SOME NOTES AFTER SAILING IN A LITTLE MORE WIND

With the wind increase when tacking, the old man should be getting in the hiked out position sooner in the higher winds. It will get more like jumping from side to side.

With the little chop of 18 inch waves that we had going up wind it is probably best to just sail a little full and power through the waves. In the bigger waves that we either don’t get at Lake Eustis or not often, it is general up the up side of the wave and down the down side with a move your weight back to push the tiller to leeward going up the wave and a move forward with the pull on the tiller to turn down the wave. One of those things that takes a lot of practice to get the rhythm right.

Going down wind in our 18 inch waves that we could get a little push from especially if you are sailing in "transition". Broad reach to the right and then roll to the right and transition to "by the lee" when going down a wave for a little extra push and not staying in the dead down wind slow mode. We get to roll the boat to help steering, if you are worried about rule 42. Do the "by the lee" and then come back to broad reach rolling the boat to steer and working as many waves as you can.

Four of the five youth foundation boasts boats have the old vang system and are without the supper vang ability. The old system to set up the vang was to stand up when head to wind with the hiking stick hand on top and the boom. Lean on the boom hard while you set up the vang with the sheet hand. It wasn’t easy to get off again either. I don’t recommend that to anyone now. If you get caught with too much wind just go from block to block to ease more sheet, keep the boat near flat and keep sailing fast. Sail fast is better than pinching up to keep the boat flat. Pinching up into the wind makes you just go slower. The waves will stop you especially when you try to tack and don’t have much boat speed and hit a wave.