OzOne wrote:
Walt scribbled thusly:
wrote:


You just aquired a Hobie 17.
What is the best way to tack the boat?

1. Make sure you have decent boat speed before the tack. i.e. you're not
pinching. That may mean footing off a bit if necessary

2. Easy with the tiller! You want a big wide turn, not a sharp angle. If
you stall the tiller the boat will stop. Since most cats have
signigicant weather helm, you can usually just let the tiller go slack
in your hand and the boat will round up nicely. No need to push it over.

3. Trim in the main to help the boat turn up into the wind. Once you
pass head to wind, ease it so that it doesn't fight you through the rest
of the turn.

4. Keep turning until you are on a close reach, then trim in the main
and sail off.

5. If you do get stuck in irons, center the tiller, backwind the main
(on the opposite side to where it was before you tacked) and once you
start moving backwards push the tiller *slightly* the opposite way that
you had it to tack. The boat will back around to the new tack. GOTO 4.


Hey,, you do know what you're talking about..except for the weather
helm bit.

Well, my sample space is rather small when it comes to cats. Mostly
Hobies of varying lengths with the odd Prindle or Nacra on rare
occasions. Every cat I've ever sailed had significant weather helm.
Teeny or no jib coupled with a giant roach usually adds up to a lot of
weather helm.

Maybe I should have said most small beach cats have significant weather
helm? Anyway it's an accurate statement when applied to the boat in
question, the Hobie 17

Never sailed one of them ginormous condomarans, so I can't speak for
that experience. I'm curious which cats have little or no weather helm
- care to give an example?

//Walt