Ep 32: Learn to Sail: Part 16: Coming About or Tacking 

Wow, thanks! That is so nice to hear. I'm delighted that the video is working for you. Thanks for watching

You're very welcome! Thanks again Paolo, for your awesome ongoing support!

Thanks Horatio! Glad you found it helpful. I love your user name 👍

My pleasure! Thank you Martin

So nice to hear. Thank you. I love northern Minnesota. I’m delighted that you learned some thing.

Thank you so much for that amazing feedback. I am delighted that you think so highly of my videos. I am hoping to do some heavy weather videos this coming summer and I definitely plan to do more on singlehanding. BTW ballasted keelboats are not capsized by wind, they are rolled by steep breaking seas, especially from abeam. With strong wind the boat simply heels over, sometimes dramatically but then rounds up into the wind so you cannot capsize a keelboat with wind.

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine Thank you for the reply, that gives me some peace mind :D I look forward to the coming videos :)

Thanks Daniel. I appreciate it.

You're the best!

Sounds great. Yes, it is all about the timing. You’re absolutely right. Thanks for watching and commenting

Glad to hear it Brian. Good luck this weekend. Enjoy the course. Thanks for the kind comment 🙏

Glad you like them! Thank you for the kind comment. I appreciate it.

Thanks for the question and for watching. There are a number of things that could be contributing but let’s start with what kind of boat it is?

Thanks, the boat is actually a Canadian made, a 29 ft Bayfield Cutter with a long keel.

So that is part of the problem. That boat is not going to turn like a fin keel spade rudder boat. It's a heavy displacement full keel boat, your displacement/length ratio is 368. My O'Day 322 which is not a particularly light boat, has a disp/length ration of 240. Also turning the wheel a quarter turn does not mean much since the radius of your turn depends largely on your speed. At higher speeds you will require less steering input and at lower speeds you will require more (although not so much that the rudder stalls). When I tack I turn through a 90° arc, from close hauled on one tack to close hauled on the other. HMCS Oriole, a 103' full keel steel ketch, cannot tack without backing headsails. So these are the things I would try. First make sure you are sailing truly close hauled with your tell tales flying aft on both sides of the sail. Maker sure the boat is up to speed, select a landmark 90° to your windward side and turn the boat, watch at how fast the boat turns, not how much you turn the wheel. You might have to play with that a bit. If the boat still wont turn past irions than next time, do not cast off the jib as soon as it flaps, wait until it is backwinded and has driven your bow past irons, once on the other tack let fly the sheet and sheet in on your new tack. In higher wind, with faster speed you might not have to backwind your headsail. Hope this helps. Let m know how it goes

Thank you Marco. I will try your tips next time I’ll go out in the water. I’ll let you know. - Carlos

Hi Marco, I wanted to let you know that I took your advice at low speeds tack, I held my jib this time and didn’t let go till the wind started pushing the nose of the boat on the new tack, then I let the lazy sheet go and got the new sheeted jib on my new tack. Thanks for your advice.

In my opinion if you do not fully release the lazy sheet the sail backwinds and comes up against the shroud and then when you do release it the threads and sail material get chafed by the shroud which to me is way worse than the sail luffing a bit. Thanks for the comment

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine the idea is to have control on how the jibsail behaves during entire process of tacking and minimizing possible damage to the jibsail. Not allowing to backwinds is part of that process. I understand that it is difficult when single handling.

@@Beba-qv3db You can't have it both ways, it will either luff or back wind. The way I teach it prevents backwinding and minimizes luffing. If you time it right and let the sail go as the boat rounds up and the windward telltales break, the sail will blow across as the boat turns through the wind and it will minimize luffing. Also you use the term jibsail. With a proper jib there is very little luffing as the sail is much shorter in the foot than a genoa.

​@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine I used to do it your way on small sailing boats, dinghies. I'm referring to moment at 5min.20sec of above video clip.... Than was stepping up with my sailing license in Greece, my sailing instructor from RYA show me how to do it with controlling both sheets simultaneously. I prefer his method. I don't force anyone to use his method. Just sharing different approach. IMHO better one. The jib sail or genoa looks happier ... Congratulations on your videos. They are great and awaiting more.

Not a stupid question. Both sheets should have stopper knots tied into their ends so that they do not go flying out through the fairlead blocks. Worst case, you have to retrieve the end of the lazy sheet from the block.

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine I appreciate the response! Thanks!