Texas 200 - John Goodman and Michael Storer in the GIS Yawl

**john goodman** · 3rd July 2011, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by wayne poulsen

Hi John & Mik
I have been looking fwd to your post texas sharing.
Now its "by-the-lee", weathers too unpleasant to try it out here just now so Ive been googlesailing. Check it out...
Downwind sailing - the 4th Dimension
Wayne
Fremantle

This is a very good link by the 4th dimension that helps me understand what we were doing. I have attached a link to Mik and I for our version of how to sail by-the-lee,

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4PJZ60Pzx0&feature=channel_video_title"]YouTube - ‪sailingbythelee.AVI‬&rlm;[/ame]

Please forgive Mik for getting leeward and windward mixed up at the beginning of the video. He was having a hard time getting use to sailing on the north side of the equator.

Also note that we are using a centered main sheet off the boom. This was changed just before the Texas 200 and I am very pleased with performance of this arrangement. The blocks are just lashed to the boom and one of the boom blocks is a racket block.

Here is another picture of us at speed. The wind had clocked around and we could not sail by-the-lee during this part of the day. Take a look at the bend in the boom. The centered main sheet I think added to the bending, but I think it's bending mostly because the wind and waves we are sailing thru.

The second picture shows a big splash just after the boat has caught the wave in front of us and sliced thru it. Mik mentions this in this video because it can be get a little frightening during an open water reach that lasts 20 miles. But if sure is fun!!!!!

Happy July 4th!!!!

**john goodman** · 9th July 2011, 12:24 PM

Here are 2 videos that help show Miks description of sailing by- the- lee

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDgm-JejFYk&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪2011 Texas 200 Day three Goat Island Skiff‬&rlm;[/ame]

In this first video you can see what Mik has mentioned about letting the mizzen do what it wants at the 1:20min mark. After we turn downwind and get the boat pointed on our course the mizzen gybes over by itself on the opposite tack of the mainsail. Now the main has clear air and off we go.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc4Z5OAkZUM&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪2011 Texas 200 Goat Island Skiff 1‬&rlm;[/ame]

Close to the 1:56min mark we are passing through the wind shadow of the boat taking the video. Watch the tip of the yard for the wind puffs, the boat rolls slightly and I adjust the sheet straighten the boat up. There is very little roll and a burst of acceleration with the last big puff of wind. It was very easy to control the boat, with little rolling.

YouTube - ‪daddio1233's Channel‬&rlm;

Now compare the amount of rolling in this video. Both sails are on starboard side, 15-18mph winds off the port side and with some aft of the beam waves. I know I was distracted talking the guy taking the video and miss a wave. The bow gets caught, 0:16min mark, on the back side of a wave as the stern gets lifted, the boat rolls and the boom hits the water. We sailed in similar wind speeds and wave conditions but with the wind more aft, by-the-lee and could control the boat roll so much easier. I found that I could be much more aggressive on the helm wave surfing while Mik trimmed the main and kept the mast pointed up.

I think for by-the-lee sailing in big waves and high winds it would be very helpful to have someone on the tiller and someone on the main sheet. Mik would call the puffs and look for good waves to surf and good places to exit the wave while I steered and watched the waves just abeam and in front of the boat. We did talk a lot to each other during the really fun stuff feeding each other information about the waves, wind and helm. Sorry, I didn't have a camera set up for those moments.

This is also when I found an annoying clunking in my rudder housing as the rudder head would flop side to side in the housing. I'll add that to the winter fix list, maybe I should of fixed it last year.

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