| Hobie Forums http://www.hobie.com/forums/ |
|
| Tacking and Currents http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44697 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | SPROUT [ Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Tacking and Currents |
Hello All, I'm still new with the H16 but I have a few sails under my belt and have been successful tacking. This weekend I had a long upwind journey home. The wind and current was almost coming from the same direction. When I attempted to tack the jib would backwind, as I was coming through the wind the current would push me back into the irons. Has anyone been in this situation? What is the best approach to navigate these conditions? After many failed tacks I found the best solution was to jibe. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks, SPROUT |
|
| Author: | MBounds [ Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tacking and Currents |
When you're sailing in current, it's like being on a moving carpet - everything moves with you. It shouldn't affect your tacking at all. The problem with current moving in the same direction as the wind is that it reduces the apparent wind. The apparent wind is the vector sum of the true wind and the current (true wind @ 10 kts from due east; current @ 2 kts from due east = apparent wind of 8 kts from due east). |
|
| Author: | badgerfan [ Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tacking and Currents |
Sprout. I sail alot on the ICW on the coast of NC and the "currents" here are the tide changes, some of which can be as much as 3 or 4 knots. Imagine trying to tack against that when the wind and current oppose each other. The best way I've found to get through irons is to let the boat actually back up, with the current, and crank your rudders so that they actually force the hulls away from the wind on your new course. This allows the jib to come across and fill. Wha-la. Successful tack. You may lose some ground while backing up, no big deal. Make sure your main is set up for the tack also and the jib sheeted in the center. Another key is to "carve" your turns vs. yanking on the rudders and killing your forward momentum. Hope this helps, it seems to work pretty well for me. Good idea to practice backing your boat up when there isn't a current to fight, just to see how it feels. Good luck. |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|