30 Apr 2006, Frank Boettcher wrote:

Question for you technical sailers

So I did a regatta this weekend (sorry, no pics, weather was terrible
and I didn't even get the camera out) on a friends brand new Beneteau
343.

Its a great sailing boat, if not sailed badly by the crew.

Conditions were strong winds with frequent gusts (15-18 with gust to
25). Seems like no matter what sail set or reef selection we chose
the boat had a really bad tendency to round up on gusts. Once it
started up, helm became useless with no feel.

You probably had the main in way too tight and weren't adequately
reefing the 150 genoa (as above +/- 16/17 kts, the boat" likes" to
have the genny reefed if not to the second then at least to the first
reef point).

Since the boat was new
to the owner and none of the crew of four had sailed together we were
not sure if it was us (probably) or the boat.

Almost certainly: the crew.

We had a crew member assigned to flagging the main upon command when
the gust came up.

Subject of course to actual gusts (in the unpredictable sense as
distinguished from even comparatively changes in wind speed that
aren't "gusts"), the main on that and like models "likes" to be
depowered (use the traveler), not "flogged" (which rarely is necessary
and, in racing, is not exactly well designed to maintain either boat
speed or direct).

Admittedly, most of the time we were probably carrying too much sail.
It was a race, after all.

Yeah, but that's a big mistake for this sort of design: depending, of
course, on the paticular point of sale and on all the other usual
variables, this boat is designed to reach theoretical maximum hull
speed at a compartively low point on its "polars" scale and relately
doesn't sail efficiently (fast) if very substantially heeled (which is
not necessary to maintain fast speed)

This is a boat of the modern thinking of great big mainsails. we were
carrying a 150 with roller furling and experimented with taking it in
with limited sucess. also reefed the main once, also limited success.

Its desirable to maintain "balance" in the sail (which, at noted, can
include "depowering" with the traveler in particularly strong winds),
especially while racing (exept, note, too, that - again, depending of
course on point of sail and on other conditions, while 15-18 kts true
going periodically to 25 is brisk, this isn't necessarily "strong" in
the sense I use that term above even if on some points of sail 25 kts
might border on that).

So what do you do first to control this? reef the main with full jib;
reef the jib with full main?

Requires knowing the specific conditions - but generally speaking for
this model and like ones, experiement first with reefing the jib, at
least to the first (and, maybe, second) reef point while also trying
to maintain "balance" (to get that groved pressure between the jib and
main) so by also reefing the main but also in depowered condition.

reef both at simultaneously?

Probably, yes (both to "both" and "simulatenously"), though one really
does need to experiement. Again, however, this is _not_ a model that
ought be "rouding" up and, if sailed properly in the conditions to
which you appear to refer, probably would not round up.

Quicker anticipation between the helmsman and the crew
member assigned to dumping the main?

This is always an option, but (as noted) probably not one needed
(except in real gusts) if the sails are set correctly for the +/-
16/17 kts wind force (depending on point of sail). Further, given
that "depending on point of sail" Thing, _especially_ for racing, the
arguably key notion is to sail the course best for the boat, not
necessarily the course best for other (especially in handicapped races
if against racing-oriented ones, like J boats or an Express 37 or the
like)

We did take third in class, but this boat can do much better in light
air.

Depends what you mean by light air.

The boat ought have been "flying" ("zooming"?) in 16/17 kts.

Frank