" section provides such useful info it's always worth checking out first.
If there's nothing in "Tips", try using the Search facility on the Chat pages - you'd be surprised at what has already been asked and answered!

George