(Youngstown, New York)- Recently, Don Finkle and his son Tim (the
upstate New York J/Dealer- RCR Yachts.com) put together their collective
thoughts and notes after sailing the first part of the J/70 winter
circuit down in Florida. Here is their commentary:
“We’ve done our fair share of racing on the national J/70 circuit and
we’ve learned a lot! We learned from those we’ve sailed with, through
trial and error, from listening to seminars, and talking to many of the
pros within the fleet. I am not a professional sailor and I don’t claim
to have all the answers, but I do pay attention. I thought it would be
helpful to those within our fleet to share some of the tips I’ve picked
up from all of the regattas done on “Junior”.
These tips can be used in your local fleet or in big events, but
nobody gets it right all the time. The goal is to work toward
improvement; don't be intimidated by thinking that you have to learn all
of this at once. The more serious you want to be, the more you need to
work at it, same as anything else you want to excel at. Here are some
tips and lessons to chew on while you sit inside by the fire.
Racing Tips
Starting
This fleet especially likes to set up early on the line. This can be
very tricky in a big fleet. You can’t afford to be late, even if you
have speed, as you won’t have anywhere to put your bow. This has forced
people to get on the line early between 1:30 and one minute, thinking
that they will at least have a shot at the first row, now it’s just up
to them to defend that spot. Getting on the line early means you have
to maintain position on the line without stalling. Trying to keep some
speed on or you won’t have any punch to start. With a narrow keel, the
flow over the foils must be constant, trying to reestablish a “hooked
up” keel isn’t easy in a tight lane. Plus, when you trim on, especially
the jib, the bow will go down and you will likely slide sideways and
down the line, using up your nice leeward hole you’ve created. A space
below you to put the bow down and go fast is critical. In light air,
we’ve found it best to have the jib rolled out almost all the time to
keep the speed on. The main is your gas pedal, allowing you to get up
the line. Be careful not to strap it in too tight though in light air,
that will stall you as well. Try not to ever have your mainsheet too
far out, you won’t be able to get through all that sheet when the time
comes to accelerate. I might ease the main a little, but not so much
that I can’t trim back on quickly. When we establish where we want to
be on the line, we work to protect the “hole” we’ve created. If I need
to slow down, I might put the bow into the wind for a second or do some
sharp turning, but not too long that it stalls you out and you can’t
regain speed again. You need to keep communication with your jib
trimmer too, he may need to ease and trim depending on what you need at
the time You also have to keep eyes on the boats to windward and
leeward of you to make sure you are keeping at least bow even. Watch
for boats dropping in late looking to take your hole, point your bow
down or at them to discourage them and force them into finding another
spot to start.
Pinging the line with your Velocitek ProStart
Always do this! It’s such a useful tool for figuring out how far off
the line you are. Unless you are at the boat or pin, you won’t have
much of an idea where you are because of the boats blanketing your sight
of the ends. We’ve found the Velocitek to be extremely accurate if
pinged correctly. A good rule of thumb for measuring distance to the
line is a meter a second. This means, in a square start, if your ratio
of meters to seconds is 1:1 then you are in good shape usually. If
there are more meters than seconds, you better get going and if you have
fewer meters than seconds, you better kill some speed. There are
exceptions though. For example, in a left shift, a good measure is to
go 2 meters a second as you are now aiming your bow away from the line
and have to travel further to get to the line. In a right shift, it’s
about 1/2 meter per second as you are pointing closer to the line and it
will approach quicker. Trust the Velocitek, don’t be late to the
line. Unless the line is so favored and you have no choice, go for a
soft (less dense) spot on the line. A good start with speed on the line
with a good lane is almost always better than getting flushed out the
back with no speed or clear lanes. In a 50+ boat fleet, starting and
getting off the line clean is critical. You can always change sides of
the course if you find it favored, much easier than if you are in the
back rows fighting for air/lanes. If you are in the back, you have
limited options and you are likely just heading for one side of the
course until you find a lane, you are being dictated to instead of
dictating. In shifty conditions, you want to be clear to tack on that
first shift. If you have a good start, you are free to tack in most
cases or to keep going in a straight line for as long as you please.
You can’t roll the boat enough in light air
This is a big area of improvement for many, working to not lose much
speed through a turn is the goal. There are rules and you can’t hang on
the shrouds or lifelines, but you can still roll aggressively, just
have to get the technique down. The flattening and trim is a key part
of finishing off the tack or gybe, don’t forget that part.
Communication is key
No matter who you are sailing with, you have to establish
communication with your crew. Everyone has a job and everyone has a say
in the game, establishing what the assignments and responsibilities are
is key. One of the things that bothers me while driving is when I hear
silence for long periods of time. How is our speed? Boats around us?
Puffs coming down? Can we adjust trim? Body positioning? If we are
blazing speed demons going in the right direction, that is great news,
just say so!!
Consistency
I’ve noticed that the best teams out there and those that do well
regatta after regatta are those who sail with the same teams. I know
it’s not always easy for those of us without paid crew, but if possible,
using the same team allows you to grow together and learn together and
gives everyone on the team a sense of ownership. You are starting from
the last event, not from scratch. Having new people mix in is OK
because you can learn from new people and gain other perspectives, but a
consistent team for the big events has proven to work best.
Trimming main
In the light air we have found that the traveler all the way up with
more twist in the main is faster. Be careful not to trim the mainsheet
too hard, you will end up with the boom above centerline, choking the
main. Look for about centerline for the boom. In the breeze, I’ve seen
boats with traveler up and more twist but easing and trimming the main
aggressively opening and closing the top of the sail. I’ve seen a hard
leech, meaning mainsheet on hard and playing the traveler up and down.
If you do that, be careful in the lighter stuff because you can get
caught with a tight main and you want it to breathe a bit. I’ve been
told to look at the middle telltale on the top of the sail and aim for
it to stall half the time, like it is about to fly but not flowing
straight back.
Ask for help
The class has been sailing with 4 people for the most part. Usually
you have a tactician who doesn’t have a trimming role. Unless you are
Tim Healy, I would suggest giving up some trimming responsibilities as
the driver. You have to drive, trim mainsheet, traveler, and backstay.
My suggestion is to hand off the traveler to the tactician through
tacks. You can then worry about rate of turn, roll tacking, smoothly
crossing the boat, changing hands, and cracking off the mainsheet
through the tack. In heavier air, I would suggest giving up either the
backstay or the mainsheet to the tactician or trimmer (whoever is legs
in). In the puffy stuff, it is critical to shift gears and that means
aggressive trim changes. Full backstay on in puffs, full off in lulls.
Mainsheet trimming would be feet of sheet in and out vs. inches you may
do in light air.
Jib Trim
The jib needs constant attention, whether you are using the winch or
banjo sheeting, you need to be on it always. Those small ins and outs
make a huge difference. As for car leads, as a general rule, if you
have your leads back, you can inhaul more. If you have your leads
forward, not as much windward sheet. Many boats are drilling holes
between the factory created holes. They would be labeled as half
holes. I suggest putting tape or whipping on your jib sheets as well as
markings on your deck just forward of the jib block. This will allow
for repeated settings. Just remember that if you untie your sheets the
marks on the line will be in a slightly different spot the next time.
Backstay legs
We shortened our back stay leg that has the adjustable lashing. In
the light air it’s not a big deal because you generally don’t put a lot
of backstay on. In the heavy air, you want to have the lashing very
tight. If the leg is too long, you will bottom out and you won’t have
enough pre-backstay on and when you pull on the trimming line, it
doesn’t put enough tension on. Most times, boats are stuck not being
able to get enough backstay on in heavy breeze.
Changing gears
ALWAYS. There is no sitting still with body weight or trim. The breeze and seas are always changing, so should you!
Keep the boat flat upwind and down
Heeling means sliding sideways. Keel is narrow but deep. Get it as
deep as possible, which means flat. In heavy air, this should be your
biggest focus as a driver, making sure you are depowering, adjusting
trim, pinching slightly, all with the goal to flatten the boat as much
as possible. Having your crew call out puffs is super important so you
can be proactive to the puff and not reactive, which would be too late.
Over-tacking and flipping the boat over is no good either, more sliding
ensues. One exception, too flat in light air and the boat will stall.
Crew weight
Lighter has seemed better and better to me. I like the way the boat
feels light and responsive with a lighter crew. In most events, we have
light air and that helps upwind and down to be lighter. In heavy air,
you can’t really hike much (per class rules) and the boat can be
depowered quite a bit with the controls given. Downwind, you are able
to get up on a plane quicker, especially in that range where you are
deciding between displacement or planing mode.
Displacement or Planing?
As a general rule, we’ve found that if you are fighting to plane,
then you are better off going for VMG. Distance lower to the mark is
best. In lighter air it is always about going as low as possible while
keeping good speed, not falling off a cliff speed-wise. If you have
speed and can burn it down, drive the boat slowly down. When you reach
the point where you need to heat it up, do so quickly, even if it means
more tiller. As for planing, usually around 15 knots of breeze and 10
knots of boat speed is when you can jump up on the “step” as they say.
If you can plane, definitely go for the plane, it can be 5 knots faster
and boats will pass you by if you don’t join them!
Body Weight
Forward is usually better upwind and down in most conditions,
especially flat water. In the heavier air with waves going upwind, move
weight slightly back to keep the bow up and not burying in waves. As
we learned at Worlds “seaweed on your headstay is not fast”. Downwind
it is a constant game of shifting weight forward and back. Downwind in
light air is forward and flat. When planing, you are shifting weight
back to keep the bow from plunging into the wave, but in the bigger
waves sometimes you need to jump forward to get the bow over the crest
of the wave to shoot you down the wave, then back before you crash into
the next one!
Rig Tune
Use the guide, but remember it is just a guide and every condition
calls for small adjustments depending on your boat’s setup. Can’t set
it and forget it. Two boat testing as much as possible to check
different settings is very important. Make sure you ask someone before
heading out for the day, preferably someone who has the same sail
designs as you. Check all settings before and after races. Make sure
you know your turns on the rig, keep a chart somewhere on the boat.
Write down every change you make through the day and the regatta so you
remember where you are at all times. Having one person designated to
the rig tune is probably wise for consistency sake.
Headstay, what to do?
More and more boats are experimenting with headstay length, going
with a longer headstay in light air which allows you to point and gives
you a more balanced helm instead of lee helm. The problem is that class
rules don’t allow you to change your setting once you leave the dock.
If the breeze looks like it could pick up, you might want to be more
conservative. Remember, all boats and sail designs are different.
North is different from Quantum, which is different from Doyle and
Ullman, etc. etc.
Boat Maintenance Tips:
Cut your lines to proper lengths. With all the moving around and
especially at the corners and during maneuvers, extra line just leads to
snags and snarls in the lines or catching on a foot or stepping on a
line, etc. Measure the absolute lengths needed, mark them and cut them.
To help save your jib, I like to go downwind when furling. Downwind
prevents the jib from luffing and flapping while trying to roll. If you
are in light air, sometimes having the halyard too loose doesn’t allow
for a nice furl. Put some tension on the jib Cunningham and then furl,
then immediately take tension off again. Make sure you have McLube One
Drop or an equivalent on the furler. The salt can really gunk up the
furler and it won’t spin freely which kills a furl. I purchased a
tapered furling line and that has helped a lot too. The jib can really
get beaten with bad furls. When on the dock, release the jib Cunningham
to take tension off, this will reduce stretching. I’ve debated taking
the jib down overnight and some people do but most do not. I think the
putting up and taking down does more damage than leaving furled for a
few nights. I wouldn’t leave it up for long periods, but for a regatta
it seems ok. When I’m home doing local stuff, I put a jib sock on my
practice jib to keep the sun off the sail. I always ease the tension of
the halyard too before leaving the boat.
Get a non-stretch main halyard, too often we see mains not up all the way, a few inches will hurt your ability to go upwind.
Rolling the main from the bottom. During a regatta, I like to roll
the main from the bottom as it comes down. This will result in less
wrinkles than just “dumping” it. It also makes for a nice tight roll
and it will go up the next morning and unroll itself as it goes up.
When storing between events, I usually roll it normally from the head
(folded at the first draft stripe) because it fits in the bag better. I
have heard mixed results on taking the battens out. I think if you
take tension off, then they can stay in the main. Jib battens must come
out to roll because of the vertical batten.
Label all of your stuff. With 50 or more boats all in close
vicinity, there are parts and pieces and bags all over the place. J70
stuff all looks the same, especially if they’ve been purchased from
Sail22. It’s easy to misplace or someone may accidentally take your
item thinking it was theirs.
Unless you trim the jib with the winch, I suggest padding and taping
over the winch, unless you like those bruised hips and butt. Few use
the winch for the spinnaker, from what I can tell.
Bring two radios, the weight of an extra radio outweighs not having
one if it dies or breaks (or goes overboard). Also bring your foul
weather gear no matter what. You can afford an extra pound or two; you
are pretty useless if you are shivering the entire time.
If it is windy, wear your lifejacket! It should be a habit, why
would you risk something bad happening. Life jackets are comfortable
nowadays. Go buy yourself one that fits well. A good PFD vest also
keeps you warm, especially when it is windy and wet.
Check the forward compartment in the bow. On a windy, wavy day you
can get water through the pole or the furling drum and water can
accumulate there. I sponge it out every day after racing, or at least
check it.
Raptor Deck – Get it! Or some soft deck equivalent. Everyone loves
ours and I won’t ever go back if I have another race boat.
Measure over and over again. Don’t be lazy or assume anything.
Before you go out, check your settings and tuning numbers. Use a
caliper for your shrouds to repeat settings!
Fix things when you have the time – If you know you have something to
fix or replace, don’t wait because it will likely become a problem at
some point. In other words, don’t procrastinate. Make a list after
each event of what needs fixing or what to buy.
If you have an onshore AP, go work on your boat. Or ask others about
what they’ve done to their own boat. Great time to pick up tips.
Make sure you have a clean bottom. If you don’t want to pay a diver,
then get a “Cheap Diver” that is basically a mesh net that you can
floss the bottom with. It is not perfect, but it is better than
nothing. A coating of slime on the bottom is not fast.
Bring extra batteries for the Velocitek. I tape new batteries in
threes so I know they are new. I’m sure everyone at some point has
looked at a battery and wondered if it was new or old?
Hose your boat thoroughly with fresh water, salt can do a number on the hardware. A clean boat is a fast boat.
If you can, put a dehumidifier in the boat overnight, but only if it’s safe to do so. A dry boat is a fast boat.
Make a checklist before each regatta and check off as you pack
everything. We can send you a copy of ours if you wish. Nothing worse
than leaving something at home. Send a n
ote to Tim Finkle at RCR Yachts (timfinkle@rcryachts.com).
Additional thoughts:
Keep your own log of data – Many people leave this to the tactician,
but what happens when you are constantly changing tacticians and crews?
The tactician will take his/her notes with them and that doesn’t do you
much good. Keep your own notes, during the regatta and after, of
course asking your crew and tactician for input. Over time you will see
trends, what your rig settings are, what works and what doesn’t. Also,
if you learn something during a race, write it down immediately after.
You will likely forget when you get back to the dock and the rum starts
pouring.
Until you are getting into the top of the fleet, just do what the
pros do, don’t invent on your own. They sail constantly, some over 100
days a year. They have seen the sail design models, they have tested
everything and done the research, it’s their job! Ask them questions,
they are there to help you.
Don’t forget or ignore what you’ve already learned. When you sail
with a new crew or hot shot tactician, it is easy to just shut up and
listen to what they say. But, in the case where you’ve spent a lot of
time in the boat, don’t forget your own lessons learned. It is painful
to say after the race, I knew that would happen, just didn’t want to
overrule what the others are saying. If you know something to be true,
stand by that. We always want to learn and try new things, but don’t
create a new problem by trying to change something that wasn’t the
cause.
Sailing photo credits- Tim Wilkes.com.
If you want more good advice from Don or Tim, please call them at RCR Yachts (716-745-3862) or
email- don@rcryachts.com.
(St Croix, USVI)- The J/36 PALADIN, owned by Stan Joines from St Croix, US Virgin Islands,
has been on a mission to introduce young sailors to offshore sailing.
Stan comments, “The crew of PALADIN is a mix of kids. Five of the crew
are from the St. Croix Yacht club; they are in Junior high school at
Good Hope Country Day private school, ages 10-13. They are also very
active in Optimist racing at the club. Another of the crew is my son,
age 8. Another four of the crew are from Central High, a public school
here on St. Croix, where I teach. We practice Saturday mornings. The
boat is sponsored by St. Croix Marine on St. Croix.
The
J/36 is a good fit because it is still competitive, but can sleep the
whole crew aboard when we are at away regattas on the different
islands! The fractional rig is great; with a masthead rig, the kids
would have to be handling bigger jibs and downwind sails that could
overpower them.
(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)- The premier lady skippers race on
Port Phillip Bay Melbourne Victoria is the Jennifer Goldsmith Memorial
Trophy regatta – this year swept by J/24 teams!
(San Diego, CA)- Have you ever witnessed the brilliance of a “green
flash” along the horizon at sunset? Have you had the pleasure of
enjoying a tasty Green Flash beer? Now is your chance to experience
both! Visit sunny San Diego for the J/70 NAs!
