GIS sail tweaking

**callsign222** · 29th August 2012, 01:20 AM

Yeah, I got her home but there were a couple of moments where I was using up everything I had to get her home. I like to keep some in reserve. Therefor, I feel stupid.

A few years ago I went to the Isles with a friend and a NW wind that was as strong or stronger. But with two people in the boat we had more momentum and ability to punch through the waves, it was less cork-like. Additionally with a NW wind there isn't a lot of fetch so the waves steep and short, so small surfing and then stuffing the bow-- good and bad. I was also carrying too much sail. I felt stupid then too, and thought I had learned my lessons.

So yesterday I head out with a strong southerly flow. When I launch the wind is about 12kts+ (estimate). The limit for me and full sail, about. The current is also running S-N. In one long tack I almost make my objective but am slid to the north due to the current. I knew I would have to beat southward at some point, the strategy is, do I beat initially off the coast and then head out, or do I beat up when I reach the islands so I know exactly how much I need to beat?

About halfway out I decided it was time to reef as the wind was building and it was getting more and more difficult to keep her as flat as I would like. Reefing underway without a mizzen in a sea is always not fun. But, it's manageable. I keep my weight low, work quickly and efficiently. I put in the first reef and then keep charging out. About ten minutes later, I knew I needed to put in a second reef, but I decided to continue as long as possible and get behind the islands due to the swells. This is where the tops of a few waves crumbled and met IAZ,P just perfectly. Since these crumbly wave crests were full of air and water, she didn't take on massive amounts but it gave pause.

Once in the lee of Appledore (big figure-8 island) I put in the 2nd reef. I have been tying down the tack of each reef recently and it is quite apparent I need to go back to a snap hook to keep down the time spent fiddling up there.

Anyway, it took about 90 min to get to to this point, and it took another hour to beat the few tacks I needed to get around the island into the harbor. A combination of fierce wave action and current, on the second reef.

The harbor has a slot harbor next to it with an entrance that is approximately 25' feet wide at low tide. It was straight downwind run into this slot, maneuvering around some boats that were moored right outside the entrance.

Here I am, inside: (this is also where that picture of IAZ,P in the blue water with houses in the background that is in the calendar came from)

So as I was eating lunch I was thinking while looking at the mega-yacht registered in George Town, named "MY TRUST FUND" (tax evasion anyone)-- how do I get out of here!? No room to maneuver, full low tide, and as the afternoon progressed the wind continued to pick up shooting straight into this little slot. A gentleman offered to tow me out with his Whaler (pictured) and then I could raise sail once out in the bigger harbor, I but I told him I got myself into this mess I had to get myself out.

So I sailed it out, like any self respected Goat sailor would. It was nip-and-tuck the whole way, with a launch off the beach with no centerboard and 6" of rudder to everything deployed and two very quick tacks. I was pleased with the pointing ability of the sail even at 2 reefs. I needed everything she had to get me out of there, and she did it just fine.

Notice the little house on the island, it is about 25' long for scale. Not big.

So now I'm on a broad reach scooting right along. We are moving. Unfortunately as soon as I got out of the protective ring of the islands I entered the world of big waves. With such a long fetch from the south there were absolutely rolling in. They were big enough to surf down, and I was able to keep from stuffing into the one in front of me, but some of them were so steep they'd start to lift the stern. For the most part the forefoot wouldn't catch, I was able to keep her flat. Absolutely skipping down these wave faces, diagonally so I was able to get some long runs (not as long as in that Laser video Warm Beer posted, but long enough!). At some point however I'd be in the trough and the wave would pick me up from behind and the leeward chine up forward would start to dig in. Quick bearing off kept me safe. I was sitting on the rear seat keeping the bow out of the water on the runs downhill. My teeth were clenched and my hand had cramped to the tiller. I was not having fun.

Then, exactly halfway across I was surfing down a particularly big wave with the top crumbling behind me and the chine caught and over we went. I couldn't stop it or save it. I released the sail and starting climbing over the side for the daggerboard when the waved passed and we came back up again, without capsizing, though now we had large amounts of water in the boat. As close as you can get. I grabbed my hand bailer and bailed like a crazy man with the sail flapping and us parallel to the waves now riding up and and down wallowing back and forth. I was !

After getting most of the water out I sheeted back in and made it into the harbor approx. 50min after leaving the Isles, about an hour from beach to ramp.

So the Bleater works well-- I use a snap hook to a metal fairlead on the end of the boom and I leave the loop on the mast, the cleat for the halyard keep it from going anywhere. All I do is step the mast and clip the snap hook to the boom. Voila. It works nice, is a little simpler than the square lashing, and keeps the boom from hitting the inwales on hoisting, like Simon said. Additionally, it allows me to adjust more where I put the vang, which is nice.

I'm still working out where things go when I reef, minor adjustments need to be made and sometimes in the heat of the moment it's easy to forget an adjustment and have to take everything back down. What's nice, now though, is that the Bleater keeps the boom from swinging out when you released the downhaul to adjust it's position, one less thing to worry about. I liked it!

**paulie** · 29th August 2012, 03:45 AM

I'm exhausted just reading that!

**warm beer** · 29th August 2012, 05:17 AM

Epic! and nice write-up! The maps are great.
When you launched off the beach into the wind to head back, what about rowing to get clearance and then lowering the boards and raising the sail? Style points?

)

**Joost** · 29th August 2012, 06:07 AM

Great adventure and nice write-up!

I share your opinion that the Goat, under severe circumstances, is a lot easier to sail two-up. One up, if the winds really pick up, she does become a very large boat (and that's when some extra ballast on the rail is appreciated).

For next year I must get two addtional sets of reefs in my sail (one below and one above the current first reef), especially for one handed sailing when the full sail area quickly gets a bit too much and the current first reef leaves not enough sail. Also good for raiding when uncertain with which area to start (now the jump is quite large).

Added to the project list.

**IanHowick** · 29th August 2012, 07:39 AM

Thanks for the write up Christophe!

A long time ago, you tried some extra ballast (sandbags?) for solo sailing. Would having the boat ballasted with a couple of sandbags or a couple of plastic jerrycans of water tied under the centre seat either side of the centreboard help when sailing solo in conditions like this?

On the bailing side, I have a big square mouthed plastic rubbish bin for a bailing bucket. As it's square it holds more water and you can get more out with each scoop than with an ordinary bucket or smaller hand bailer.

Ian

**woodeneye** · 29th August 2012, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by warm beer

Great vid Wood, thanks! The video angle shows the vang sheeting very well. The boom doesn't look like it lifts at all when he sheets out. Do you think he is sheeting out to adjust for weather helm, wind shift, or for purposes of demonstrating vang sheeting for a video? When you race lasers, and you get a little pointing shift in mid to high winds, is it faster (boat speed) to adjust helm, or to vang sheet sail to the new apparent wind? It looks like he dumps on purpose at the end, but great gybing shots. That boat is really moving!

Over time, Laser techniques have been finely developed, and this is what MIK was referring to when he commented "Couple of nice things ...Actually lots ..." in relation to that video.

He is showing good upwind form using dynamic upper body movements fore and aft to lift the bow over the waves. We call this body kinetics and he is also using lots of sheet to keep the power on to drive over the waves and also to keep the boat flat. These techniques take lots of practice so that the movements and sheeting become automatic. Plenty of fitness too as you can see. Generally tiller movements are kept to a minimum on flat water, but in waves, the tiller movements become exaggerated as the helm is looking for the smoothest course over the chop. The bigger the chop, the more exaggerated all the movements become. All three movements, ie. helm, body and sheeting need to be coordinated or the boat will be slow. In these conditions, an excellent Laser sailor like Tom Slingsby will be at least 5% faster than a top sailor from another class who is not so proficient in these movements. That equates to 50m on an upwind leg alone so speed in a Laser just isn't possible by somebody jumping into it from other classes for a single regatta.

Lasers are an easy boat to sail, but to sail them really well and get the most from them requires advanced technique, so Laser sailors generally do not go hopping into other boats all the time because they lose that subtle feel for the boat.

All Lasers are equal, so speed around the course comes down to technique, fitness and tactics. In other classes with elements of development, sailors usually blame their boat or their tactics if they are not fast!

**callsign222** · 29th August 2012, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by warm beer

When you launched off the beach into the wind to head back, what about rowing to get clearance and then lowering the boards and raising the sail? Style points?

)

Too much wind, it would have been absolutely a muscle fest to get the boat out into the harbor without her blowing off to one side, and I would have to get far out enough to raise sail, not hit any boats or tangle moorings, and sail out with everything shipshape. Basically the labor involved with rowing did not provide the adequate compensation. Edited to add: Don't forget, there is no sand out there except that little inlet. Everything, and I mean everything, is boat eating rocks. Hitting an underwater rock and getting trapped and sucked into the lee shore would have been quite exciting-- one of those "I built it I can fix it" moments. That's why I didn't want to row out, I wanted to power out.

Edited AGAIN: I am very proud of the sailing out of that slot harbor, it was some of my finest sailing ever with the Goat, if not my life,(maybe not the rest of the leg home, though) and I think it highlights two important things about the Goat-- 1. She is responsive and the balanced lug points very well when appropriately trimmed, and 2. The foils we spent so much time on make a HUGE difference at low speeds when we need them to be effective at getting off a lee shore. No stalling, just working. There was little leeway with me even though the wind was high and the boat speed initially low, and she accelerated smartly and I was able to literally tack on a DIME to take her as close to the rocks as i dared and turned her in her own length. This is a small little feature that can be taken for granted, but I LOVE HER FOR IT. Nothing like throwing a tiller and spinning around.

Originally Posted by IanHowick

A long time ago, you tried some extra ballast (sandbags?) for solo sailing. Would having the boat ballasted with a couple of sandbags or a couple of plastic jerrycans of water tied under the centre seat either side of the centreboard help when sailing solo in conditions like this?

On the bailing side, I have a big square mouthed plastic rubbish bin for a bailing bucket. As it's square it holds more water and you can get more out with each scoop than with an ordinary bucket or smaller hand bailer.

Ian

I thought about this yesterday, and I think it would have definitely helped. It may have slowed down some of the fun planing/surfing, but it would have made the beating upwind a little less onerous. Last time I was out in something like this I had all my camping gear/water supply with me, which helps too. The boat is light with just day gear in it and one person.

I have two bailing buckets, one is a bleach bottle with the bottom cut off (standard in the states) and one is a 5 gallon bucket. I just grabbed the bleach bottle and moved fast, it was sufficient. It was almost 5 gallon bucket time.

******************

SO MIK, (or anyone else)

What is actually happening when I'm running with the wind abaft the beam and surfing down the wave when the boat wants to turn quickly into the wind? Is it a chine up forward catching, or is it some other dynamic with the sail. I feel like I should know this by now, after sailing for 24yrs, but I don't. By falling off the wind, it corrects the problem, is this solution coming from sending the centrifugal force back the other way and keeping the boat flat and off the chine?

Clint Chase told me that when you were designing the Goat you were really worried about the forefoot catching, and that you spent a lot of time thinking about the stern rather than change the forefoot to keep it from digging in downwind and running away, would you like to expound on this? I think this would make a great story! Also, would my bow runner have anything to do with adverse handling?

I would like to state for the record that the boat handled quite well, and only dug in badly maybe thrice. Given the conditions, I find this completely satisfactory for a flat bottomed hard chined boat.

**Joost** · 29th August 2012, 05:05 PM

How far was your dagger board in?

**woodeneye** · 29th August 2012, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by callsign222

SO MIK, (or anyone else)

What is actually happening when I'm running with the wind abaft the beam and surfing down the wave when the boat wants to turn quickly into the wind? Is it a chine up forward catching, or is it some other dynamic with the sail. I feel like I should know this by now, after sailing for 24yrs, but I don't. By falling off the wind, it corrects the problem, is this solution coming from sending the centrifugal force back the other way and keeping the boat flat and off the chine?

Clint Chase told me that when you were designing the Goat you were really worried about the forefoot catching, and that you spent a lot of time thinking about the stern rather than change the forefoot to keep it from digging in downwind and running away, would you like to expound on this? I think this would make a great story! Also, would my bow runner have anything to do with adverse handling?

I would like to state for the record that the boat handled quite well, and only dug in badly maybe thrice. Given the conditions, I find this completely satisfactory for a flat bottomed hard chined boat.

Hi Christophe

Firstly, I've enjoyed reading about your escapade. You are definitely a mad b******!

Most boats with a curved forefoot/bow will exhibit a tendency to round up when heeled to leeward, especially when the speed is up. Keeping it flat or heeling very slightly to windward when on a broad reach or downwind will reverse or neutralise this tendency. (EDIT: in racing boats like the Finn or Laser, this is actually the primary way of steering downwind as rudder steering causes too much drag and is slow) The Goat has a decent rudder so it will respond pretty well, but when you are going down big waves and the transom lifts, there will be less rudder. I'm guessing that this is what was happening to you as well. It's easy to say "just heel the boat to windward a bit", but in practice it's a ballsy thing to do in the narrow hulled GIS in a breeze! Even flat feels a bit heeled. Even so, when you're cutting down a wave at an angle, the lee chine will always be gripping hard, so you are on a bit of an edge alright. Not an easy place to be by yourself! While extra board down will help with stability downwind in waves, unfortunately it also gives extra "bite" and can exacerbate the problem. Maybe 3/4 down would be a good compromise and don't relax the concentration for one second.

From what you described, I can only say that you did extremely well to handle the situation

**paulie** · 29th August 2012, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by woodeneye

From what you described, I can only say that you did extremely well to handle the situation

I've watched Christophe sail. He is one of the most highly-skilled small boat sailors I've ever seen.

With respect to beating off the beach in tight spots, I have to concur. I do this a lot because the boat ramp near my house was designed by people who can't imagine that anyone would want to launch anything other than a Boston Whaler with a monster outboard. It is in a narrow slot with a seawall to one side and a set of "clotheslines" holding small dinghies to the left. There is one, tiny bit of beach next to it before you get to sharp rocks. The rocks and seawall will kill a Goat, and nothing on Earth is more embarrassing than getting hung up on the clotheslines with all of your neighbors watching.

If I can see a free mooring out in the anchorage, I will paddle the Goat out and tie onto it with a slipknot while I pull up the sail. Then I can just slip the knot and sail off. But if there is no free mooring in sight, I'm left to sail out. I'm not the sailor that Christophe is, but even I can usually get the boat out past the clotheslines in a tack or two. The idea that I can do this with only a few inches of board down is amazing to me.

As for bailing buckets, I use a square 4-gallon bucket. It came to me filled with (unused) cat litter, but I've seen them for sale in various places. The flat sides mean that it picks up water fast. It takes a little muscle to heave a full one over the side (~3/4 full, it will hold about 24lbs, or 11kg, of water). But it empties the boat very quickly.

**callsign222** · 30th August 2012, 09:14 AM

I like these square bucket ideas. I don't have a cat but will investigate the kitty litter bailer.

**paulie** · 30th August 2012, 10:03 AM

This is the bucket.

4 Gallon Square Bucket | U.S. Plastic Corp.

Only mine says "Cat's Pride" or something on the side.

**davlafont** · 30th August 2012, 10:21 AM

Tidy Cat FTW!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Boatmik** · 30th August 2012, 10:57 AM

A bucket list?

MIK

**Boatmik** · 30th August 2012, 11:09 AM

Howdy Christophe,

Bruce is spot on with his explanation.

I'll go into the way I attempted to minimise the bow steering with the design - as you know it can go to quite large heel angles and higher wind strengths in moderate waves with almost no helm load. But just now a bit flat out with things. Give me a day then ... start bleating if you don't see anything!

But at some time it will meet its match!

MIK

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