Pumping, rocking, ooching...what are these?

[Greenheart]

From the little I've read of them, they seem to represent physical actions which will drive a dinghy forward without relying on wind or much skill...so they're either frowned on, or enthusiastically encouraged as another way of proving ability.

I'm idly intrigued. I don't have to keep to any rules, and I often sail when the wind is too light to drive the boat at a steady pace...so if there's a way of improving pace kinetically (whatever that may mean) I'd like to know more.

On the other hand, if these techniques involve unnatural motions and stresses which will shorten the life of my tired old spars, sails etc, I'll forget it. Likewise if it's a lot of hard work. Thanks. :encouragement:

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Looks like ooching is throwing your weight forwards to a sharp stop, then backwards slowly. Its going to be a lot of work for very little gain.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Pumping is letting a sail out, then pulling it sharply in.

 

[sarabande]

If you are on the point of transiting between displacement and planing, then an ooch can bump you up on the plane, with a much greater speed.

Rocking the boat can make the mainsail act like a a fan if you hold the boom, and that generates forward movement in a dead calm.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

You can do all when racing within limits. For example you can pump your main to put you onto the plane, as you will be going faster on the plane you would in all likelihood be sheeting in the main anyway. On a roll tack, you can both rock and pump the main to accelerate out the tack, although it is just the one pump in this case, but continually tacking like this would not be allowed, as would ouching over the line in very light winds, nor would pumping in non planing conditions be allowed. Rules change but that was more or less what I understood from my school boy racing days (mostly 420s).

http://www.sailorspeak.com/2011/10/20/ooching/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq9RVwmj4PU Ooching, it's right at the beginning of the video, the crew member lurches to the mast.
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=143201

 

[savageseadog]

Watch Ben Ainslie sail

 

[lpdsn]

Ooching is banned outright by the racing rules. It sometimes happens. I know of one competitive 45 footer that were doing it during a major regatta. One of the crew told me about it - I don't believe he realised they were breaking the rules.

You're allowed to pump the sails once per wave or gust to initiate planing. Works well up the size range in the right conditions providing the crew are co-ordinated. And a failed attempt to initiate planing doesn't go entirely amiss.

You'll often see dinghy racers doing all this when not racing. e.g. when coming into the slip.

I've managed to get a 36' cruiser from 0 up to 1Kt by rolling her with the mainsail pinned in tightly. I was on watch on my own and bored, very bored. The skipper was trying to avoid turning the engine on but he eventually relented.

 

[dunedin]

Ooching is banned outright by the racing rules.

Not entirely - many dinghy classes (e.g. Olympic 470s) have a class rule that permits pumping, rocking and ooching if a flag is hoisted by the race committee in winds over a certain speed.

 

[Greenheart]

You're allowed to pump the sails...works well up the size range in the right conditions...

That's good; mates in Europe dinghies tried to convince me their ability to 'pump' in a calm relates to the smallness of their boats, and that I couldn't do the same in the Osprey.

I should say again that despite these techniques being largely the focus of racers, my purpose is only to improve my cruising pace when things are a bit listless and frustrating...

...so possibly I should concentrate on rowing or setting up a sculling oar at such times.

I suppose using the sail as a giant fan to thrust the boat forward, is a fairly inefficient way of increasing pace, which can sometimes just about come within racing rules...

...whereas, given free reign to do anything to propel a dinghy faster, most racing crews would probably grab a paddle.

 

[lpdsn]

...whereas, given free reign to do anything to propel a dinghy faster, most racing crews would probably grab a paddle.

The only races I know of where oars/paddles are allowed are the 3PYR type sailing/fell running races.

It is possible to get a reasonable speed rowing an offshore racer (we were getting up to 2.5 knots - any wind-assisted boat speed above that made it awkward to row). Hard work though.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Start here for interpretations on what's legal when rule 42 (propulsion) applies.

http://www.sailing.org/raceofficials/rule42/

 

[Greenheart]

Thanks Ed, but who mentioned legality or the necessity to observe rules?

If I did, it was only to explain that none of it applies to my enquiry.