Preparation
Dave Best
· Sand down hull (burnish) before meeting
· Marks on jib and main sheets and jib halyard.
Gerard Dyson
· Keep it simple. Proper blocks and cleats do not need loads of rope
· Rollerball blocks on everything that moves
· Tapered spinnaker sheets
· Main cunningham, kicker and backstay led to the both side decks
· Barbers a hand spread, thumb to little finger, from centre line
Nigel Harris
· Bottom, keel and rudder smooth. Fiddling with the strings won't make a slow hull go fast
· Fico spinnaker pole outer end fitting
· Tapered spinnaker sheets
Jenny Riley
· Jib barber haulers 2:1 purchase - one pull, both pulleys come into the deck
· All pulleys and cleats ball bearing
· Toe-straps adjustable for crew and helm
Rigging
Mike Probert
· Cannot use a set up to give best speed both upwind and down
· Tension is not the issue. Mast rake is
· Adjust the outer and inner shrouds to suit wind strength
· Apply tension to mainsheet, kicker and outhaul to suit upwind conditions of the day
· Tension the jib halyard, if you need to - there might be enough jib tension already
Nigel Harris
· Plenty of mast rake, very loose shrouds
Light Winds
Mike Probert
· Lots of twist in the sails and sail free
· Adjust main and jib sheets constantly, easing sheets, sailing free in the lulls, gently pulling in and pointing higher when more pressure
· Take up slack on backstay to prevent top of the mast bouncing around
Gerard Dyson
· Weight low and forward in light weather
Mark Thompson
· Do not move forward in light airs. Stay on point of balance
Nigel Harris
· No backstay, kicker or jib cunningham
· Centre the main
· Sit forward of the track
· Keep the boat heeled to leeward
· Keep movement of tiller to a minimum
Strong wind
Mike Probert
· Increase rig tension for more mast rake
· No need to adjust mainsheet and traveller - bending of mast top de-powers main
· Mast rake at maximum - opens the jib slot and depowers. (Elbow on aft deck - deck to boom less than elbow to top of clenched fist)
· Mainsheet very tight and boom a couple of inches off the centre line with traveller centred
· Main cunningham used rarely - only in extreme conditions
· Backstay in force 4 plus - only slightly
· Mast foot forward only in extreme conditions
Gusts
Mike Probert
· If over-pressed, pinch a little
· Softer rig - mast top to falls away in gusts
Jenny Riley
· Feather up in gusts, to reduce heeling
· Flat is fast - spill wind early
· Kicker on hard to hold boom down when mainsheet released
Starting
Dave Best
· Speed off the line
· Maintain trust in your settings
· At gun, go to your settings and leave it at that
Mark Thompson
· Bad start, cross behind the fleet, get clear air
Christian Brewer
· Superior boat handling is key
· Take accurate line angle using compass
· Boat head to wind in clear patch to determine wind direction
· Less than 90 degrees to line angle, pin is favoured; more than 90 degrees - committee boat end
· Determine how many boat lengths mid line buoy is above or below the line
· Check position relative to mid line buoy for reassurance. Often the middle of the line sags
· Hand bearing compass to judge whether over or behind the line
· Less than your line angle, you are over
· More than your line angle, you are behind
· With 12 seconds to go, should be accelerating into space
· Stationary when gun has gone is a no-no
Nigel Harris
· Start conservatively
· Try for right end, but really aim for clear air
· Keep calm, look around, check where opposition is.
· Don't be tempted to tack straight away
· Don't pull everything in tight.
Upwind
Mike Probert
· Lot of mast rake for upwind speed
· Jib cunningham tight to deck except in extremely light conditions
Dave Best
· Clear air critical
· Go out to one side or the other. Fewer boats there than down the middle
· Tack less often
· Each unnecessary tack costs 3-4 boat lengths
· The crew calls tacks - knowing tacking angles
Mark Thompson
· Be willing to bang the corners on the first beat
· Be religious about keeping mast vertical
Gerard Dyson
· Traveller often right up to windward and mainsheet in further than you might think
· Correct jib halyard tension may differ from one tack to another
· If you are not going well, let off jib halyard tension a little
· Barber haulers not set same for each tack. - punching into waves or sailing down crests
· Don’t tension kicker on the wind in light or medium winds
Jenny Riley
· Keep the boat flat
· Cunningham, kicker, backstay and outhaul if overpowered
· Traveller remains fixed in centre position
Nigel Harris
· Leech of jib follows the same shape as main
· Play barber haulers in unison with jib sheets
Position in the boat
Mike Probert
· Never helm from behind traveller except in big waves if bow keeps burying
Mark Thompson
· Keep weight over fore and aft point of balance - usually bulb of the keel
· Sit close together, helm astride track
Gerard Dyson
· Beating in medium winds, keep legs either side of the traveller
Tacking
Mike Probert
· Keep mainsheet cleated and release traveller
· Once across the boat, pull traveller, aggressively, right up to windward, then drop it down a bit
· Keep the barber haulers bang in tight.
Mark Thompson
· Roll tack in light and medium airs
Jenny Riley
· Marks on jib sheets, where rope goes through barber pulley
· Don’t waste strength pulling sheets in too tight
Chris and Jackie Goodfellow
· Squib carries way through a sharp turn - turns on a sixpence
· Quick but gentle nudge on tiller Forget about backing jib as in a dinghy, slow long keelboat turns, sail flapping upwind or catamaran “chuck rounds”
· Keep “moment of inertia” down. Cross amidships, avoid weight near the ends
· Look forwards as you tack
· Traveller let down going round and heaved up hard near the new tacking angle
· Mark each sheet
· Overtight jib tension kills slot and speed out of tack.
· Try looser barber haulers
· Bearing away a little after tacking, may find you out in tide
Nigel Harris
· Roll the boat
· Go a little too far through tack - then bring in sails gradually, as boat gets up to speed
· Play barber hauler, creating backwinding of main - then let it out until it stops
Top mark
Mike Probert
· Must release kicker in strong winds before releasing mainsheet, else something will break
Dave Best
· If tack on the lay line in mid-fleet, boats cross and tack on top, so you fall away.
· Mid-fleeters - overstand enough to stop this
· Do not approach on port tack
Mark Thompson
· Have the spinnaker up and filling within 3 seconds
Reaching
Gerard Dyson
· Kicker and backstay off to prevent broach - on again once gust has passed
Jenny Riley
· Release main and spinnaker in plenty of time to avoid broaching
Mark Thompson
· Never cleat the spinnaker sheet - play it constantly, using ratchet blocks
Downwind
Mike Probert
· Ease off everything - haul on jib halyard to pull mast forward as far as possible
· Run as deep as possible if even if jib hooks to windward.
· Get clear air.
· Go one way or the other - not down middle
· If it paid to go left on beat, go right on run
Bottom mark
Mike Probert
· Re-set the jib halyard first.
· (Mark halyard to set it quickly)
· Tighten mainsheet etc. to swing the mast back
Spinnaker hoist
Mark Thompson
· Spinnaker sheet cleated to marks before windward mark
· Pole out just before the windward mark when sure of making it
· Helm starts spinnaker hoist
· Crew pulls guy to mark, filling spinnaker as it goes up
· Cleat the guy
· Adjust and start playing the sheet
Windshifts
Dave Best
· Wind always shifting to and fro, usually about every 5 minutes
· Use your compass or get your crew to watch it
· If you are near land, use bearings there
Waves
Mark Thompson
· Use weight actively to counteract roll of wave
· Initiate surfing on reach by (legal) pumping of spinnaker
· Weight forward going down wave to pick up speed and back as you start to surf
Gerard Dyson
· Keep helm and crew weight together
· Assist boat over the waves by movement of upper body
Gybing
Mark Thompson
· Reach to reach - pinch up to windward before mark, bear away, gybe at mark from broad reach
Gerard Dyson
· Coming up to the gybe mark ...
· Helm pulls leeward twinning line down, whilst crew is bringing in pole
· Crew pulls in good length of guy before gybe
· Main goes over
· Helm lets new leeward twinning line off ...
· and releases new guy as crew pulls spinny boom out
· Old sheet left cleated until after gybe. Helm releases it once gybe complete
General points
Gerard Dyson
· Twist gives speed and hooking gives pointing - but less speed
· More fullness in jib for sea - for flat water, flatter sail with harder leech
· Not just barber haulers that control shape of the jib but also jib sheet tension
Mike Probert
· Adjustment for kicker and jib halyard to rake mast back (heavy air) and upright (light) is huge
Dave Best
· the most important 'extra' on Squib is a great big, black, felt pen
Mark Thompson
· Clear responsibilities in every manoeuvre
· Be factual and keep emotion out of it.
· Crew provides maximum information, especially on the beat
· Retain a positive frame of mind. If it is not positive, don’t say it!
· Treat the Squib like a big dinghy
· Get a fitness training regime
Jenny Riley
· Whatever crew weight, a top ten place at the Nationals is possible
Get fitter, so hiking doesn’t hurt so much!