What We've Learned From Racing Our J/70

(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 note 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.