On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 20:10:12 GMT, in message
JcldVHe8EppF-pn2-wDsm1ulQdUdd@localhost
"R. G. Newbury" wrote:

Long long ago I did lots of gybes both ways... On a 3/4 tonner we
always dipped, but when match racing in 35 footers, the other guys
blew us away in the first race by end for ending... We changed!

End for end can be faster because you do not have to dip the pole. The
foreguy can be brought back near the mast and need not be adjusted
except for some slack...One less person needed.

And nobody needs to go to the bow, just a little forward of the mast.

Obviously, twin sheets/guys make it easier....

That's what I was thinking. I've been racing lately on a 33 frac rig
and pushing the pole out against a loaded sheet has sometimes been a
problem -- popping about 2 feet on the twing at the critical moment
seems to help in getting that last foot.

In really heavy air, I find that gybes (end for end, single sheets) in
my Etchells are no harder in 25 than in 15. It is much easier if you
gybe the pole "early" so it is made onto the mast entirely behind the
main, then pull the main over.

Yes, we've found that works really well when it gets heavier.

There is no reason that you could not do single sheet end for end
gybes. The major fault point is the helmsman rotating the boat too
quickly. If you are racing, sometimes there is no choice. If you are
cruising then you can pick your spot. So it depends to a certain
extent upon the crew being fast enough to stay ahead of what the
skipper wants to do!... That might mean double sheets for you.

Single or double I can experiment with -- I have *lots* of line. It
sounds like the best choice will be a fully symmetric pole with a big
ring on the track for maximum flexibility.

Ryk