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Sheeting the main Who would normally sheet the main on a 125. Is it the crew or the skippers responsibility. I would like one of the experienced 125 "crew" to write an article from a crews perspective on what they should be doing in a race. Eliza 25-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Seeting the main i used to crew for jim scott who just won the victorian states but i now skipper my own 125. normaly the skipper sheets the main. as for what the crew is meant to do during a race, i want my crew to be telling me where other boats are, what the wind is doing, where marks are etc. so i can concerntrate on sailing the boat. upwind the crew concerntrates on boat trim and trim of the jib, and down wind the crew plays the kite although i pull it up/ down (i have a spinnaker shute). hope this helps nick 25-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Seeting the main The Crews Perspective In light conditions I like my skipper to do the main, it allows me to move around the boat to keep it flat etc. however as soon as I am fully out on the wire, I like to work the main. this has several advantages; * I can work it faster and with both hands, keeping the boat flat a lot easier *the skipper can consentrate on steering the boat fast even though the crew has the main it doenst affect their ability to look around for the wind, other boats and the marks. Having the crew do the main is expecially good in strong winds with smaller skippers, in these conditions my skipper has trouble pulling on the main, let alone working it. we find the boat goes faster as well. I hope that this has been helpful Grant Grant Steinback 25-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main Thanks Grant and Nick, Nick, when you say you pull the spinnaker up and down, is that as crew or as skipper. If your doing it as skipper, what is the best way to control the tiller as you need both hands to pull the kite up? Grant, I think I agree with you, we seem to sail better when the crew sheets the main, particulary in stronger breezes. Do you use a cleat on the mainsheet block. We have one but it is sometimes difficult to uncleat and I think it causes more trouble than it's worth. I'm not sure weather to get rid of it or persist with trying to adjust it so it doesn't stick so much. I would like to know your thoughts. Thanks Eliza 27-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main skiper pulls up and down kite. i stear with my knees and pull up and down kite. requires good co-ordination but all top guys do it. the only time i ever cleat mainsheet is hoisting/dropping kite and i have the standard ronstan mainsheet block with swiveling cleat set so that it only cleats when you deliberately cleat it. i would still encourage you to trim the main so the crew can be do the jib when tacking and because it helps to be able to co-ordinate helming and mainsheet trimming better. when you are trimming the main as skipper you can still trim with both hands, it just reqires practice to be able to do so. tecnique is to be able to be moving your tiller extension hand without moving the rudder. the other problem with crew playing the main is if they are trapezing low upwind the mainsheet rubs on the gunnel. p.s hope to see you at paynsville nick 28-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main Firstly a cleat for the main is asking for trouble, you cant let if off fast if you need to. as for who does what, I suggest that you give all the suggestions mentioned above a try and figure out what works for you. what works for one person might not work for another. see you at the nats! Grant Steinback 28-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main my skipper does it. im not sure what the guys is talking bout saying he likes to do it when hes on the trapeze... does he do the jib at the same time? tully 29-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main what i (being skipper) meant is i do the mainsheet. my crew does the jib sorry if i was a bit confusing. nick 31-May-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main Tully - What Grant means is that he cleats the jib, then when he is fully out on the wire I pass him the mainsheet and he works it from there. Before we tack/jybe/bear away etc he passes it back to me. It makes it easier on me and he can see the sails better so he can trim them better and the boat goes faster. That method works for us but it's personal choice. Vicky 19-Jun-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main yeah, the only problem with that is when you get big gusts upwind you will get blown over if you cant get the jib off quickly. nick 19-Jun-2006    Edit    Delete

Re: Sheeting the main That is when having 1 85kg forward hand comes in handy :) Seriously though, when you are sailing in conditions where a gust can knock you flat, letting off the jib wont do much if you cant get the main off in a hurry! these conditions really require a lot of co-ordination bewtween skipper and crew. when a you see a big gust coming, both get ready to hike realy hard, make sure that the main is ready to be eased (sheets not around any ones (Crews!) foot(been there done that and capsized and lost 4 places 100m from the finish)). when the gust is about to hit, the skipper pulls more vang on (de-powering the sail more), the gust hits, the crew eases (dumps) the main, if necessary the skipper should bear away slightly (just the same as you do down wind with the kite up). when the gust has gone, sheet the main in, bear up and if you can, eas a bit of vang off to power up the boat! I hope this is helpful, I'll be at the nats so I can discuss our technique then cheers Grant Grant Steinback 19-Jun-2006    Edit    Delete

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