Tack, Tack, and Tacking … so confusing.\u00a0 Are we talking about the lower, leading corner of a sail, the side of the boat the wind is coming from, or the process\u00a0of turning the boat through the wind so that the windward side of the boat moves from one side to the other.\u00a0 Three different definitions according to how it’s used in a sentence.\u00a0 It used to be so easy.\u00a0 In the olden day, on ships with square sails, the tack was the line used to pull one of the clews\u00a0of the sail forward on the windward side of the boat.\u00a0 That’s it.\u00a0 One definition.\u00a0 Then\u00a0came\u00a0triangular sails.\u00a0 No longer was there two clews, with one of\u00a0needing to be tacked to windward.\u00a0 Now, the same corner of the sail always pointed to the wind, so that corner became the tack, and the windward side of the sail became the tack the boat is on (port or starboard), and tacking became the process of turning through the wind so the tack changed from port to starboard or starboard to port.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, do we really care.\u00a0 After all, what’s in a name.\u00a0 Isn’t it more important to be able to smoothly and efficiently sail the boat?\u00a0 Yes, it is, and if sailing the boat involves going to windward, then every definition of tack comes into play, and its your ability to tack that counts.\u00a0 So lets talk about that.\u00a0 How do you improve your tacks? Visit Sail in Phuket with https:\/\/yachttraininginasia.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Tip 1:\u00a0 Control the\u00a0angle of the tack.<\/strong>\u00a0 Under normal conditions, most boats today require a turn of 80 to 110 degrees to tack.\u00a0 Stop the turn as soon as possible.\u00a0 Don’t tack through too wide of an angle.\u00a0 Unless you are tacking for the purpose of turning around and going the other direction the goal of a tack is to help move to windward.\u00a0 Turning too far during a tack\u00a0only takes you away from that goal.\u00a0 Get the boat moving as fast as possible a few degrees away from\u00a0a close haul to build as much speed as possible then turn only as far as the boat requires to fill the sails on the new tack.<\/p>\n Tip 2:\u00a0 Control the “flogging” sail.<\/strong>\u00a0 A sail that is madly flogging does nothing good.\u00a0 Casting off the working sheet too soon allows the sail and sheets to flog.\u00a0 Flogging sheets damage boats and hurt people.\u00a0 Flogging sails create wind resistance and slow the boat.\u00a0 Don’t release the sheet too soon.\u00a0 Wait until the sail slightly\u00a0backwinds (begins to move to the other side of the boat) then release the sheet, making sure it runs free.\u00a0 A slightly backwinded sail stops the flogging, and helps speed the boat through the turn.\u00a0 Immediately trim the sheet on the other side (more on this in Tip 5.)<\/p>\n Tip 3:\u00a0 Whenever possible, glide directly to windward during the tack.<\/strong>\u00a0 This tip only works in moderate wind conditions.\u00a0 Instead of making a single turn of 90 degrees (plus or minus), break the turn into two parts.\u00a0 Turn until the boat is head to\u00a0wind and straighten,\u00a0allowing the boat to glide for a couple of boat lengths.\u00a0 Before your speed is lost, continue the turn to complete the tack.\u00a0 If the wind is blowing too hard, or the waves are too big, doing this will quickly slow the boat to the point you won’t be able to complete the tack.<\/p>\n Tip 4:\u00a0 A turned rudder creates drag.<\/strong>\u00a0 Turning the rudder turns the boat.\u00a0 However, it also creates drag, which in turn slows the boat down.\u00a0 Use as much rudder as is needed to complete the tack smoothly and efficiently … no more.<\/p>\n Tip 5:\u00a0 Trim the sheet before the sail fills.<\/strong>\u00a0 Trim the jib for the new tack as quickly as possible.\u00a0 There are a brief few seconds after the jib backwinds and before the jib fills on the other side.\u00a0 During this time, do your best to release the sheet allowing it to run free, and trim it on the other side.\u00a0 Try to get it completely trimmed before the boat turns to the point the sail wants to fill.<\/p>\n Here is a final thought.\u00a0 Before any tack, trim both main and jib as efficiently as possible to maximize the speed going into the tack.\u00a0 The boat will be moving slower exiting a tack than it was going in, so\u00a0get both sails re-trimmed as efficiently as possible to regain lost speed as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n As with any other skill, practice makes perfect.\u00a0 Use these tips during practice and your tacking will improve!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tack, Tack, and Tacking … so confusing.\u00a0 Are we talking about the lower, leading corner of a sail, the side of the boat the wind is coming from, or the process\u00a0of turning the boat through the wind so that the … Continue reading