Going about - what commands?

snowleopard

snowleopard

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As a lad I was taught 'Ready about .... Lee Oh', the second indicated the helm was going down.

There seem to be any number of command sequences, almost as many as there are skippers.

Mine have varied over the years depending on circumstances...

"Tack" on an International 14 racing on a river where it has to be instant through to the full square rig works... Clew up courses, spanker to windward, mainsail haul etc.

On a boat with headsails to be sheeted I like to use 'let go and haul' which says it all and on my present boat it sometimes goes 'going about....LEAVE THOSE B**** SHEETS ALONE!' (self tacking rig, crew not really with it).

Not wishing to start one of those threads where everyone ignores what others have written and can't wait to write about themselves, What do you think is a good set of commands for a conventional boat with a variety of experienced and novice crews?
 
Same - "ready about", responses of "ready" from the crew positions (or "wait" if there's a problem), then "lee oh" (sometimes I encounter "helm a'lee" just before the "lee oh"). For gybing it's "ready to gybe" and "gybe oh"
 
Pretty much as you say ...

'Ready about?' (it is a question)

Crew reply 'ready' (helm sheets main if required)

'Lee Ho!' (indicating helm has turned to lee)

Then leave them to it and concentrate on the new bearing but hopefully they already know I like the releasing sheet to be held a moment to assist with the turn.

I think this generally works but not always first time with every crew. I really hate it though when someone tries to turn this into a military excercise or some pedant insists on some exact verbage.
 
I'm happy for any series of commands to be shouted at me but personally I go for the following.

Ready about/prepare to tack: As a command to get ready.
Helms a'lee: The helm is hard over and the tack has commenced.
Lee Ho: As the boat goes through the wind and the boom goes overhead.

I think generally in modern boats the tack is fast enough to dispense with the Helms a'lee part. But on the old boats where the turn is more leisurely it's good to let the crew know when the tack is underway and when it's been successful.
 
"Stand by to go about" (or "to tack") - indicates that the skipper in his infinite wisdom has decided to point the boat in roughly the same direction but with the wind on the other side. Crew should now secure sunspecs, bathing towels, G&T glasses, and Norrie's Tables, and get ready for large amounts of flappy things crashing around the foredeck, and for mainsheet blocks to slide across tracks, removing fingers from unwary and ignorant passengers.
This is a preparatory information public relations exercise.

"Ready about" - the steering apparatus has been engaged to achieve the skipper's objective. Sometimes this co-incides with assorted bits of mainsheet or otherwise unused bits of string wrapping themselves round the cockpit crews feet with the spare winch handle, giving the impression of a the rope-fest required to send up a topmast, or a make and mend day on a square rigger.
This is an executive order.

"Lee ho!" This is traditionally given at increased volume to overcome shouts and screams from the sheet winch gorillas, and the foredeck union and grievance committee. It indicates that the skipper has seen the wind creep round to the right (or possibly correct side) of the genoa, and that he wants it all pulled in nice and tight so that he can continue with perusing the FT. The precise moment of this command will vary from boat to boat; those which carry their way easily through stays will hear this earlier than other boats such as cats and pilot cutters, which really need a bit of help from the wind to bring the boat round onto the new tack.

Any deviation from these commands is within the purlieu of the skipper's authority, but should be made clear to the crew before action. Weakening of the commands by such delicate phrases as "if you don't mind.. " or "perhaps we ought to think about ..." are to be discouraged.
 
So many skippers have dispensed with the preliminary "helms-a-lee" and replaced it with "lee-oh" that there is now confusion about when to release the genoa/jib sheet. Most crew sensibly take the view that "lee-oh" means let go the genoa sheet, which upsets those skippers who shout "lee-oh" at the start of the tack, and like to use the lift from the genoa generated by the rotation of the bow through the wind.

My sequence is a bit like Sarabande's with:

1. I think it's about time we put in a tack - what do you reckon?

2. Ready about

3. Going about (when the helm goes down)

4. Lee-oh (when the genoa starts to luff)

and on occasions, perhaps too frequent to mention:

5. Steady-on, you're backing the genoa

6. Oh sh*t, I've muffed it, we're well and truly stalled - hold the genoa aback, we're going about again.

Etc.
 
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What's the point of talking to myself? :D

But if I have my passengers with me they won't have a clue what is going on & wouldn't want to get involved anyway - it might lead to a broken nail after all.

I usually offer "It's all going to get a bit hairy for the next few seconds, but we will settle down leaning the other way, make sure any toys/ drinks/ books/ phones etc are properly secured"

Followed by "Get out of the F#@**ing way I need to pull that bloody rope" or "Who's standing on the bloody sheet?" or some such comment.:eek:

Only kidding . . . :D:D
 
Freestyle said:
1. I think it's about time we put in a tack - what do you reckon?

2. Ready about

3. Going about (when the helm goes down)

4. Lee-oh (when the genoa starts to luff)
Click to expand...
I usually sail alone (or effectively sail alone) but on occasions when with a crew member who is keen to be involved it starts very much like you :

1. I think it's about time we put in a tack - what do you reckon?

2. Ok ----- going about. (or let's do it, or here goes, or whatever)

As it's only a cockle-shell and the headsail slips past the mast easily enough I instruct my crew at the outset to back the headsail slightly before letting go and hauling in. (I can't stand flapping sails) so I leave it up to them. Those who know the ropes (see what I've done?) I encourage to leave the sail full until it starts to drive and then haul in. But I am very undemanding. We're just out for some fun, not World War 3. :D
 
I was working on a big charter boat once, corporate jolly.
Buffet lunch being laid out below.

'Ready About' yells the skipper.

'Lunch is NOT ready about' replies Mrs Skipper.

We sailed on, on the old tack.
 
lw395 said:
I was working on a big charter boat once, corporate jolly.
Buffet lunch being laid out below.

'Ready About' yells the skipper.

'Lunch is NOT ready about' replies Mrs Skipper.

We sailed on, on the old tack.
Click to expand...

On half-boats I always call below 'stand by to tack the galley'. ;)
 
On our boat it is not dissimilar to Sarabande, starting with "Time for some otherway stuff methinks".

If I am busy the response may be "Don't be silly", "I'm busy" or "Do it yourself" depending on what I'm doing at the time.

If there is no mutiny the next "command" from pessimist is "Hold along tight along the bus now !" which he claims he got from a West Indian bus conductor in his youth. (Presumably if he gets his bus pass he will acquire more useful and colourful phrases :)

Next comes "Day-o" which I understand comes from a bus song (well so says Google so it must be true) - here is the full text of the song http://bussongs.com/songs/the_banana_boat_dayo.php

Now where is the rum ?
 
snowleopard said:
Not wishing to start one of those threads where everyone ignores what others have written and can't wait to write about themselves, What do you think is a good set of commands for a conventional boat with a variety of experienced and novice crews?
Click to expand...

As per the other thread...
  • Ready about! Prepare yourselves folks, we are going to turn. Everybody awake on board is expected to answer "ready" when they are.
  • Helm's down Turn has started. I like the "down" here because new helms are reminded which way to push the tiller!
  • Lee-ho Phew. We're going to make it. Bring the jib across now.
    This avoids new jib sheet people bringing it across too soon

I'm not dogmatic, though - I am sure there are lots of equally good equivalents. I do like separating beginning the turn and making it round successfully, but maybe that's just because I have had boats - small and light then long keeled - in which failed tacks were fairly common.
 
"Ready about!"

"Sit there! Cast that sheet off! No, not that one; the blue one! No! The white rope with the blue flecks!"
"Okay, now sheet in the white rope with the red flecks. No, no, no, not that way! The other way round the winch."
"Good, now winch it in."
"Bit more. Bit more. Bit more. Bit more. Bit more."
"Out a bit."
"Right, where is everyone?"
>

>

>

"Ready about!"
 
"tacking!"
Generally does the trick. My boat goes about slowly enough to let the crew get the sheets, and if they don't, well I just do it myself.
Am I the only one who finds the whole "lee ho!" business a bit pretentious?
 
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