Doug wrote:

It's also important that the helms person keep the nose
from burying in the wave in front, yet not make any radical
movements
that slow the boat and pull it off the wave.

Right you are. I remember from my dinghy days "capsizing forward" with
the trapeze crew swinging out in front of the boat, and me sort of
taking a step forward into the water just to windward of the bow, when
I couldn't manage to keep nose from burying itself in the wave I was
trying to overtake.
I probably swore a lot at the time, but in memory, it makes me wonder
why I don't sail dinghies anymore. Well maybe one day soon...

Peter S/Y Anicula

"DSK" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Peter S/Y Anicula wrote:
Whether it is a good idea or not to "jumpstart" the surf by
pulling in
the sails a bit just at the right time, just before the surf
starts.
The added bonus is that the sails will be in the right position
for
the added speed. But remember to let out the sails again when the
surf
stops.

Also you have to be aware of class rules for pumping the sails. The
Lightning class used to allow pumping the spinnaker guy, which
really
helped the boat leap forward, but took a bit of muscle & timing.


Witch boatclases uses this technique ?

Ones that are going slower than the waves under normal offwind
sailing.

Sailing a fast A-sail boat or multihull is a whole different can o'
worms!


Another conflicting thing is to keep still, to give the helmsman
better odds for keeping the surf longer. In some boats the crew
should
probably move aft though.

For catching waves, keep weight forward, then to stay on the waves
shift
it aft gently. It's also important that the helms person keep the
nose
from burying in the wave in front, yet not make any radical
movements
that slow the boat and pull it off the wave.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King