Improving the humble tack is an area where many crews can make gains, even marginal ones. Olympian and Ocean Race skipper Robert Stanjek shares some key areas to focus on for improvement with Andy RiceTacking into an uncomfortable swell using the optional heavy weather staysail. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr\/EYOTYWhile a tack is one of the most fundamental manoeuvres, it\u2019s also hard to execute well. The more crew on board, the harder it is to co-ordinate the timing of the roles. The bigger the sea state, the more critical the timing and execution of the tack to minimise the boat-stopping impact of the next wave.
\nComing from an Olympic sailing background, having raced in the Laser single-hander and represented Germany in the Star keelboat, Robert Stanjek has taken his obsession for the small details into the big boat scene. He gives a lot of thought to every aspect of the race course, including what makes a good tack.
\nHe only asks that you don\u2019t judge him by his tacks on an IMOCA. \u201cThey are a 60ft tank designed to go fast in a straight line for hundreds of miles,\u201d he says. \u201cTacking them around a short course is not a pretty sight because they\u2019re just not designed for it!\u201d [Note: this was before the major collision between Guyot and 11th Hour Racing at The Ocean Race Leg 7 start].
\nInstead, Stanjek offers his five best tips on how to tack a more conventional, fully-crewed keelboat.
\nWith close upwind traffic in one-design fleets, like these ClubSwan 50s at the Rolex Swan Cup, marginal gains made through each tack can have a big pay off. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi\/Rolex
\nAlter your rate of turn
\nTacking is not a simple manoeuvre. For a good tack on a fully crewed boat you need everyone working to the same rhythm. The helmsman, mainsheet trimmer and headsail trimmer all need to be on the same page. Most of the time the tactician calls the countdown and the driver puts the boat into the turn.
\nBut you need to vary the rate of turn for different conditions and sea states. In flat water you start on a wider radius to accelerate into the tack, so that you extend the middle of the tack and make useful metres towards the next mark while you\u2019re going through head to wind.
\nThe heavier the boat, the better the momentum through the mid-part of the tack and if there are no waves to slow the boat, you can really take advantage of that windward gain.
\nTarget speed before angle
\nFor the last part of the tack, you exit on a slightly smaller radius and a bit below your target angle, somewhere between 10-12\u00b0 lower. The headsail trimmer is pulling the jib on, say 85%, and the helmsman is leaning nicely into the jib. I always like to have the trimmer calling target speed. The helmsman has eyes on the water and the telltales, and the trimmer has eyes on the numbers.
\nKeep pushing for target speed, and only when you have reached it do you start heading up for target angle. Throughout this speed build it\u2019s important the jib and the main trimmer are working in unison, gradually tightening the sheets until you\u2019re back to 100% trim.
\nChoose your moment on waves
\nAs soon as you have any significant sea state, you need to turn on a tighter radius because if you hit a wave badly during a tack it\u2019ll really slow you down. You can\u2019t afford to go for the long glide towards the breeze, so now it\u2019s about completing the tack as efficiently as possible, in the flattest part of water you can find.
\nIf the waves are long you should start to turn the boat as you go up the wave, and you can accelerate the boat out of the turn as you are going downhill. In this case the wave can actually help you. But in most cases where the boat is too long for the wave you need to choose the flattest spot available.
\nNormally you\u2019ll find there are five or six consecutive waves in a pattern and then two to three bigger waves \u2013 so time your tacks for the smoothest part of the wave cycle.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5 tips on strategic starting for sailors<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetting a good start is not just about being fast off the line in clear air. Sometimes the better start\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5 tips: finding clear air in a crowded racing fleet<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor the leading boats clear air comes free, but for those locked in the middle of a competitive fleet this\u2026<\/p>\n
Use crew movement to steer
\nIt helps to have the crew all leaning in a bit to help promote the tack. Even better if they all do a quick hike before they change sides to do a kind of \u2018roll tack\u2019 to help initiate the turn. The crew needs to match the speed they cross the boat to the speed of the wind.
\nIn stronger wind it\u2019s a case of getting from one side to the other as quickly as possible, with minimal time off the rail. But when it\u2019s light airs you need everyone to be patient and wait a little longer on the old side, let the boat tack and only when the sails have fully filled on the new tack is it time to gradually bring the weight up to the new side.
\nDon\u2019t panic in traffic
\nIt\u2019s one thing to execute a perfect tack with lots of space around you, but then there\u2019s the challenge of continuing to do that on a busy race course. A common mistake I see is helmsmen spinning the boat too quickly and losing the boat\u2019s momentum because they\u2019re in a bit of a panic about the traffic.
\nAvoid the temptation to turn the boat through a smaller radius than usual. Stick to your usual timings and processes, and have the confidence to execute a standard tack even in the heat of battle.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post 5 expert tips to improve your tacking appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Improving the humble tack is an area where many crews can make gains, even marginal ones. Olympian and Ocean Race skipper Robert Stanjek shares some key areas to focus on for improvement with Andy RiceTacking into an uncomfortable swell using … <\/p>\n