Question about changing directions when sailing

I recently purchased a TI and am fairly new to sailing. I have a basic sailing question with regards to changing directions. When you change directions and the sail starts to "flutter" do you furl the sail or do you pull harder on the mainline to pull the slack out? I realize the sail flutter and banging against itself is not good... Just don't really know the correct way!

It's called luffing, and you don't want to let it continue for any length of time.

If you are sailing upwind, the best thing to do is turn away from the wind slightly and sheet in till is stops. You'll take off like a rocket.

If you are intentionally stalled (pointing into the wind to pause, launch or land) you should keep the sail furled.

As turn the bow closer to the wind, at some point you will feel the pressure come off the sail. As this happens, sheet in just enough to keep the sail taut. As your bow passes through the wind you will feel the pressure return to the sail. Ease the sail out as the pressure increases and sail away.

Do the same thing when jibing, but realize that things will happen faster in a jibe.

Thanks for the quick and informative responses! I think I have an understanding now on open water, but if you are tacking back and forth... At the end of a run how do you keep the sail from luffing? Do you just furl it in some? Or am I missing a more effective way...

in my opinion i would do what tom ^ ^ ^ said on a larger sail boat but on the TI from the rear seat i usually just reach up and grab the sail and pull it tight with my hand until i've completed the turn and the sail starts to fill up with wind again. much faster and much less annoying to me personally.

i would say to try all the options and see which you prefer.

Pedaling the Mirage Drive will also help to tack across the wind. This keeps the hull moving faster forward and more water force against the rudder to swing you about.

I tend to leave the sail cleated *, and concentrate hard on keeping both telltales flowing right up to a positive move on the tiller to pass through the wind. I pedal the Miragedrive if the apparent wind is below about 5 knots or above about 15, as during either of these extremes, momentum is too easily lost through the tack.

If you are in a seaway, try and time the tack to just as you pass over the swell, so you gain the benefit of gravity running down the back of the swell while in the tack.

(As an aside, if sailing on a steady course in a swell (ie not tacking), I tend to steer ever so slightly away from close hauled (eg windward telltale steadily streaming) as I climb the face of the swell to keep speed up, and then slightly point up at the top of the swell, and then ease out again on the back, where gravity will help you regain speed).

You are probaby aware of this anyway, but the fastest angle of sail for any mainsheet setting is for the windward telltale to be steady, but slightly higher than parallel to the leeward one. As I wore out mine (250+ trips sp far), I replaced them with port-red and green-starboard to make it easier to identify which is which with a quick glance.

* Cleating off the sail might seem counter-intuitive, but I recall once having a 9 hour dual with a sister yacht under spinnaker in ocean waters. We cleated the spinnaker and concentrated on catching every single wave (gaining speed from about 6 to 12.5 knots while surfing), swapping helmsman every second swell to maintain high concentrtion (we had been racing for over 15 hours already by that stage), while our competitor continually played the sheets to optimise spinnaker shape. It took us 9 hours, but we gained 100 yards on them and beat them home by 50 yards (with sore necks all round LOL)

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker