high wind tacking

from MMiller in a previous thread:
"Keep up the boat speed into the tack. Sheet harder as you come closer to head to wind, then release the sheets and force the sheets out by several feet, otherwise the boat weather vanes into the wind. Steer lightly when starting the tack and then hard over as the boat slows. Look for a swell or chop to "bank" off of. "
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I was out this weekend sailing a Hobie 14 (no jib) in some high wind and and pretty big swell and on a lake at 8700 feet in elevation and just had a blast. Wind gust were probably in the mid 30's mph. However, I could not get the boat to tack and ended up doing some pretty hairy slow speed jibes but fortanetly never went over but came close.

I had some good speed coming into the tack but when I got close to heading into the wind, I grabbed the boom and pulled it IN (ie, this would have sheeted harder if I had stayed on the same tack). This did not work and I beleive I was pushing the sail the wrong way. I should have pushed the sail out past unsheeted to the point where it cought wind again. Is this correct and do you do this by grabbing the boom and pushing?

Also, I have done the backup turn before could not remember how I did it. Im wondering now that if you can get the boat stright into the wind, just pretty much let the sheet go and just mind the steering so that you can build up a little speed going backwards before steering onto the new reach?

Fun boat in the big wind and swell (except trying to turn..). The hulls are like a big floaty low aspect foils and they just slice though the big chop. Im really liking the wind range that this boat has, its making sailing this gusty mountain lake a blast (wearing a dry suit - even in June).

Sheeting hard as you round up helps to squirt the bows high as they will go. High wind is tough though. Everything has to work.

Do the best you can, then back up and reverse the rudders if you need to. Still need to sheet way out to allow the boat to come well onto the new tack.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Got a chance to try tacking in windy conditions and had success this time.

I would get as much speed as as possible on the reach and then start the tack and sheet in more and more as the boat headed up wind. When the boat was "pretty close" to headed directly into the wind (and the sheet tight), I would cross over to the other side and uncleat the sheet and then push the boom way out to the side where it would be normally on the new tack.

If my timing was good, the boat came around fairlyl quickly and took off. If my timing was not good, I would just hold the boom way out and "feather" the rudders a little and it would take a "few seconds" but it came around every time.