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.
_________________ KU '79 H16 #64048 #58757
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