Roll Tacking
I'm no rock star, but I might be able to help you with the basics on roll tacking. By the way, the same benefits apply to gybing,aka,"roll gybe". So after a few hundred
practice roll tacks turn her around and practice gybing, the key is to get out and practice, nothing you read or hear will substitute.
Before the "how" to roll the boat you should know the "why", so that after you've done a few you'll know if you've done it right. What you're trying to accomplish is
to get out of the tack and up to full speed as quickly as possible. Without rolling the boat, the only way to tack is with the use of the "brake"or rudder. When you roll the boat you don't use the brake, hence more speed. The other speed factor comes in flattening the boat on the new tack. After a well executed tack, both sets of blades (in and out of the water)
are cocked with energy which is released with the smooth flattening of the boat, hence more speed. The last benefit of a well executed roll tack is that you actually push the boat to weather with a hard roll, ideal for lee-bowing
your friendly rivals.
Now the "how". Let's assume for this lesson that you have enough wind to sail, you talked someone into sailing with you, it's not blowing 25 kts., and your psyched to learn a new weapon for your sailing arsenal. Back to that wind part,
roll tacks are most effective from 0-14kts. In more wind than that, you're sailing in a decent chop or swell and you're hiking pretty hard, here just getting through the tack in one piece and upright is a victory.
With skipper and crew comfortably sitting on the weather side, smiling of course, the decision is made that we must tack. Whether that decision is a correct one is an issue for another lesson, never-the-less "ready about". Here's where the roll part comes in. To get the boat to come into the wind, remember "no brakes", you must roll the boat to leeward (low side) to create additional helm on the boat which forces it into the wind, remember to take off the brakes when you pre-roll, ie. let the tiller naturally go to leeward. My personal preference on pre-roll is to place my aft foot toward the center of the cockpit and my front foot against the weather tank pointing foreword, (I will eventually be pushing off of my front foot.). I then move my weight from the rail, (my butt), to the center of the boat,(my aft foot), this is usually enough weight movement to start the boat into the wind. If its too light then the crew should help with the pre-roll by leaning in. Remember, this is a slow, subtle motion, any jerky movements will slow the boat. As the boat slowly comes into the wind, stay cool and hold that pose! most people blow a decent roll tack by not being patient and trying to roll the boat too early! There are a few telltales to watch for as to when to roll. Before that, here's how to roll. When the time comes, your weight is still on your feet and off the rail for your pre-roll, now you want to put the weight back on the rail by smoothly sitting back down and leaning your upper body outboard with a slight snapping motion. By the way, your crew should be doing the same thing at the same time.
Back to the "when" on the roll. You have done a smooth pre-roll and your hanging with your weight on your feet, when you feel the sensation of the boat righting itself and the
jib luffing, you are close. Weight another brief moment until the jib starts to backwind and you are confident the bow is just through the eye of the wind, Now roll the boat.
(see "how to roll" above.)
Here is the only time you may want to actually use the rudder. You might find that as you are rolling the boat you may have to give the rudder a little jab to speed the boats rate
of turn from head to wind to the next tack, it usually only needs a slight jab though.
Back to your feet. You have snapped your shoulders and the boat feels like it wants to come down on top of you, don't panic. Your front foot is still against the tank pointing forward, now bring your aft foot in right behind it. Use the momentum of the snap of your shoulders to get back into the boat, lead with your head. Your hand on the tiller extension will be first through under the boom, followed by your hand with the main sheet (easing out about a foot of sheet as you tack), then your head and shoulders. As soon as they are over your feet you can put weight back on your feet and start across the boat. Lead with your aft foot to the new high side while pushing with your front foot. Your first foot across (old aft one)
will become your forward foot as you start your 180 turn. Don't do that turn all at once though, stop instead at 90 degrees, facing forward, weight moving to your new front foot. In this
position you can both watch the bow come out of the tack and control the turn rate, as well as lean with your forward thigh against the weather deck to control the heel angle. Once you
have completed the turn and you are on the new tack, complete the body turn by bringing your aft foot up and sitting on the deck. This is the point when you complete the "roll tack" by flattening the boat. Depending on the wind strength your crew will be doing the same thing.
If it's on the lighter side you may want to have the crew hang in the middle of the boat and only come to the high side after the skipper has flattened the boat. Because you eased
about a foot and a half of main sheet when you came through the tack, you should smoothly trim that back in as you flatten the boat, this is fast!
Here are a couple major do's and don'ts:
* Do not hold the tiller!!. (If I have wasted my time writing this to hear that you sail holding on to the
tiller, I'll be pissed! Racing dinghy sailors only hold the
tiller EXTENSION!! at the end, aft hand, palm down.)
* Do not push or pull on the tiller extension! (remember that thing is attached to the brakes. only in desperate times should you use the rudder.)
* Do not over pre-roll. only pre-roll the boat enough to generate the helm necessary for the boat to naturally come into the wind.
* Do not try to roll the boat (to windward) to early. (already talked about that.)
* Do not allow the boat to heel excessively on new tack. (This applies to the windier rolltacks. Use the mainsheet to control how much heel you have and move across the boat quicker if its windy. You’ll know if you have stalled the
boat by looking down at the centerboard and seeing those eddies coming off the trailing edge.)
* Do not worry about the things in your hands. (You will overload your brain if you try to switch the tiller and mainsheet while executing the perfect roll-tack. Just complete to tack, get settled, then switch hands, you'll get used to it.)
* Do not yell at your crew for screwing up. (Do a better job
explaining to them the concepts and try it again.)
* Do practice and have fun.(This may sound obvious, but if you don't do these two things you'll Never get it!
Class dismissed,
Now hit the water!
Smooth Sailing,
Ted Pinkerton III
29099, Cleveland.
t3@treadware.com