sailing to windward in strong gusty weather
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Having just bought me second ok I’m after some advice on sailing to windward on gusty breezey days. I know flat is how it needs to be, but whats the technique when it gets to the point when you just don’t have enough weight and to pinch enough would stall the boat?
In a laser you would crank the kicker on and play the boom in and out with the main sheet. Obviously you can’t crank the kicker on in an ok, and with no kicker as soon as you ease the main sheet the mast straightens powering up – the last thing I want to happen.
Is it down to playing the traveller? In my last boat when it was breezy i would have the boom down near the deck and if a large gust was to come through there wouldn’t be enough mainsheet in the system to let the boom move out. (i would have to uncleat the nainsheet and ease that too). Do newer boats have a better/shaped traveller to over come this?
Interested in any tips on how to get an ok upwing in gusty conditions fast, as I used to find I would beat up all the lasers on the water in all conditions except these…
Charlie
Betchalife someone will post immediately to say it’s wrong, but I always dump the traveller when a strong gust strikes. If I’m just marginally overpowered I aim up a bit. I really agree that letting the sheet go just powers up the rig. Once I’ve got the sheet pulled in it stays there until I tack or knock it out of the cleat !
I don’t know what anyone else’s experience is, but I usually find lasers are pretty easy meat upwind in a breeze, as long as they are using the standard rig.
DavePS, might have mentioned, my traveller’s radiussed in both directions, and the mainsheet block’s on the floor.
Well Charlie, Dave is giving good advise!
Letting the traveller out as you start to get overpowered is correct and don’t be afraid to go as far as it will go – ie the side deck. No matter what strength the wind is, you should never have your traveller set above half way between the centre of the boat and the sidedeck.
I tend to use the kicker alot upwind in heavy weather, which doe’s come with risks (remember to let off before you tack!) but ultimately flattens the sail off, so depowering. Having kicker on also helps to push the traveller and boom out to where you want it – it doe’s on my boat anyway!
Pinching it into the wind when hit by gusts, to keep the boat flat is what many of us do. This should also gain you height to windward (in theory)! This is all down to technique, which you seem to develop over the years. It is obviously not as fast as not doing it, but you should not be stalling the boat too much. If you are, you are being too brutal with the tiller.
Remember – OK’s are a harder boat to sail than a Laser, particularly in windy weather. A good Laser sailor is less likely to be as overpowered as you are, so my advice would be to sink them all before the start.
Come to some of the events this year Charlie, so we can see what you are doing and give you some hands on advice.
Good Luck and hope to see you soon
Mike
Remember – OK’s are a harder boat to sail than a Laser, particularly in windy weather
I can’t BELIEVE you can say that Mike. I’ve been sailing a laser last backend while re-decking my boat, and I’d say it’s MUCH more difficult to sail, and especially in a breeze. It’s really tough to sit out because it doesn’t have enough freeboard and the side-decks are much too wide.
You can only work the control lines when you are on the centre-line – ie not when you’re sitting out. It’s very tough to get it to bear away in a breeze if the board’s down, but you can’t get the board up while sitting out. It doesn’t have a traveller. The sheet catches on the corner of the transom, there’s no mainsheet jammer, jeez, it doesn’t even have a proper bailer, the list just goes on and on! I could rant for ever about this!……… ummm you didn’t say that just to wind me up, did you? Mike?
DaveA rig suited to your weight and fitness helps a lot. Too stiff and you will be fighting a losing battle.
I have never had a traveller that works that well in a breeze. Alex Rushworth assures me that this will be different on my new machine!
However, when windy letting the traveller down and cranking on the mainsheet seems to help. Keep the top of the sail flat and a bit of depth down below and work hard to keep as much forward motion on as possible. Try not to resort to feathering in the gusts, to keep going fast and feathering is a bit of a delicate trick to perform. If you slow up you make your job a load harder.
If it does then get really windy, pull the kicker on hard and then let a bit of main out. If the kicker is powerful enough when easing the main you shouldn’t power up the rig. As the good looking Chuckle Brother says, for goodness sake let it off when you tack.
Dave,
I appreciate that your boat has been deckless, but I wouldn’t advise admitting that you have been sailing a Laser!! Maybe, subconsciously I was trying to wind you up!
Having not sailed a Laser since I was a kid, I may have been speaking out of turn Dave. My theory was based on the fact that the OK is renowned for being a pretty physical boat to sail, particularly in a breeze. However, from your experience in a Laser they sound bloody horrible! People that sail them must be mad.Dan is also giving good advice regarding having a rig suited to your weight. Take Dan for intance – he weighs 8.5 stone and is very competitive in a breeze. He has a pretty bendy mast (made out of elastic bands I believe) and proves that you can sail an OK whether you a light or heavy. Finding the right balance I think is key also, because if your rig is too soft you will suffer in lighter winds as the rig is not powerful enough. Ideally, you need a rig that you can just about cope with in windy weather, but will still have enough power for lighter winds.
My god – I’m worn out!!
Anyone else with advice to add to confuse Charlie even more?
Mike
I gave charlie some advice this weekend whilst he was rigging the boss, watch which way the wind is blowing whilst releaving yourelf outside
I don’t mind admitting it, Mike. Sailing a laser is better than not sailing at all.
Back on the subject of windy weather, I wouldn’t be very happy going up wind with the kicker down: suppose there comes a scream of ‘Starboard’ from about 6 feet away under the sail? You’ve got to tack!
DaveTake no notice Dave, We won’t tell anybody about your Laser sailing (honest)
Mike is only jealous because he is too fat to sail a Laser, and Kath won’t let him out to play anyway.Hi Charlie – these tips should help a lot though Mike has forgotten that his main technique for going well upwind is eating 4 meals a day and then stealing the food off his childrens plates so he becomes the size of a house
Only other add is how critical mast rake is – drop me a private email and I’ll give you some #s but dont want to put them on the forum in case the Kiwis are spying on us again!
Cheers
NickCharlie already steals food from children but for some unknown reason, he still is built like a puppy wippet, i on the other hand just look at a cake and am already back to phantom size and weight again
Just picked up this old thread. Jeez, how many of you have actually sailed a laser? Fast, sensitive, exhilirating, scary, especially down wind ! yes these all describe a laser. I have been racing one for over 3 years now and have learned more sailing a laser than any racing dinghy before. I am new to Ok dinghies as i wanted to try a slightly different class but with hopefully the same qualities, with the exception of scary, i hope? If the OK gives me anywhere near the excitement and learning experience i gained in my Laser i will be very happy.
Raymie.
Hi raymie64,
Greetings from Australia. This is a very interesting post! Many of our OK dinghy sailors may not have sailed a Laser but some including our World Champion have. The Laser with the full rig provides a level playing field that really does test the athletic ability of the helmsman. All of the top Laser sailors are very, very good! They are relatively young, fit and very talented. From my experience in the boat, speaking as a Great Grand Master sailor who is far from young, not too fit and with experience rather than a lot of talent, I can say that the Radial rig is a lot more friendly for most ageing OK dinghy sailors. With 40 years in the OK dinghy class I am naturally biased towards our boat. It is a far more pleasant boat to sail than the Laser as the rig actually works! This is the main factor you will find once you start to gain more experience in the OK dinghy. Hopefully with time in your boat you will enjoy the sailing and then upgrade to a carbon mast and sail rig tailored to your skills and sailing weight/ability. Then you will learn what the current OK dinghy is all about. It is a superb boat!
Scary it may well still be! The OK dinghy off shore in 20 knots with a good sea swell of 3-4 metres will give you more than enough thrills to last a life time. Once you learn how to sail the OK in these conditions, I will guarantee you that you will feel more comfortable in the OK dinghy than in a Laser. Unless you are as good as Tom Slingsby, Paul Goodison or the other few top Laser guys , you are probably like me and would not survive in a Laser in such similar conditions. As I said before, the top Laser guys are really, really good but these blokes are now professional sailors and the rest of the Laser guys are mostly a long, long way behind. The great thing about the OK dinghy is that it gives the middle of the road sailor an opportunity to compete at the top level in International competition. This is the wonderful thing about our class and why we have survived for the past 50 years.
I’m sure you will learn much in the OK dinghy class. The GBR association has many friendly, helpful officials and members who will be happy to assist in any way possible to help you enjoy your membership in the GBR class association and your experience with OKDIA. The comradeship in the OK dinghy class is second to none.
Cheers, Bill.
Hi Bill, Thanks for your response. I am new to Ok sailing and have just bought a boat to race. Unfortunately i have had more than a few problems with the boat and have only managed to get sailing tonight in a club race. In particular i have found the mainsheat tension on a beat to be totally unbearable to sustain compared to my Laser and a finn i have been sailing, surely this cant be correct? I had to retire from the race due to a top bearing failure, the rivets came undone leaving the bearing above the deck level making me think the lower mast retainer had come undone, not a good feeling trying to get back in a reasonably gusty evening thinking the mast is going to take the deck out. At this point after spending a considerable amount of time prepping this boat i must say i am more than tempted to go back to my laser sailing that has given me so much fun and education in sailing single handers. Although i am resisting the urge to give my Ok a viking funeral i have decided to persevere with it for now and try and work through its short comings. Any advise would be welcome in the art of sailing and setting up of the OK.
R.
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