Sea schools Sailing Schools and yachtmaster training

Some of the techniques taught in yachtmasters training...

Reaching

Reaching is the fastest point of sailing. In heavy weather it is essential to set the right amount of sail area to prevent excessive heel and to balance the rig to keep weather helm to a minimum. A reefed mainsail with a relatively larger headsail will move the centre of effort of the sail plan forward. This reduces the pull on the helm and also the heeling angle of the boat, and should allow the boat to gain maximum speed very quickly.

Sailing schools will tell you that in fair weather a spinnaker can be set. However, in very light winds, a tightweather headsail is preferable since it will not collapse when the boat rolls to leeward. If a spinnaker is set, the tuff tension (the height of the outboard end of the pole) is crucial. As a general rule the two clews of the sail should be an equal height off the deck. As the wind rises, the pole should be raised. When the spinnaker collapses, either down its entire leading edge or in the middle, you've got it right.

The spinnaker should not be overtrimmed on a reach; the sheet should be eased until the leading edge just begins to fold, and then sheeted in again slightly to keep the sail at its optimum angle.

In heavy-weather reaching, all the crew should be aft and up on the windward side. This helps to keep the boat upright and the stern down so that the rudder is more effective and the bow out of the water, thus reducing the boat's weather helm to give the helmsman more control.

In very light weather the reverse should happen; the crew should be up forward of the mast and on the leeward side. This keeps the bow down, lifting the flat sections out of the water, so reducing the wetted surface. Increasing the weight to leeward causes the boat to heel slightly, with the result that the sails take up their natural shape through gravity.

Sailing schools teach sailing before the wind

Off-the-wind sailing is a bit like cruising down the trade winds. Direction is not limited, it is dry, and usually much warmer since the apparent wind is less. Steering is not so critical and more sail area (eg, spinnaker) can be set.
A course, appropriate to your direction and the tidal stream, will dictate the wind angle to the boat. If it is between 90° and 180° and there is sufficient manpower on board, a spinnaker can be set.

This is the ideal wind angle to use this sail, and it should be set with just the mainsail, the genoa being lowered and secured on deck.
The cruising chute (the style of spinnaker) can be used efficiently up to Force 3 with the wind 70-100° off the bow and up to Force 4 or 5 with the wind at 100-135°. If the wind is dead astern, it can be used in a Force 6. It is usually set flying and is easily handled by a small crew.

If the wind is blowing very hard, a genoa or jib can be set with full or reefed mainsail, and with the wind forward of 135° it can be used on the same side as the main. Once the wind is aft of 160° the headsail can be goosewinged, preferably with a whisker pole if the boat is rolling heavily. This is a good downwind, heavy-weather rig and, as the wind increases, the same format can be maintained by reefing the mainsail and setting a smaller headsail.

With the wind dead aft, the crew should split into two parties to balance the boat. In light winds they should sit amidships and as far outboard as possible on each side, to act as wing ballast and reduce rolling. When the wind freshens, they should move farther aft to keep the stern down, while maintaining an even distribution of weight.

Running can be the most hazardous point of sailing because of the risk of gybing and the true wind always being stronger than it seems.

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