Changing Gears

Changing gears.

A commonly heard phrase referring to changing the way you sail a boat and set the sail to suit changes in wind strength. ‘Changing gears’ is something that has cropped up a lot in my recent coaching and as a consequence I have been pondering over the best way to explain it. This blog post is the result of my current thoughts.

 

What is it all about?

Essentially, at different wind strengths, to optimise your boat speed, it is important to alter the sail shape (or adjust controls to maintain the sail shape) and alter the way you sail the boat.

Keeping with the changing gears analogy I have come up with a few of the main gears and the difference between them. This is just a rough guide to help illustrate what I mean and may differ between sailors and classes of boat. This guide is with a Laser or Topper in mind, sailed inland. Some minor adjustments would be needed for coastal sailing to take account of the prevailing sea state.

Gear	Wind strength	How to sail the boat
1st	Drifting, not enough wind to fill the sail. Few ripples and glassy patches on the water.	·        Weight well forward. Trim transom out of the water ·        weight induced leeward heel to allow gravity to fill the sail ·        Prioritising speed ·        Sail set relatively flat, Kicker used to hold boom down
2nd	Enough wind to fill the sail, can sit on the side deck of a Laser. Constant ripples on the water.	·        Similar to above, leeward heel less. ·        Slight wind induced leeward heel to help give feel to the rudder. ·        Weight forward, trim transom just skimming the water. ·        Speed still the priority, but watch tell tales closely to try to gain height in any slight wind shift.
3rd	Sitting on the edge of the deck, starting to hike.	·        Boat flat or very slight leeward heel. Squeezing extra power from any gusts. ·        Transom just in contact with the water. ·        Sail set with more shape to give more power ·        Mainsheet increasingly used to keep leech tension. ·        Speed and pointing equally important.
4th	Hiking most of the time, occasionally having to spill wind	·        Boat flat or slight leeward heel. Squeezing extra height and power (if needed) from the gusts. ·        Transom in the water, wake should always be smooth. ·        Prioritising pointing ·        Increased kicker and some downhaul used to control excess power. ·        Mainsheet block to block as much as possible. ·        Pinch to control excess power.
5th	Slightly overpowered most of the time	·        Hike hard, boat likely to have some leeward heel. Try to keep this constant by power control. Pinch and ease the sail to do this. ·        Controls used to depower and keep the sail controllable ·        Pointing important, but the sailor must work hard to keep speed up to prevent the boat stalling.
6th	Windy	·        Read my post on windy upwind sailing.

1^st and 2^nd gears are for light winds, 3^rd and 4^th represent medium winds, while 5^th and 6^th are when the wind is strong. (See my previous post on upwind sailing for a definition of wind strengths)

For me I think I probably have about 6/7 gears and while they are different, when the wind is around the changeover point from one to another there will be a blend of the two.

 

 When to change up or down?

As a car has an optimum rev range, so does a boat have an optimum wind speed, or power range to change gear. As you get to 3^rd gear and beyond this will vary depending on the weight of the sailor, but the change from 1^st to 2^nd to 3^rd and back again should be at pretty much the same wind strength for a given class of boat regardless of sailor weight. Simply put when you could be sailing more efficiently in another gear, it is time to change. To start with you can look at other boats around you to see what they are doing, if there is a range of gears being used look to see who is sailing fastest. As you get more proficient it is possible (and desirable) to develop a feel of when to change gears.

How often to change gears?

As often as you need, which is more often that most sailors do…….

Unless it is strong winds, I often find I will be changing through 3 gears or more during a race. On any one beat, especially in light to medium winds, 10+ gear changes is not uncommon.

 

What happens if you are in the wrong gear?

I often see sailors sailing in 1^st gear when there is sufficient wind to shift into 2^nd, which would give them greater speed and stop the boat slipping sideways by bringing it flatter.

Another common mistake is getting into 3^rd gear, sheeting block to block, but then as the wind drops not shifting back into second. Although the boat points well as a consequence the speed is rubbish flow over the foils is reduced and the boat slips sideways. Ease the mainsheet slip into second and keep the speed up.

 

In summary. The best sailors will be continually adjusting their sails and what they do to suit the changing wind and water conditions. If the wind has changed and boats around you are moving faster do you need to change up or down?

Happy sailing

Andy