LASERS DOING THE GYBE AND THEN LEEWARD MARK ROUNDING

THE GYBE – LEEWARD MARK ROUNDING.
This baby is probably the hardest to get right. Like all the stuff, just getting it right on one day will not be right for different wind and sea conditions.

Basically the problem is that you come into the mark with sail all the way out, trim, gybe, move to the other side, change hands, head up next to the mark, and get all the sheet pulled on a close hauled course and maybe ready to tack.

That is a lot of action and you need to practice the long (and fast) arm pulls with sheet hand and the tiller extension hand. You need to come close-hauled next to the mark even if the sail is luffing- it will be easier to trim in then, but you will be sailing a little slower. (Better to be a little slower an sailing fast in the wrong direction).

So now, before you get near to the zone set your outhaul and Cunningham for up wind. That won’t slow you much now and you need to do it before you begin to argue with people about inside at the zone..

You are heading for the point abeam the mark and 2 boat lengths away from the mark. Getting out this far from the mark before the turn is probably the most important to good rounding as it will give you time to do all the stuff.

Board down. I think the folks from Caberete are saying to put some vang on to help speed you around the turn– I say, be careful, the boom will be lower going over you head and if you stick the clew in the water you maybe hanging around the leeward mark for a while.

Check the wind and get a good idea of just the angle of your close hauled course coming out of this thing.
Start an "over sheeting" to get a start on getting some twenty feet of sheet in, then roll and steer around your gybe, get to the other side and switch hands quick so you can really pump the rest of the sheet in while you are hiking out as necessary.

Be close to that mark, but don’t hit it.

Who has practiced that too much?