When sailing, upwind sailing and tacking become an inexhaustible and indispensable source of joy and sorrow. Let's face it, it's an ungrateful point of sail, punctuated by small gains that are more easily lost than gained. But this game can also become an art capable of offering immense pleasure to those who play it with passion.
Tacking is the manoeuvre associated with close-hauled sailing, as it allows you to tack that is to say, to reach a point facing the wind. Our memories as novices probably remind us of unstable, noisy and particularly agitated manoeuvres. Now that we have a few miles under the keel (or daggerboard), we may have repeated the manoeuvre a thousand times, but sometimes there are unpleasant surprises and even catastrophic tacks.
As with any technique, repetition and experience can improve tacking. We saw in the previous article the preparation phases to limit the obstacles and the role of the crew performing the manoeuvre. If the crew has a major responsibility in the success of the tack, the skipper must create the conditions for the success of the manoeuvre.
During the tack, the helmsman will draw a curve on the water crossing the wind bed and allowing to go from one side to the other. The radius of the curve and its speed are controlled by the helmsman. To optimise the turn, he must execute the turn with the least possible loss of speed.
Brakes and lack of propulsion
We also know that during the turn we pass through an area without propulsion. So it's on the boat's momentum, on its momentum, that we're counting on to get through this empty passage. The brakes should therefore be kept to a minimum.
The two elements, aero and hydro, in which the boat moves can easily slow it down. A jib that is slackening too early in the tack is an excellent air brake. Stalling the laminar flow around appendages such as the rudder is also a very good underwater brake. In fact, racers use the technique of tight turns and a faseye jib to stop their boat and get to the start line. Remember that the aim here is to tack with as little loss of speed as possible. So there is no point in making a tight turn that will stop the boat while taking away the hope of being able to tuck the sails in properly.
Well, then.., we're gonna look for the smoothest curve . Neither too slow not to stop facing the wind, nor too fast not to stall the water around the boat while it is turning. Without propulsion, you will inevitably slow down and it is generally accepted that the boat loses almost half of its speed during the tacking phase, but this slowing down must be limited.
How can we slow down possible??
Each transfer is singular because they depend on the sea state, the wind strength, but also on the crew. In the light wind the turn will be longer than in the heavy sea or you'll have to quickly escape from the wind and waves or risk stopping there.
The moderate wind and flat sea are ideal conditions for training with crew members to become familiar with the manoeuvre. Through repetition, the crew will become more and more experienced and the feeling of safety will grow on board.
To progress, a crew member can be asked to announce the speed of the boat before tacking. He or she will indicate again the boat's speed on leaving the tack and then the progressive acceleration. The tack is considered to be over when upwind you reach the same speed as on the other side. This exercise highlights the sharp deceleration and slow acceleration. You will also notice that you first need to have speed before you want to set a course.
And to judge the quality of the transfer, a look at the wake allows you to observe the radius of the curve and to know if you are close or far from the famous 90° angle that separates the two edges.
The radius of the curve
So a good tack isn't about pushing the bar around, it's more about a clever cocktail of speed and slowness.. . Try to make a regular curve so that the riders - who will have their heads a little bit in the handlebars - can synchronize with the speed of rotation.
A turn that is too fast often means exiting "too low", i.e. largely at the right fuel level. This has a double disadvantage, on the one hand the trimmer will not have had time to engage the sheet and on the other hand it is always a shame to do a bit of reverse course when you have been trying to get upwind for so long.
