Seamanship Question #37
 

DSK wrote:

Push the boom out to starboard. Center the tiller. Wait for the boat
to start moving backwards.

Most boats will begin to fall off to port (ie onto port tack) with the
boom backed to starboard. You can have the helm at any position and the
forces on the rig & hull & keel will produce this effect.

Agreed. But the boat will move backwards more easily with the tiller
centered than with it hard over.

I've found that a light touch on the tiller really helps when sailing
backwards. When you're moving backwards, putting the tiller hard over
just acts as a break, and the boat may spin around the stern in either
direction regardless of which way you point the tiller.


.... Move the tiller slightly to starboard (not too much or you'll
stop the boat by using the rudder as a brake.) The boat will start
backing around presenting the port side to the wind. Once you've
turned enough that you're on a close reach heading, trim in the main,
center the tiller and start saiing forward.

What if the boat gets stuck in irons again?

Lather, rinse, repeat. But do it right this time. (c:


Why might it do this?

Weather helm, exacerbated by sailing under main alone.


What techniques would you recommend for tacking to avoid getting stuck
in irons?

More or less in order of effectiveness:

Make sure you have adequate boat speed.
Don't stall the rudder.
Get the jib repaired.
Don't sail catboats.
Or catamarans.
Hire a competent captain.
Stay on shore.

//Walt

Seamanship Question #37
 

Walt wrote:
I've found that a light touch on the tiller really helps when sailing
backwards.

But you also want to keep a firm grip, since the force tends
to yank it hard over rather than tending towards center.


... When you're moving backwards, putting the tiller hard over
just acts as a break

True when moving forwards as well.


.... and the boat may spin around the stern in either
direction regardless of which way you point the tiller.


Never had that happen to me but i can believe it, especially
with some chop afecting the boat also.


What if the boat gets stuck in irons again?


Lather, rinse, repeat. But do it right this time. (c:


Why might it do this?


Weather helm, exacerbated by sailing under main alone.


You mentioned it in another post- ease the main (or drop the
traveler). The mainsail will tend to weathervane the boat
into the wind, and you have to be far enough below a
close-hauled course so that you can still accelerate and let
the rudder get some bite. Otherwise you go thru an endless
cycle.

Old fashioned boats with long booms (lots of leverage) and
low aspect rudders have this problem much worse than modern
ones.




What techniques would you recommend for tacking to avoid getting stuck
in irons?


More or less in order of effectiveness:

Make sure you have adequate boat speed.
Don't stall the rudder.
Get the jib repaired.
Don't sail catboats.
Or catamarans.
Hire a competent captain.
Stay on shore.


Any particular video games you recommend instead of sailing? ;)


DSK

Seamanship Question #37
 

DSK wrote:
Walt wrote:

I've found that a light touch on the tiller really helps when sailing
backwards.


But you also want to keep a firm grip, since the force tends to yank it
hard over rather than tending towards center.

Ok, I guess this could be confusing. By "light touch" I mean don't over
steer, not to hold it like the Queen of England holds a cucumber sandwich.

... When you're moving backwards, putting the tiller hard over just
acts as a break

True when moving forwards as well.

Yep.

.... and the boat may spin around the stern in either direction
regardless of which way you point the tiller.

Never had that happen to me but i can believe it, especially with some
chop afecting the boat also.

I see it all the time with beginners trying to back away from the dock.
Since the tiller works backwards when you're sailing backwards, they
initially push the tiller the wrong way, the boat starts turning the
wrong way, and then they try to compensate by putting the tiller hard
over the other way. The effect is that they've just applied a sea
anchor attached to the stern, and the boat - now on the wrong side of
the wind - swings around the wrong way.

What techniques would you recommend ... to avoid getting
stuck in irons?

Stay on shore.

Any particular video games you recommend instead of sailing? ;)

The ASA version of whack-the-weasel. Hey, we're playing it now!

//Walt

Seamanship Question #37
 

Most boats, but not all will push the stern to
the side opposite the main is backed.

If the boat had a tiller you would push it to starboard
as the boat is sailing backwards. Once the bow swings
down, sail off on a close haul or whatever point of sail you
choose on a port tack.


Ellen MacArthur wrote:
"Bart Senior" .@. wrote
| Your 35' sloop is bare headed--the one jib you have is
| at the sailmakers for repairs. You are sailing today with
| main alone.
|
| You are directly head to wind, in irons, stopped dead
| in the water.
|
| Which side do you back the main to sail off on a port
| tack?
|
| What else do you need to do?


Back the main to starboard. Then you wait till you have some sternway so the rudder will work.
Then you push the tiller to port and the stern will go to starboard and the bow will fall of to port.

Cheers,
Ellen

Seamanship Question #37
 

This might work. More likely you'd be better off with the
boom to starboard.

Jeff wrote:
Bart Senior wrote:
Your 35' sloop is bare headed--the one jib you have is
at the sailmakers for repairs. You are sailing today with
main alone.

You are directly head to wind, in irons, stopped dead
in the water.

For 1 point

Which side do you back the main to sail off on a port
tack?

What else do you need to do?


Boom to port, tiller to starboard.

Of course, if you want to exit the anchorage backwards, you put the
tiller to port.

Seamanship Question #37
 

Walt wrote:
Bart Senior wrote:
Your 35' sloop is bare headed--the one jib you have is
at the sailmakers for repairs. You are sailing today with
main alone.

You are directly head to wind, in irons, stopped dead
in the water.

For 1 point

Which side do you back the main to sail off on a port
tack?


Sheesh, doesn't anybody here know how to sail backwards?

I think we talked about sailing backwards in 2002.
Check the archives.

Push the boom out to starboard. Center the tiller. Wait for the boat
to start moving backwards. Move the tiller slightly to starboard (not
too much or you'll stop the boat by using the rudder as a brake.) The
boat will start backing around presenting the port side to the wind.
Once you've turned enough that you're on a close reach heading, trim in
the main, center the tiller and start saiing forward.

Correct 1 point to Walt.

What else do you need to do?

Learn not to get stuck in irons when sailing under main alone?

I think you covered what else you need to do in your answer to part 1.

I was looking for a description of how to handle the helm.

Seamanship Question #37
 

DSK wrote:

Which side do you back the main to sail off on a port
tack?


It depends. What is the keel configuration? Where is the
mast stepped fore/aft? Relatively few boats will fall off to
the same side the sail is backed, but some definitely will.

I'm glad you brought that up. Some boats need the main
backed on the opposite side. The Ensign--a full keel design,
as I recall, needs the main backed on the same side, ie
backed to port to fall off to a port tack.

BTW, this is one boat that where I've tried to sail backwards and
failed. I tried backing the main on either side in succession to
try to keep the boat centered on the eye of the wind and found
that if it starts to fall off, it keeps going. Note I had the jib
furled
to see if that would help and had no luck with that either. The
attached rudder is not a big help and is probably the single
biggest factor preventing this activity.

Being a full keel boat, it doesn't heave-to like a fin keeler. While
a fin keeler can keep the main sheeted in while hove to, the
Ensign needs the main eased.

Seamanship Question #37
 

To be honest, my answer haunted me a bit when I realized that of
course a larger sloop would certainly act that way. However, my 40
year old dinghy memory is the opposite. Is it possible that a Laser
or an Interclub dinghy would react differently because the mast is
well forward?



wrote:
This might work. More likely you'd be better off with the
boom to starboard.

Jeff wrote:
Bart Senior wrote:
Your 35' sloop is bare headed--the one jib you have is
at the sailmakers for repairs. You are sailing today with
main alone.

You are directly head to wind, in irons, stopped dead
in the water.

For 1 point

Which side do you back the main to sail off on a port
tack?

What else do you need to do?


Boom to port, tiller to starboard.

Of course, if you want to exit the anchorage backwards, you put the
tiller to port.