Squibble collects together what the great ones have said.
This is a precis (remember them at school?) of the articles that have appeared in Squibble in past issues. We have not tried to edit out repeats - if two or more people give the same advice, it must be important. Some advice appears to contradict what others say. There is obviously more than one way to skin a cat - or sail a Squib. If in doubt, check the original article. The context will explain things better.
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
Jenny Riley
• Practice roll tacking to improve speed out of the tacks. Beware of stopping the Squib when tacking
STRONG WINDS
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
• Both lean out hard
Nigel Harris
• Leech of jib follows the same shape as main
• Play barber haulers in unison with jib sheets
POSITION IN 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, too quickly
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
• 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!