Musing on dinghy sailors as crew

Amulet

Amulet

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All the best crew I've ever had on my boat learned to sail in dinghies. However there's one thing I can never teach them -to helm to windward from the lee cockpit bench. They have to perch up to windward where they can't see the luff of the jib. I'm bemused - sitting along the lee in a "breakfast in bed" position with the rail dipping gently feels like bliss to me. What am I doing wrong?
 
As a dinghy sailor, I often end up helming to leeward, to enable the crew to sit to windward with a view of the kite.
As a yacht helm, you need to be able to steer a reasonable course while moving all around the cockpit eating a bacon roll.
Many yachts, especially those with tacky little wheels, don't enable you to helm from far enough outboard or forward.
 
One of the nicest compliments I received as a sailor was when when the skipper of a boat I crewed on last year left me on the helm while he disappeared below. He popped up after 10 mins and said "I can guess you were a dinghy sailor in your youth - it's only dinghy sailors who know how to sail close to the wind!"

Well I thought it was a compliment!
 
It's natural enough - a guy I raced with always used to helm from the downhill position except on the start line. But then again he had staff like me to look out for other boats and windy stuff, so there was always conversation telling him what was happening on the uphill side.
 
Years ago I took my sister and hubby out. They were dingy sailors (I never was - too tippy!). We were heading across Christchurch Bay from Poole in a nice wind but a bit murky - no land to be seen. All set up for 1 mile south of St Kats. Charter boat pre-GPS. I left them to drive and went below to make lunch.

Came up 30mins later, boat going like a train. They say
"We've got it going much faster"
Me "What's your heading?"
They "What?"
Me "When did you turn?"
They "What?"

Dinghy sailors!
 
Dinghy sailors as crew are fine, and have quaint habits (like me) of always holding the mainsheet and tweaking to get the last bit of speed,; found that crews on the jib are also very good at tweaking too. Irrespective of experience allow dinghy sailors aboard ,you'll find that they are appreciative, learn a lot , and you get a helping hand when needed too!!
If your own family are dinghy sailors invite their mates aboard, gives them someone to chat to and can set up a team for you...........so not all bad! But I still miss my Merlin and Wayfarer!!
 
I can see both sides of this as I sail both currently. But I do remember taking a couple of pals for a weekend on the Clyde who regularly dinghy raced. We were in a Westerly25 and they insisted on getting the gunwhales under water on a beat. They didn't worry even when I pointed out that there were no club rescue boats available and a rig failure could actually kill or maim someone with that force on it. But then, it was my boat, so it wouldn't have cost them anything!

It was fun tho' & we didn't break anything much to my surprise, but probably would have made better progress reefed down.
 
I think it is a bit of a sweeping statement about dinghy sailors however....
A dinghy can and often is sailed for speed upwind rather than pointing likewise sometimes down wind. But a keel boat will not go much faster (than hull speed limitation) so tends to be sailed for best pointing with good speed and downwind mostly for the shortest difference.
On a dinghy you spend much more concern and effort just keeping it upright wheras with a keel boat you can concentrate on precision sailing.

Me I am grateful to get any crew especially if they will come a second time!

good luck olewill
 
Most new comer dinghy crews agrue & blame me for reef the main sail early. When they see the boat goes level, sails stop flapping, speed log proof faster in speed & boat pointing higher, they then stop mumming and start enjoy the ride.
 
Have spent many years with a couple of dinghy racing mates on the annual weeks cruise. By the end of the first day the main and jib have been tweeked every 5 seconds and they have nearly worn the winch out.

By the end of the week they have settled into cruising, sails sheeted and left unless the wind or course changes.

I learned on dinghys and it still feels odd sailing from downhill.

ed. must learn to spell more wurds
 
As a Wayfarer, I found myself crewing on a Sun Oddysey recently, and had to keep my frustrations to myself.... was helmed from the lee side (until the autohelm got switched on), sheets not touched until we had undergone about a ninety degree course change, couple of accidental gybes, sloppy upwind angle on the way home befoe throwing in the towel and motoring the rest of the way...
I mean, what's the point??
 
Guilty as charge m'lud. Having done 80% of my sailing in dinghies I really do struggle with helming from a leeward position, and yes yes yes..helming from the uphill side is necessary IMHO if you want the best view of the jib/genoa tell tales and the wind indicator to keep you on those windshifts..and making forward progress upwind. Its just the way i've always done it, thats all. I don't like wheel steering either..I still prefer a tiller for the extra 'feel' and fine control....whether its real or illusory is a different matter, but its the way my wee brain functions that tells me I prefer it.

I can also identify with dinghy sailors reefing too late..coming from a 'fly everything you possibly can and run with it' philosophy to learning that downsizing the sail can actually improve things, is somehow counter intuitive to a dinghy sailor, but I know full well its often the best thing to do.

I've no objection to those who like to slump down in the leeward side, in fact good luck to em, and I do try it from time to time, but I just don't feel comfortable there.

Tim
 
If your yachting is in sub-20ft boats helming from the leeward side is not an option. Trimming the boat is critical.
I have noticed that dinghy sailors have a habit of knocking the mainsheet off if there is a gust. Very annoying. Especially when they are supposed to be on the headsail.
I've explained about fin keels and ballast and such. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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