Light Winds

[Doineann]

As a cruiser/occasional club racer, I find that we struggle in light winds, this may be down to our Westerly Storm being just too heavy,
I know all the advice is to make the sails more powerful, slacken off the back stay, and outhaul, and so on. Does anyone have any other tricks? If the wind is really just the odd zephyr is there not an argument for making the sails tight so they transmit the power to the boat at once?

 

[savageseadog]

Heel the boat to leeward with crew. open the leaches of the sails with the sheets slackened, jib car back, mainsheet car up. I use magnetic tape to act as a wind indicator. Don't try to point too high.

 

[bbg]

The sails need shape, which is why they should not be tight. Flat sails will give no drive. The sails need to be secured to the boat (i.e. sheets made off, not held in a hand) to transmit their force to the boat. The sails do not need to be tight.

Get weight off the boat if you can. I expect you could take scores of kilos off. Maybe more.

Have people move around the boat slowly. Very slowly.

Put weight (people) to leeward and forward (near the mast). Weight to leeward will induce heel that will help give the sails a better shape. Getting weight out of the cockpit will help get the stern out of the water and reduce wetted surface.

 

[flaming]

Do not try and point, just try and move. The pointing will come only when the boat is moving.

As a helm it's the worst time, the crew are relaxed, basically sunbathing, and you're concentrating harder than ever. They always take the piss out of me when we come ashore on a light day and I'm shattered. But it's mentally very draining to helm well in light conditions.

And the general advice is - if in doubt, ease it. If slow, pick any random control and ease it. 99% of the time you'll go faster.

 

[bbg]

One other point (and related to flaming's advice to try to move rather than try to point) if you are really not moving much at all. Centre the rudder and allow the boat to start to move. Get some flow over the rudder. It will not steer if it is stalled, which can easily happen if you turn it too far. I have on occasion forced myself to centre the rudder for two minutes no matter what happens, just to get some flow and then steerage. That can work.

I agree with what flaming says about the concentration required from the helmsman. That is partly because there are great gains (or probably more accurately great losses) to be made when the wind is light. A 0.4 knot speed difference at 1.0 knots is 40% faster than the next boat. The same speed difference at 6 knots is only 6.7 % faster.

 

[Doineann]

What about when the wind, such as it is, is coming from behind the beam? In light conditions it is usually flicking all over the place and so it is usually difficult to run goose winged, and given we are an aging couple half of the time (the mem sahib is usually helming and I do all the pulling and so on but sometimes we have others to help) coloured sails are not usually an option.
My main drive is the foresail, if I let the main out it blankets the genoa so I find that I am better of pulling in the main but this seems to waste sail area.
We try to get the wind at least off of the quarter but then that makes for course changes as we chase the wind, which means moving the rudder
I agree light wind is the really difficult bit, and we are pretty carp at it. It is also true we do cart around excess weight, and not only around my middle.

 

[Judders]

Sails need a full shape but many people go too far in very light airs. The sail needs gut but not so much that the breaths of wind become detached. Basically don't make it have to travel too far around the back of the sail. The only way to get this right of course is to go out and practice it.

As a helm it's the worst time, the crew are relaxed, basically sunbathing, and you're concentrating harder than ever. They always take the piss out of me when we come ashore on a light day and I'm shattered. But it's mentally very draining to helm well in light conditions.

It's not all fun and games for the tactician either. The stress on a light day, particularly when it's snakes and ladders, is excruciating. (I'm really not looking forward to this weekend).

 

[markhomer]

Funnily , ive always found in drifters that sails set flat and opened leaches are quickest , similar settings to heavy weather ,obviously no reefed ��, dinghies , cats and keelboats , i seem to win in these conditions so cant be that wrong , the very light winds need low drag sails for obvious reasons .

Once wind picks up from drifter to very light then you can use a bit of draught in sails for power
Concentration helps , most folks dont , paramount to keeping boat moving .

Weight , being heavy no disadvantage , once moving momentum will carry you through perhaps even an advantage .

 

[lw395]

Funnily , ive always found in drifters that sails set flat and opened leaches are quickest , similar settings to heavy weather ,obviously no reefed ��, dinghies , cats and keelboats , i seem to win in these conditions so cant be that wrong , the very light winds need low drag sails for obvious reasons .

Once wind picks up from drifter to very light then you can use a bit of draught in sails for power
Concentration helps , most folks dont , paramount to keeping boat moving .

Weight , being heavy no disadvantage , once moving momentum will carry you through perhaps even an advantage .

Yes, when it's very light, struggling to keep moving, fairly flat sails will keep the flow attached better than very full sails.
And in the lulls, the wind will come a long way forward due to boat speed.
Generally need plenty of twist and concentrate on keeping flow across the sails.