Jon Baker on V15s

Jon Baker on V-15’s


Subject: V-15 sailing
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2000 08:02:00 -0500
From: "Jonathan Baker"
To: "Brad Churchill"


Brad-

I am not really sure what I can do to help with the v-15 sailing at
AC's. I
will pass on a few things that I think are important to
remember/consider in
a V-15 though.


weight/boat handling:
Obviously the boats are bigger and more powerful than the other boats
sailed
in college sailing. This means that generally everything that would
normally
be done sailing an FJ can be exaggerated. In light air, the boat needs
to be
rolled and flattened that much harder. If they are sailing in flat
water a
big roll tack will just get the rudder out of the water. Also, in light
air
the crew should be sitting as far forward as possible with the skipper
well
forward of the mainsheet block. In light air and chop just keep the bow
above the waves. As the breeze builds, move back in the boat. In
breeze the
crew should be far enough back that they are at the aft end of the
straps,
but still able to hike effectively.

trim:
Always keep the boat flat going upwind.
In light air the vang should used just like in an FJ. It should be set
for
the downwind position and generally left alone. The main needs to be
able to
twist when sailing upwind. The outhaul should always be tight for
upwind
sailing. This opens the slot between the main and jib. It is a very
good
idea to let the outhaul off for downwind sailing. The outhaul line
should be
eased about 2 inches. In breeze forget about the outhaul and just catch
the
next wave. In all conditions it is very important to get the board up.
Downwind the board should be all of the way up, on a reach anywhere from
1ft
to 2ft, depending on the angle. The boat will plane much faster if the
board
is up no matter how windy it is. As soon as the boat starts to become
overpowered pull the downhaul on. In breeze it is very fast to have as
much
downhaul on as possible. The skipper will have to pull it on and if it
is
windy don't bother letting it off downwind. In breeze use lots of vang
upwind. For most people the correct amount of vang is probably more
than
they think they need. Also, in all conditions crews tend to have a
difficult
time controling the leach of the jib when reaching. Since the jib is
much larger
than the other boats sailed in college many of the crews are not used to
pulling down on the jibsheet as much as they may have to get the leach
to
look correct on a reach. I think this is something that both the
skipper and
crew need to be aware of.

That is all I can think of right now. I hope that it is helpful.